Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the fraud uncovered thus far in Minnesota — largely linked to the Somali community — was just the tip of what appears to be a very large iceberg, and she promised many more arrests and prosecutions in the coming weeks.
In a post shared to X on Monday afternoon, Bondi praised the work done by independent journalist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shocking-video-exposes-more-apparent-somali-linked-fraud-in-walzs-minnesota">Nick Shirley</a>, who shared a lengthy video exposing the depth of the fraud in the childcare and health care industries — and she said that the Justice Department had already begun investigating the fraud months earlier.
&#8220;MINNESOTA FRAUD: [Nick Shirley]’s work has helped show Americans the scale of fraud in Tim Walz’s Minnesota,&#8221; Bondi posted. &#8220;@TheJusticeDept has been investigating this for months. So far, we have charged 98 individuals – 85 of Somali descent – and more than 60 have been found guilty in court. We have more prosecutions coming … BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!&#8221;
FBI Director Kash Patel also responded to the story:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CASE UPDATE: MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME
The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2005305530651189719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shirley shared <a href="https://x.com/nickshirleyy/status/2004642794862961123">video</a> of himself going from location to location, confronting people and, in some cases, having doors slammed in his face. At one location, which advertised itself as a &#8220;Quality Learing Center,&#8221; a white woman stood outside the building warning anyone who might be inside not to open up — and claiming that Shirley was with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
&#8220;Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet,” Shirley captioned the video post. “We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day &#8230; It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped.”
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Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner <a href="https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-daycares-youtuber-payments-dec-2025">Tikki Brown</a> responded to the video on Monday, saying that all of the locations Shirley visited had been the subjects of random inspections within the last six months, and that children had been present when those visits were conducted.
Brown also questioned whether or not Shirley had gone to the daycare centers during normal operating hours, asking, &#8220;When were the videos taken? Were they during times that the center was scheduled to be open? Were they during the weekend?&#8221;
She also said that, in light of the video, the state planned to conduct follow-up checks.

Justice Department Announces Federal Enforcement Action Against International Criminal Organization

‘BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!’: Pam Bondi Says Somali Fraud Prosecutions Are Just Beginning

'BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!': Pam Bondi Says Somali Fraud Prosecutions Are Just Beginning

Crime

Fraud

Minnesota

Pam Bondi

Somalis

U.S.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino plans to leave the bureau next month.
Bongino posted his farewell announcement on X on Wednesday. Bongino’s message came soon after President Donald Trump <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2001398261685309668">hinted</a> at Bongino’s departure in comments made on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, saying of Bongino, “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her,” <a href="https://x.com/FBIDDBongino/status/2001416238027935836">said</a> Bongino.
Trump appointed Bongino to the bureau in February. Bongino, before his career in conservative media, served in the New York Police Department and Secret Service. In the media, he was an adept watchdog over the Department of Justice and FBI, especially on scandals such as Operation Crossfire Hurricane and the Jeffrey Epstein saga.
Bongino recently wrapped one of his priorities for the FBI since coming into the deputy director role: identifying the suspected pipe bomber who planted bombs outside the Republican and Democratic 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 that arresting the suspected bomber was “the best birthday present” Bongino could have asked for.
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The Department of Justice under Bondi has been roiled by controversies over the past year, including its handling of the so-called Epstein files and prosecutions targeting some of Trump&#8217;s chief antagonists.
White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles was critical of Bondi in comments published recently in <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-2">Vanity Fair</a>. Wiles said Bondi mishandled the investigation into Epstein when she released old information to a group of right-wing reporters and internet influencers.
“I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Wiles said of the attorney general. “First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.”
Wiles was more complimentary of the FBI leadership.
“The people that really appreciated what a big deal this is are Kash [Patel] and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino,” she said. She noted that, before they were inside the department, Patel and Bongino had been two of the loudest voices calling for transparency on Epstein, suspecting that information on his connections to some elites had been buried in non-public government records.
After joining the FBI, Patel and Bongino investigated their hunch about the Epstein files. They later came to the conclusion that the so-called secret files did not exist, and said as much publicly.
The handling of the Epstein probe sparked tensions within the Justice Department. Bongino <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/11/epstein-files-dan-bongino-pam-bondi-trump">reportedly</a> took issue with Bondi’s handling of the situation in particular. At the time, the deputy head of the FBI was rumored to be on the way out over frustrations with the attorney general.

Dan Bongino

Dan Bongino Leaving FBI: ‘God Bless America, And All Those Who Defend Her’

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Executive

Politics

Top Trump officials are rallying behind chief of staff Susie Wiles after it was reported that Wiles made unflattering comments about the Trump team in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/susie-wiles-slams-vanity-fair-over-disingenuously-framed-hit-piece?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Susie+Wiles+Unloads+On+Trump+Team%2C+White+House+On+Defense%3F">forthcoming Vanity Fair profile</a>.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump Jr., Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and FBI Director Kash Patel are just some of the heavy hitters sticking up for Wiles.
Bondi, whom Wiles allegedly criticized over her handling of the Epstein files, said on Tuesday that Wiles fights for the Trump agenda every day &#8220;with grace, loyalty, and historic effectiveness.&#8221; The AG also suggested the coming profile was a failed &#8220;attempt to divide this administration.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My dear friend <a href="https://twitter.com/SusieWiles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SusieWiles</a> fights every day to advance President Trump’s agenda – and she does so with grace, loyalty, and historic effectiveness.
Any attempt to divide this administration will fail.
Any attempt to undermine and downplay President Trump’s monumental…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2000991371952357796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
VP Vance joked about Wiles allegedly calling him a &#8220;conspiracy theorist&#8221; in the profile, while also heaping praise on Wiles for being authentic and the &#8220;best&#8221; chief of staff for President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Sometimes I am a conspiracy theorist, but I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true,&#8221; Vance addressed the alleged comments. &#8220;And, by the way, Susie and I have joked about that in private and in public. For example, I believed in the crazy conspiracy theory back in 2020 that it was stupid to mask three-year-olds at the height of the COVID pandemic. I believed in this crazy conspiracy theory that the media and the government were covering up the fact that Joe Biden was clearly unable to do the job. And I believed in the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was trying to throw his political opponents in jail rather than win an argument against his political opponents.&#8221;
&#8220;So, at least on some of these conspiracy theories, it turns out that a conspiracy theory is just something that was true six months before the media admitted it,&#8221; Vance joked. &#8220;And that&#8217;s my understanding.&#8221;
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Vance then praised Wiles as &#8220;the same exact person&#8221; when she&#8217;s in front of President Trump as she is when he&#8217;s not around, which the VP said is very unlike most people in politics.
&#8220;I have never seen her be disloyal to the president of the United States, and that makes her the best White House chief of staff that I think the president could have asked for,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
JUST IN: JD Vance fires back at reporter who asked him about Susie Wiles&#8217; alleged comment that he is a conspiracy theorist, starts listing off every conspiracy theory he believes in.
&#8220;I only believe in the conspiracy theories that are true.&#8221;
&#8220;I believed in the crazy conspiracy… <a href="https://t.co/NOhD9SJgg9">pic.twitter.com/NOhD9SJgg9</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2000981034389979313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
Vance also said the Trump team should give fewer interviews to the mainstream media, suggesting the MSM is not trustworthy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Vance&#8217;s parting comment on the VF article:
&#8220;If any of us have learned a lesson from that Vanity Fair article, I hope that the lesson is we should be giving fewer interviews to mainstream media outlets.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/kSDrHW0cU3">https://t.co/kSDrHW0cU3</a>
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) <a href="https://twitter.com/alaynatreene/status/2000977900435132499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
Secretary Leavitt, early Tuesday morning, posted on X, &#8220;Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any President in American history. President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie. The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and united fully behind her.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has helped President Trump achieve the most successful first 11 months in office of any President in American history.
President Trump has no greater or more loyal advisor than Susie.
The entire Administration is grateful for her steady leadership and… <a href="https://t.co/Y3NEXI6a1E">https://t.co/Y3NEXI6a1E</a>
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2000944086904160480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Susie Wiles is by far the most effective and trustworthy Chief of Staff that my father has ever had,&#8221; Don Jr. said. &#8220;I very rarely speak out about my father&#8217;s staffers, but there is no one on Earth more equipped to serve my father as Chief of Staff than Susie.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Susie Wiles is by far the most effective and trustworthy Chief of Staff that my father has ever had.
When Susie took over my father&#8217;s political operation after J6, people forget how many &#8220;Republicans&#8221; were treating him like a pariah.
Countless operatives, consultants and… <a href="https://t.co/hCGRZT3qJe">https://t.co/hCGRZT3qJe</a>
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/2000968315880038713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth blasted the media for the profile. &#8220;This is what the Left does: trash &amp; smear our best &amp; most effective people. They do it to President Trump daily — and now to Chief Susie Wiles,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Susie is the most TRUSTED, most PROFESSIONAL &amp; most EFFECTIVE Chief of Staff of my lifetime. Absolutely nobody better!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is what the Left does: trash &amp; smear our best &amp; most effective people.
They do it to President Trump daily — and now to Chief Susie Wiles.
Susie is the most TRUSTED, most PROFESSIONAL &amp; most EFFECTIVE Chief of Staff of my lifetime. Absolutely nobody better! <a href="https://t.co/2w34GZJFuS">https://t.co/2w34GZJFuS</a>
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2000985697226777027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Fake news comes after you when you’re effective… and there’s nobody in [Donald Trump]’s team more effective than [Susie Wiles],&#8221; FBI Director Kash Patel posted online.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Fake news comes after you when you’re effective… and there’s nobody in <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>’s team more effective than <a href="https://twitter.com/SusieWiles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SusieWiles</a>
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000961090612813971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
President Trump, too, told the New York Post on Tuesday that he was not offended by Wiles&#8217; remarks.
“No, she meant that I’m — you see, I don’t drink alcohol,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;So everybody knows that — but I’ve often said that if I did, I’d have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It’s a very possessive personality.&#8221;
“I’ve said that many times about myself,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I’m fortunate I’m not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I’ve said that — what’s the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I’ve said it many times, many times before.”
Wiles said on Tuesday that the coming profile &#8220;is a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/susie-wiles-slams-vanity-fair-over-disingenuously-framed-hit-piece?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Susie+Wiles+Unloads+On+Trump+Team%2C+White+House+On+Defense%3F">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
&#8220;Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the president was left out of the story,&#8221; she continued.
“I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the president and our team,” Wiles added. “The truth is the Trump White House has already accomplished more in eleven months than any other president has accomplished in eight years and that is due to the unmatched leadership and vision of President Trump, for whom I have been honored to work for the better part of a decade. None of this will stop our relentless pursuit of Making America Great Again!”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/susie-wiles-slams-vanity-fair-over-disingenuously-framed-hit-piece?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Susie+Wiles+Unloads+On+Trump+Team%2C+White+House+On+Defense%3F">Susie Wiles Unloads On Trump Team, White House On Defense?</a>

JD Vance, Susie Wiles

The White House Doesn’t Care About Susie Wiles’ Vanity Fair Interview

JD Vance

Karoline Leavitt

Susie Wiles

Trump Administration

Hollywood reels after the gruesome deaths of iconic director Rob Reiner and his wife, and the arrest of their son. The FBI says it foiled a major left-wing terrorist plot in Southern California, and the manhunt continues for the Brown University shooter.
It’s Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 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, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251216-member-exclusive">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reiner-son-arrested-fbi-kneecaps-terror-plot-12-16-25/id1576594336?i=1000741503828" 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;">Reiner Murders</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1015445" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Reiners-Son-Suspected.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hollywood-director-rob-reiner-and-wife-found-dead-in-apparent-homicide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and authorities determined that they were &#8220;victims of homicide.&#8221; Emergency responders were called to the home around 3:30 p.m. for a medical aid request. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the couple&#8217;s bodies. It’s been widely reported that their throats were cut. The Los Angeles County Coroner&#8217;s Office hasn’t officially released its causes of death yet, but the LAPD has classified them as homicides. The Reiners’ son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rob-reiners-son-charged-in-brutal-slayings-bail-set-at-4-million">taken</a> into custody later that night and &#8220;booked for murder,&#8221; according to police. He has reportedly struggled with substance abuse that create conflicts in the household. The Los Angeles Times reports that Rob and Nick got into an argument on Saturday at a party at Conan O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s home.
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Police said homicide detectives will present their case to the L.A. County District Attorney&#8217;s Office on Tuesday, when officials will determine which charges to file.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Leftwing Terror Plot Thwarted</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1015447" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/NYE-Terror-Averted.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftist-pro-palestinian-groups-new-years-eve-bombing-plot-foiled-by-feds">announced</a> that after a thorough investigation, the Department of Justice thwarted a “massive and horrific” left-wing terror plot to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/radical-leftist-group-accused-of-plotting-new-years-eve-bombings-also-had-plans-to-attack-ice?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Radical+Leftist+Group+Accused+Of+Plotting+New+Year%E2%80%99s+Eve+Bombings+Also+Had+Plans+To+Attack+ICE">bomb</a> a number of locations across Southern California on New Year’s Eve. The plan was allegedly being organized by a faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a leftist group that holds anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, and anti-American views. Bondi simply said this had been a long investigation, but it appears the turning point came when the FBI obtained clear plans for a terror attack. According to a DOJ affidavit obtained by Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, one of the group’s leaders, Audrey Carroll, 30, of Los Angeles, unknowingly provided an 8-page outline of the plot to a law enforcement source. That document, dubbed Operation Midnight Sun, outlined plans to drop backpacks containing IEDs at five separate locations across Los Angeles and Orange counties on New Year&#8217;s Eve. Carroll, along with three other individuals also living in the L.A. area, was charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The FBI said the targets chosen included large American corporations–they didn’t give any names but said they were “similar to Amazon.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Hunt For The Brown University Gunman Continues</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1015449" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Providence-Manhunt-Continues.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Law enforcement continues to investigate a shooting at Brown University that killed two students and injured nine others. The Providence, Rhode Island, community has been deeply unsettled since officials released a person of interest late Sunday night after concluding the man they had detained was not the gunman. Authorities have continued a frenzied manhunt for the suspect, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/authorities-release-new-footage-offer-50000-bounty-for-brown-shooting-suspect">releasing</a> additional images and video of a person of interest on Monday. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual

MRN_251216_V2

Morning Brief: New Twists In Rob Reiner Murder & FBI Thwarts California Terror Plot

Brown University

Hollywood

Los Angeles

Morning Wire

Rob Reiner

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted video of the U.S. raid on an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.
The video shows U.S. forces boarding and taking control of the vessel as part of an operation to enforce U.S. sanctions on the sale of Venezuelan oil.
“[T]he Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” said Bondi.
“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” she added. “This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… <a href="https://t.co/dNr0oAGl5x">pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x</a>
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1998875795151024337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
President Donald Trump confirmed news of the tanker seizure on Wednesday. Trump said that the tanker was seized “for very good reasons.” Asked about what will happen to the oil, the president <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1998860261915242721">said</a>, “We’ll keep it, I guess.”
U.S. forces <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-seizes-venezuelan-oil-tanker-amid-pressure-campaign-against-maduro">seized</a> the tanker off the coast of Venezuela as the White House has increasingly pressured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro to step down. The president has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro and threatened to order military strikes on drug cartel infrastructure and other targets in Venezuela.
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The U.S. military has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-strikes-another-drug-vessel-targeting-narco-terrorists-as-trump-floats-talks-with-venezuela">sunk</a> more than 20 vessels off Venezuela’s coast that were believed to be carrying illicit drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine.
The decision to seize the oil tanker strikes directly at Venezuela’s main source of revenue, its state-controlled oil industry. The oil it can produce through its state-owned oil company, PDVSA, is often sold internationally to countries such as Iran and China at steep discounts because of the risk of running afoul of U.S. sanctions.
The United States has oil interests in Venezuela, as well. Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury Department granted Chevron a waiver from U.S. sanctions to be able to drill in Venezuela in partnership with PDVSA. A portion of the oil drilled by Chevron is paid to the government of Venezuela in exchange for access.

Screenshot

Trump Admin Drops Video Showing U.S. Forces Swarming Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast

Trump Admin Drops Video Showing U.S. Forces Swarm Oil Tanker

Venezuela

The Justice Department will no longer pursue civil rights lawsuits based on “disparate impact theory,” the Trump administration announced Tuesday.
The move comes after 50 years of government policy that encouraged lawsuits against “race neutral” policies without showing evidence of actual racial discrimination, the department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-rule-restores-equal-protection-all-civil-rights-enforcement">said</a>. Disparate impact theory is a framework that often assumes discrimination when there are different outcomes for different groups of people, even if there is no explicit discriminatory practice in place.
“For decades, the Justice Department has used disparate-impact liability to undermine the constitutional principle that all Americans must be treated equally under the law,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “No longer. This Department of Justice is eliminating its regulations that for far too long required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race.”
The Justice Department issued a rule removing disparate impact from consideration under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prevents entities that discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, and national origin from receiving federal money or support.
“The prior ‘disparate impact’ regulations encouraged people to file lawsuits challenging racially neutral policies, without evidence of intentional discrimination,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our rejection of this theory will restore true equality under the law by requiring proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions.”
The change comes after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-takes-sledgehammer-to-dei-in-latest-round-of-executive-orders-targeting-education">signed</a> an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-equality-of-opportunity-and-meritocracy/">executive order</a> in April that directed the federal government to stop using disparate impact theory in government policy and regulations. The order defined disparate impact theory as the “presumption” that “unlawful discrimination exists where there are any differences in outcomes in certain circumstances among different races, sexes, or similar groups, even if there is no facially discriminatory policy or practice or discriminatory intent involved, and even if everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.”
Trump said that this theory undermines America’s values of meritocracy and a colorblind society while also violating the Constitution.
“It is the policy of the United States to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federal civil rights laws, and basic American ideals,” Trump wrote.
Last year, President Joe Biden’s Justice Department was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-document/notice-injunction-louisiana-v-epa-wd-la">blocked</a> from enforcing disparate impact claims against Louisiana.

Justice Department Holds Press Conference On Complaint Filed Under FACE Act

Justice Department Ends Policy That Promoted Dubious Racial Discrimination Suits

Civil Rights

Harmeet Dhillon

Racial Discrimination

Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba resigned from her position on Monday after the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that she could not legally stay in the role.
Habba was serving in the role in an interim capacity for 120 days from March until July, then continued to serve in the role as legal battles continued about whether she could continue serving beyond that point without going through the Senate confirmation process.
“As a result of the Third Circuit&#8217;s ruling, and to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love, I have decided to step down in my role as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. But do not mistake compliance for surrender,” Habba said in a statement.
“This decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me. My fight will now stretch across the country. As we wait for further review of the courts ruling, I will continue to serve the Department of Justice as the Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys,” she continued, quipping that “you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi also slammed the court’s decision as “flawed,” and said she was “saddened” to get Habba’s resignation.
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The attorney general said she believed the decision will eventually “be reversed” and that the Trump-backed lawyer would come back to the role if that does happen.
“The court&#8217;s ruling has made it untenable for her to effectively run her office, with politicized judges pausing trials designed to bring violent criminals to justice,” Bondi stated.
“These judges should not be able to countermand the president&#8217;s choice of attorneys entrusted with carrying out the executive branch&#8217;s core responsibility of prosecuting crime,” she continued.
Last week, New Jersey Democratic Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker agreed with the court&#8217;s decision that Habba’s arrangement was against the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
“This decision vindicates concerns we have long raised about the extraordinary and unlawful steps taken by the Trump Administration to keep Habba in office without Senate confirmation,” the senators wrote in a joint statement.
“The Court’s ruling underscores a simple but fundamental principle: U.S. Attorneys must be independent and installed consistent with the rule of law, not because of their political loyalty or through political maneuvering,” the December 1 statement continued. “The Trump Administration’s attempt to bypass clear legal requirements to install a loyalist undermined the legitimacy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey and cast a shadow over the cases she oversaw.”

Alina Habba

Alina Habba Steps Down From Role After Heated Legal Battle: ‘Politicized Judges’

New Jersey

The Trump administration on Tuesday took action against six blue states that it says have failed to comply with requests to produce their voter rolls. 
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-six-additional-states-failure-provide-voter-registration-rolls">announced</a> suits against Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington for not producing statewide registration lists. Without these lists, the Justice Department said that they cannot certify that the states are maintaining an accurate count of eligible voters. 
&#8220;Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,&#8221; said Attorney General Pam Bondi. &#8220;The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.&#8221;
The suits come amid a push from Republicans nationwide to crack down on non-citizen voting and maintain clean voter registration lists.
The lawsuits say that the states are not acting in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which compel states to maintain accurate voter lists. The attorney general is empowered to enforce those laws and has a right to access the lists under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the suits say.
&#8220;States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1419811/dl?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">lawsuit</a> against Rhode Island says that on September 16 Rhode Island sent a letter to the Justice Department refusing a September 8 request for voter roll information. The letter said that the states “objects to providing” the requested information, according to the suit. This requested information includes driver license information and the last four digits of Social Security numbers used to register for voting. 
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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha claimed the suit was an example of Trump weaponizing the Justice Department. 
“We stand with and will defend the secretary, and win, because lawsuits concerning lawful conduct are largely unsuccessful,” he said. “But I’m not surprised that this administration is confused about what it means to behave lawfully.”
In September, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/justice-dept-sues-six-states-for-refusing-to-hand-over-key-voter-data">announced</a> suits against Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and New York over the same issue.

Justice Department Moves To Safeguard Elections In Blue States

Delaware

Election Fraud

Maryland

New Mexico

Rhode Island

Vermont

Voting

Washington

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned former FBI Director James Comey and New York AG Letitia James on Monday that the Department of Justice is not done with them, promising an appeal after a federal judge dismissed charges against the pair.
&#8220;We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal, to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct,&#8221; Bondi told the press on Monday, Fox News reported.
&#8220;I’m not worried about someone who has been charged with a very serious crime,&#8221; she said specifically of Comey. &#8220;His alleged actions were a betrayal of public trust.&#8221;
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed charges without prejudice against both Comey and James on procedural grounds, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-tosses-charges-against-james-comey-letitia-james?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Federal+Judge+Tosses+Charges+Against+James+Comey%2C+Letitia+James">The Daily Wire</a> reported Monday. Currie said Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who secured their indictments, was unlawfully serving as interim U.S. attorney.
President Donald Trump appointed Halligan to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing former U.S. attorney Erik Siebert. Siebert resigned from the position after leading investigations into Comey and James, but stopping short of filing charges. Halligan was previously a member of Trump’s legal team.
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&#8220;We have made Lindsey Halligan a special U.S. attorney so she is in court, she can fight in court just like she was, and we believe we will be successful on appeal,&#8221; Bondi said.
&#8220;And I&#8217;ll tell you, Lindsey Halligan, I talked to all of our U.S. attorneys, the majority of them around the country, and Lindsey Halligan is an excellent U.S. attorney,&#8221; she added. &#8220;And shame on them for not wanting her in office.&#8221;
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comey-indicted-for-lying-to-congress-no-one-is-above-the-law">indicted</a> Comey in September on charges of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges stemmed from testimony Comey delivered to Congress in 2020 on his handling of the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/letitia-james-indicted-following-doj-probe-into-2023-sweetheart-home-loan">brought</a> charges against James in October, over a loan she received in 2023 to secure a mortgage on a house in Virginia. James allegedly claimed the Virginia home as her primary residence while working as New York’s attorney general, a position which requires James to live in the state of New York. James secured more favorable terms on the mortgage, while the home was occupied by a relative of James instead.
James made a name for herself by leading a civil fraud case against Trump. The case was widely viewed as highly controversial and unprecedented legal warfare, especially since James expressly campaigned on “leading the resistance” to “take on” Trump.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-tosses-charges-against-james-comey-letitia-james?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Federal+Judge+Tosses+Charges+Against+James+Comey%2C+Letitia+James">Federal Judge Tosses Charges Against James Comey, Letitia James</a>

Not So Fast: Pam Bondi Has Message For James Comey And Letitia James

Not so Fast: AG Pam Bondi Has Message For James Comey And Letitia James

Courts

James Comey

Letitia James

D.C. is abuzz today ahead of President Trump’s meeting with Mamdani, fallout from the Epstein files mounts, and the September jobs report smashes expectations.
It’s Friday, November 21, 2025, 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, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251121">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-meets-mamdani-epstein-fallout-continues-11-21-25/id1576594336?i=1000737766180" 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;">Trump vs. Mamdani</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003857" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Mamdani-Faceoff.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Despite the pair’s verbal battle during the New York City mayoral race, President Donald Trump plans to meet with far-Left Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday afternoon.
There’s been a lot of back-and-forth between Trump and Mamdani. Trump even said during the mayoral campaign that he’d <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-warns-mamdani-no-federal-cash-for-a-communist-mayor">withhold federal fundin</a>g from New York City if Mamdani were to win. Since Mamdani has since won, that threat presumably now looms large. The meeting could be a chance to build a relationship, however.
Mamdani’s olive branch: It was Mamdani who reached out to Trump. He also changed his tone on Trump ahead of the meeting. During a presser on Thursday, Mamdani seemed to draw some parallels between himself and the president. That could be interpreted as an olive branch–but also as a self-serving comparison. 
“We ran a campaign focused on the … cost of living. And what we found actually is that one in 10 New Yorkers who voted for Trump ended up voting for our campaign, and they did so because they&#8217;re looking for leaders to actually deliver on the cost of living crisis,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r6dYDsL_-c">said</a> Mamdani.
That is a far cry from Mamdani’s mayoral victory speech when he said he’d be “Trump-proofing” New York City and called Trump a “despot.”
What about Trump? Trump, too, seems open to the meeting. He obviously accepted the meeting request, and he also said this week that he wants to see “everything work out well for New York.”
What to expect: As for the agenda, Mamdani said he wants to talk to Trump about public safety, economic security, and affordability for New Yorkers.
“Affordability,” though, seemed to be Mamdani’s pitch to New Yorkers who really don’t like Trump and might not like him taking this meeting. Mamdani stressed that he’d work with anyone to bring down costs, and he acknowledged that he does need the White House. He needs funding from the federal government if he really wants to help New Yorkers.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">What Comes Next On Epstein Files</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Epstein-Files-Haunting.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: After years of sealed documents and whispered allegations around Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump has signed the bill forcing the release of the Epstein files, as new emails and texts are already leaking.
The order directs all documents to be produced, but there are exceptions carved out for the protection of witnesses’ and victims&#8217; identities, for national security, and for ongoing probes. Those exceptions could still delay some of these documents.
At the same time, victims such as Annie Farmer, who testified alongside Virginia Giuffre&#8217;s family, are still <a href="https://x.com/OfTheBraveUSA/status/1963256584127013360">hailing</a> this as a long overdue victory.
The measure now requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified Epstein documents within 30 days, including flight records, emails, and plea deal details. 
The Trump flip:  The Trump and the White House previously opposed this full release of the files, but earlier this week, the president made a prominent turnaround in messaging.
One reason the White House resisted the release for months prior was that it felt the vote would be premature. Eventually, though, all of those objections melted away in the face of vociferous public pressure from people and critics who wanted answers.
President Trump ended up urging Republicans to vote for it because, as he posted on social media, “we have nothing to hide.” Trump has additionally called for a new investigation into various Epstein associates, including former President Bill Clinton and others.
What to watch:  There are many layers to this. One of those is the perception of Trump&#8217;s past association with Epstein, which appears to have hurt him, as well as his resistance, for a time, to releasing all the documents.
But this has been damaging for Democrats as well. The documents already released show that Epstein fed questions to Democratic Delegate Stacey Plaskett during a congressional hearing in 2019. On Tuesday, Plaskett <a href="https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1990899465318785072?s=20">characterized</a> her communication with Epstein as simply receiving texts from a constituent.
Many other figures have been wrapped up in the Epstein files, as well, including former Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. He continued to communicate with Epstein up until 2019, long after Epstein had been put in jail.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Jobs Report A Mixed Bag Ahead Of December Fed Meeting</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1003861" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Jobs-Report-Crushes.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The September jobs numbers are finally here after data was delayed nearly two months over the government shutdown. While administration officials are excited about the data, a new poll shows Americans may not be as optimistic about the direction of the economy.
The data: The headline number from the report is the 119,000 jobs added in September. It is the highest gain since April, and it came in more than double economists’ expectations for the month. Downward revisions for July and August’s numbers stole some of the momentum, coming in 33,000 lower than previously reported.
The unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 4.3% to 4.4%. Overall, the administration says it is happy with the numbers.
“In the first 10 months of the Trump economy, we&#8217;ve increased take-home pay by about $1,200, adjusting for inflation. That&#8217;s a huge, huge thing,” <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1991541104966267022">said</a> Vice President JD Vance on Thursday. “And this is really important … we are seeing the job growth go to native-born American citizens” rather than to illegal aliens.
Looking ahead: This jobs report is particularly important because it’s the only snapshot of the labor market ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next meeting on December 9 and 10.
Heather Long, the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, <a href="https://x.com/byHeatherLong/status/1991512177430134943">expects</a> the Fed to hold interest rates steady.
Long points out that even though the jobs report has good numbers in September, the economy’s four-month average ending in September is only 44,000–just barely “treading water.” Labor force participation is up, a good sign even as the unemployment rate ticks up. But, according to Long, “it&#8217;s hard to argue things look *better* in the labor market.” It has largely remained steady, with no significant gains or losses.
Is Trump in trouble? Americans overall are not optimistic about the direction the economy is heading.
Fox News released its latest national <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-voters-say-white-house-doing-more-harm-than-good-economy">survey</a> on Wednesday. According to Fox News, “Some 76% of voters view the economy negatively–worse than the 67% who felt that way in July and the 70% who said the same at the end of … President Biden’s term.”
The news gets worse for Trump, specifically. According to Fox News, “About twice as many [respondents] say President Donald Trump, rather than Biden, is responsible for the current economy. And three times as many say Trump’s economic policies have hurt them,” about the same as said Biden’s did last year.

MRN_251121_V1

Morning Brief: Mamdani At The White House, Epstein Files Loom, & Mixed Jobs Report

Morning Brief: Trump-Mamdani Meeting, Epstein Files Incoming, And September’s Mixed Jobs Report

Department of Labor

Economy

Federal Reserve

Jeffrey Epstein

Zohran Mamdani

A Democratic congresswoman from Florida is facing decades in prison after the Justice Department accused her of stealing more than $5 million in FEMA funds. Prosecutors allege that she diverted the disaster-relief money to support her congressional campaign and enrich her associates.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that a Miami grand jury had indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for fraudulently obtaining federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and putting the money toward her 2021 congressional race. According to the Justice Department, Cherfilus-McCormick conspired with her brother, 51-year-old Edwin Cherfilus, to steal a $5 million FEMA overpayment that was sent to their family’s health care company.
“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
The $5 million payment was made in July 2021 after the siblings had a contract with FEMA for COVID vaccinations. The money was routed through multiple accounts to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign and other personal accounts, according to the Justice Department. 
“This individual and her family allegedly stole money from FEMA and then laundered it through friends toward her own personal benefits &#8211; including her campaign accounts,” FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1991306995366756653">said</a>. “Today the FBI and partners at [the Justice Department] took action. No one is above the law.”
The indictment also accuses 46-year-old Nadege Leblanc, Cherfilus-McCormick’s district chief of staff, of working with the Democrat representative to funnel some of the stolen money to straw donors who then donated back to the campaign.
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An additional defendant is 41-year-old tax preparer David Spencer, who is accused of working with Cherfilus-McCormick to file a false federal tax return. The indictment says that they falsely claimed political spending and personal expenses as business deductions and inflated her charitable contributions. 
Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison; Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years; Leblanc faces up to 10 years; and Spencer faces up to 33 years, according to the Justice Department. Cherfilus-McCormick&#8217;s legal team <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-indicted-stealing-fema-funds-campaign-rcna244889">said</a> she was &#8220;a committed public servant&#8221; and that they would &#8220;fight to clear her good name.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) is expected to file a motion on Thursday to censure Cherfilus-McCormick and remove her from all committees. She currently sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Veteran Affairs. 
“This is one of the most egregious abuses of public trust I have ever seen. Stealing $5 million in taxpayer disaster funds from FEMA of all places is beyond indefensible,” he <a href="https://x.com/RepGregSteube/status/1991317294870392922">said</a>. “Millions of Floridians have relied on FEMA after devastating hurricanes, and that money was supposed to help real disaster victims.”
Cherfilus-McCormick is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Florida Democrat Indicted For Turning FEMA Funds Into Campaign Cash

Congress

FEMA

Florida

House of Representatives

kash patel

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Wednesday that &#8220;new information&#8221; warrants further investigations into the Jeffrey Epstein case and those connected to the convicted sex abuser.
Bondi fielded questions about Epstein during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqCjGqH2eTA&amp;list=RDNSPqCjGqH2eTA&amp;start_radio=1">press conference</a> alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and confirmed that the Department of Justice would release additional Epstein files within 30 days of Trump signing legislation making the documents public. Bondi, however, suggested that some material could be withheld as the investigation is ongoing.
Last week, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-unleashes-doj-to-investigate-epsteins-democrat-friends">directed</a> the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections to a list of powerful Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Larry Summers, and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman. Bondi quickly <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1989411168067440722">responded</a> to Trump, saying the DOJ would &#8220;pursue this with urgency and integrity,&#8221; tapping Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead the investigation.
On Wednesday, a reporter asked Bondi what had changed since last week, given that the Justice Department said earlier this year that no further investigation of third parties connected to Epstein was warranted.
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&#8220;Information. There&#8217;s information, new information, additional information, and again, we will continue to follow the law to investigate any leads,&#8221; Bondi said. &#8220;If there are any victims, we encourage all victims to come forward. And we will continue to provide maximum transparency under the law.&#8221;
Bondi did not expand on what new information came to the Justice Department and did not say whether the additional investigations would go beyond those mentioned by President Trump last week.
&#8220;We&#8217;re not going to say anything else on that because now it is a pending investigation in the southern district of New York,&#8221; she said.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Justice Department, asking when the new information came to light and whether it includes more allegations against Epstein or those connected to the pedophile. The Justice Department said it has no further comment.
After months of controversy over the Trump administration&#8217;s handling of the Epstein case, and the president referring to the issue as a &#8220;hoax,&#8221; Trump finally pushed for Congress to pass legislation to release the Epstein files, and Republicans complied. Bondi has faced the brunt of the criticism over the administration&#8217;s handling of the case after she suggested earlier this year that she was reviewing a client list. But when the Justice Department closed its investigation into Epstein in July, it said that it found no evidence of a client list. Bondi later clarified that she was referring to a file on the Epstein case, not an actual client list.
Trump is expected to sign the bill releasing the Epstein files after the legislation easily passed through the House and Senate on Tuesday.

Jeffrey Epstein Mug Shot

Bondi Says ‘New Info’ Warrants More Epstein Investigations As DOJ Sets Sights On His Dem Pals

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