A prosecutor in Fairfax County, Virginia, was warned against releasing an illegal immigrant with a rap sheet before he went on to fatally stab 41-year-old mother Stephanie Minter, according to ABC7.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone, allegedly murdered Minter at a local bus stop on Feb. 23. He allegedly fled the scene, leaving behind her lifeless.
Police nabbed him the next day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Fairfax County police repeatedly warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office about how dangerous Abdul Jalloh was before Stephanie Minter’s murder.
In November, a police major told Descano’s office, “Jenna, Good morning. I hope things are well. I wanted… <a href="https://t.co/ouqkJPgvPD">https://t.co/ouqkJPgvPD</a> <a href="https://t.co/E8bFmNMBuY">pic.twitter.com/E8bFmNMBuY</a>
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickMinock/status/2029286966777229769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jalloh had at least 30 previous arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
An officer with the Fairfax County Police Department notified Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office in November, warning that he could continue on his crime rampage upon release, according to emails obtained by 7News reporter Nick Minock via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
&#8220;I want to bring Mr. Jalloh&#8217;s release to your attention because Mr. Jalloh is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders we discussed when we met. I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe five years) was pursued by your office?&#8221; the email read.
&#8220;Unfortunately, based on MTV Station&#8217;s numerous dealings with him, it&#8217;s not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe prompts me to follow up on his status,&#8221; it added.
Most of the 40 previous charges against Jalloh have been dropped by Descano, <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/illegal-immigrant-with-long-criminal-record-accused-of-killing-woman-in-fairfax-county-abdul-emails-jalloh-stephanie-minter-commonwealths-attorney-steve-descano" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC7.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with local police on Feb. 25, asking them to transfer Jalloh to federal custody so he&#8217;s not released, DHS said.
But Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has indicated she won&#8217;t allow local law enforcement to honor the detainer without a judicial warrant, which is not standard protocol for ICE, according to ABC7.
DHS is now putting the pressure on Spanberger to hand him over.
“We are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia&#8217;s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a recent statement.
“This illegal alien’s murder of an innocent, beautiful American woman came less than 24 hours before Governor Spanberger’s demonization of ICE law enforcement. This heinous criminal is a perfect example of why we need cooperation from sanctuary jurisdictions and the importance of third country removals for the safety of the American people,&#8221; Bis said.
An August email between police in the county stated that Jalloh had over 100 interactions with the department. His record began with domestic violence incidents followed by multiple stabbings, the local news outlet reported.
Jalloh was identified as the offender in a stabbing that occurred in May, according to ABC7. He received a bond on July 31.
Three weeks later, he allegedly assaulted another man and stomped his head into the ground.

Untitled design – 2026-03-04T130616.678

Receipts Show Progressive Prosecutor Warned About Illegal Alien Before Mom Was Murdered

Crime

Immigration

Virginia

A D.C.-area mosque pledged its loyalty on Sunday to &#8220;Our Leader Shaheed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,&#8221; mourning his &#8220;martyrdom&#8221; after the Iranian dictator was killed in a U.S.-Israeli operation.
The Manassas Mosque is a sponsor, alongside left-wing groups like CodePink and the D.C. chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, of a &#8220;Stop the war on Iran&#8221; march on the White House planned for Monday night.
On its <a href="https://www.instagram.com/manassasmosque/?hl=en">Instagram</a> page, the mosque calls Iran&#8217;s dictator — not America&#8217;s elected representatives — its leader, and demands to &#8220;end US-Zionist aggression.&#8221; The picture was deleted after The Daily Wire captured it.
<div id="attachment_1052149" style="width: 380px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1052149" class="size-large wp-image-1052149" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HCaZ46IWsAAnrH4-Edited-370x576.jpg" alt="" width="370" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HCaZ46IWsAAnrH4-Edited-370x576.jpg 370w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HCaZ46IWsAAnrH4-Edited-193x300.jpg 193w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HCaZ46IWsAAnrH4-Edited-768x1194.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/HCaZ46IWsAAnrH4-Edited.jpg 922w" sizes=" (max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" />Screenshot via Manassas Mosque Instagram</div>
The mosque, about 30 minutes from the Pentagon in D.C.&#8217;s Virginia outskirts, is funded by the Alavi Foundation, which has spent tens of millions of dollars in America. The U.S. government has alleged that the foundation is a front for the Iranian regime.
In 2023, nine GOP congressmen <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/gop-reps-raise-alarm-bells-irans-influence-american-religious-institutions">wrote</a> to the Biden administration&#8217;s attorney general and director of national security, saying that the Manassas mosque received $200,000 from the Alavi Foundation and &#8220;a recent video inside the Mosque showed it is adorned with pictures of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps &#8230; This appears to be part of a network of regime-sponsored mosques acting as agents for a foreign adversary.&#8221;
After the October 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, the Manassas Mosque issued a newsletter that said, &#8220;We stand firmly with the Palestinian Resistance (Hamas),&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/manassas-mosque/">InfluenceWatch</a>.
It has used racial divisions in the U.S. to infiltrate the Left, saying in 2020 that the death of George Floyd &#8220;exposes the facade of freedom and justice for all.&#8221;
In 2009, the then-head of the Alavi Foundation, Farshid Jahedi, was indicted for &#8220;allegedly destroying documents subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the Alavi Foundation&#8217;s relationship with Bank Melli Iran and the ownership of a Manhattan office building,&#8221; the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/May09/Jahedi,%20Farshid%20Indictment%20PR.pdf">said</a>. In 2010, during the Obama administration, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-slap-hand-of-alavis-ex-boss/">only</a> three months in prison and a $3,000 fine on two felony counts. 
<blockquote>
<h1>&#8220;They really have no idea what they&#8217;ve unleashed upon themselves. It is exactly in moments like this that resistance fighter are born.&#8221;</h1>
</blockquote>
The group built a skyscraper at 650 Fifth Avenue in New York using a loan from Iran, and Alavi, for years, used front groups to hide the forbidden relationship, the DOJ said in a 2008 <a href="https://akamai-staging.justice.gov/usao-sdny/programs/victim-witness-services/united-states-v-all-right-title-and-interest-assa-corp-08-civ-10934-rjh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forfeiture action</a> against the Assa Corp., which the DOJ said was an offshore front group used by Alavi. In 2019, a jury verdict to seize the entire building for violating Iranian sanctions was overturned on appeal.
Its 2025 IRS filing includes <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237345978/202542879349100704/full">buying land</a> in Virginia. It has also given <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/237345978/download990pdf_11_2021_prefixes_20-27%2F237345978_201803_990PF_2021110319126074">loans</a> for Muslims to study at U.S. colleges, and mortgages to establish new mosques in places like Beaverton, Oregon, and San Diego, California.
The Manassas Mosque&#8217;s imam is Abolfazl Bahram Nahidian, who in 2010 said that Israel was behind 9/11.
His daughter-in-law, Atefeh Rokhvand, has been a major player in high-profile, left-wing-adjacent advocacy against Israel.
A D.C. court ordered Rokhvand and others to pay a rabbi $182,000 for abusing the U.S. court system by attempting to have him prosecuted for &#8220;stalking&#8221; for coming to the Israeli embassy to pray, where they had staked out in a constant protest. A lawyer for Rokhvand previously replied to The Daily Wire&#8217;s questions by implying the rabbi was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-israel-activists-ordered-to-pay-182000-after-falsely-accusing-rabbi-of-stalking">greedy</a>, saying the $182,000 was for &#8220;over-inflated legal fees.&#8221;
Rokhvand was the &#8220;governor&#8221; of the around-the-clock stakeout of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken&#8217;s home, which involved throwing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/soros-prosecutor-wont-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-outside-antony-blinkens-home">fake blood</a> on his vehicle as he returned home. She previously taught third grade at a school affiliated with the mosque, and founded Teachers Against Genocide.
<div id="attachment_881199" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-881199" class="size-full wp-image-881199" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/embassy.jpg" alt="Hazami Barmada (center) and Atefeh Rokhvand (right) protesting the Israel embassy / Instagram" width="1200" height="600" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/embassy.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/embassy-300x150.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/embassy-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/embassy-768x384.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Hazami Barmada (center) and Atefeh Rokhvand (right) protesting the Israeli embassy / Instagram</div>
On Instagram, Rokhvand this week posted a screenshot of a tweet saying, &#8220;they just canonized Kahmenei [sic]. And they really have no idea what they&#8217;ve unleashed upon themselves. It is exactly in moments like this that resistance fighter are born.&#8221;
Radical Islamists in the D.C. area have often used their daughters to embed in local Democrat politics. Several of the 9/11 hijackers worshipped at a different mosque, whose imam was later drone-struck by Barack Obama as a member of Al Qaeda. The daughter of a board member who hired that imam was later elected to the Fairfax County school board, where she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/school-board-member-abrar-omeish-whose-father-led-september-11-hijackers-mosque-opposes-resolution-honoring-victims">opposed</a> a moment of silence honoring the victims of 9/11.
Several members of Congress, in response to The Daily Wire&#8217;s flagging of the mosque aligning with an enemy during wartime, called for members of the mosque to be denaturalized and deported.
&#8220;The enemy is inside the gates,&#8221; Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
&#8220;Deport all who refuse to pledge allegiance to the United States of America,&#8221; Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) said.
&#8220;We need to get them the hell out of our country,&#8221; Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said.
&#8220;Deport them. Now,&#8221; Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said.

Manassas mosque

Mosque Near Pentagon Labels Iran’s Khamenei As Its ‘Martyred Leader’

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

General

Iran

Islam

U.S.

The Trump administration is urging Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger against releasing an illegal immigrant suspect with 30 prior arrests who is now accused of fatally stabbing a local mother at a bus stop.
Just after assuming office, Spanberger signed an executive order last month that ended required cooperation between state and local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Weeks later, Abdul Jalloh, 32, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone, allegedly murdered 41-year-old Virginia mother Stephanie Minter. Minter&#8217;s lifeless body was found at a bus stop on Feb. 23.
The Fairfax Police Department began a search for the suspect, later identifying him as Jalloh. He was arrested the day after the killing after a local business employee recognized him and called the police. ICE lodged a detainer with local police on Feb. 25, requesting that they hand Jalloh over if he&#8217;s to be released to ensure he&#8217;s not back on the streets, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Detectives are seeking Abdul Jalloh, 32. He was the last person seen with our victim in Hybla Valley. He may be dangerous so please do not make any attempt to interact with him. Anyone with info on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or <a href="https://twitter.com/FFXCrimeSolvers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FFXCrimeSolvers</a> @ 1-866-411-TIPS <a href="https://t.co/4ouD5nBKdK">https://t.co/4ouD5nBKdK</a> <a href="https://t.co/MroiKbIIaU">pic.twitter.com/MroiKbIIaU</a>
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/FairfaxCountyPD/status/2026279250324840862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DHS called on &#8220;Spanberger and Virginia&#8217;s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” the agency&#8217;s deputy assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a recent statement.
Just a day after the fatal stabbing, Spanberger delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union speech, where she labeled ICE as &#8220;unaccountable agents&#8221; who &#8220;terrorize our communities.&#8221;
“This illegal alien’s murder of an innocent, beautiful American woman came less than 24 hours before Governor Spanberger’s demonization of ICE law enforcement. This heinous criminal is a perfect example of why we need cooperation from sanctuary jurisdictions and the importance of third country removals for the safety of the American people,&#8221; Bis said.
Jalloh has more than 30 previous arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing, according to DHS.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If an illegal alien lives in a sanctuary jurisdiction they will be allowed by Democrat leaders to commit infinity crimes. <a href="https://t.co/UsTJGH0B5Q">https://t.co/UsTJGH0B5Q</a>
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/2028505744794915307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Monday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called out &#8220;Democrat leaders&#8221; in &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; states who allow illegal immigrants like him &#8220;to commit infinity crimes.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2026-03-02T111227.981

A Mother Killed At Bus Stop — Now Dem Governor Could Let Illegal Alien Suspect Walk

abigail spanberger

Department of Homeland Security

Deportations

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will be giving the Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Trump is expected to highlight his first year back in office during the joint session of Congress amid active negotiations on the Department of Homeland Security funding lapse and tensions with Iran on the rise.
“We are at a defining moment in our nation’s history. Virginians and Americans across the country are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring. Next week, I look forward to laying out what these Americans expect and deserve — leaders who are working hard to deliver for them,&#8221; Spanberger said in a Thursday statement.
Spanberger was elected to lead the commonwealth in November, defeating then-Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by over 15% of the vote. When she first took office, she signed several Executive Orders reversing actions from her Republican predecessor, Glenn Youngkin, including scrapping the cooperation agreement between state authorities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Virginia Democrats in the General Assembly have recently been in the hot seat over tax hike proposals, as well as an ongoing redistricting fight, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-running-on-affordability-virginia-dems-push-for-nations-highest-income-tax?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=After+Running+On+Affordability%2C+Virginia+Dems+Push+For+Nation%E2%80%99s+Highest+Income+Tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
“Spanberger and Virginia Democrats ran a campaign pledging affordability and immediately introduced a slew of policies to raise taxes, increase energy prices, and make law-abiding residents less safe – these broken promises make her perfect representative for today’s Democrat party,&#8221; Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, told The Daily Wire in a statement.
&#8220;Every Democrat in Congress tried to pass a $4 trillion dollar tax hike and voted against the working and middle class tax cuts the American people are seeing right now in their refunds. Democrats all voted against securing the border and deporting criminal illegals. Democrats all voted against modernizing our military. Americans have benefitted from the commonsense policies Republicans have governed with, Spanberger couldn’t be further from that,&#8221; Jackson added.
&#8220;Virginia Republicans introduced legislation to eliminate the car tax entirely. Democrats not only killed that bill, they killed a bill to just STUDY eliminating the car tax. They won’t even consider it,&#8221; the Virginia Senate GOP posted to X on Wednesday.
&#8220;Meanwhile, Fake Moderate Abigail Spanberger, who promised on the campaign trail to work with “any party” to abolish the car tax, has remained COMPLETELY SILENT! Just another piece of the Great Democrat Affordability Hoax,&#8221; the post continued.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) will be giving the Spanish-language response, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) saying that he will play a key role in talking to &#8220;Spanish-speaking households across the nation.&#8221;
“The son of two Mexican immigrants and California’s first Latino U.S. Senator, Sen. Alex Padilla is a devoted public servant, extraordinary trailblazer and fierce fighter for Californians and the diverse community he represents,&#8221; Jeffries stated. &#8220;As Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and MAGA extremists have tried to silence the voices of our Latino brothers and sisters, Senator Alex Padilla has consistently fought back and proven Democrats will not bend the knee to this out-of-control administration.&#8221;
The announcement comes as some Democrats have made alternate plans for the evening, including a “People’s State of the Union” rally hosted by Meidas Touch and MoveOn on the National Mall, as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) wrote on X earlier this week that “Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution &amp; democracy.”
State of the Union responses have been a tradition for decades. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) gave the Democratic response last year, and Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) gave the Republican response in 2024 during the last year of the Biden administration.

Abigail Spanberger Is Sworn In As First Female Virginia Governor

‘Fake Moderate.’ ICE Deal Scrapped. Tax Fears Raised. Dems Tap Her To Counter Trump.

Congress

Donald Trump

Politics

State of the Union

WASHINGTON—If you live in the nation&#8217;s capital, you&#8217;ve probably heard that there&#8217;s sewage in the Potomac River.
The issue began in mid-January, when a roughly 60-year-old sewer pipe in Maryland broke, resulting in sewage flowing into the river within the first five days, with additional spills happening this month. So far, roughly 250 million gallons of the sewage has made its way into the river.
The spill has since become the subject of regional and national concern, largely because E. coli levels in the water are higher. The D.C. government says that it is “likely due to a recent rain event” rather than the spill, but still advises that people do not fish or otherwise have &#8220;unnecessary contact&#8221; with the river.
But there&#8217;s some good news for Washingtonians: the tap water is still fine.
“There is currently no impact to drinking water, and so I think as much as we can say that is extremely important to reassure folks. The federal government right now is doing a couple things,” EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Jess Kramer told The Daily Wire in a Thursday interview. “One is helping to ensure coordination across all the entities involved: the federal partners, the states, as well as the local governments.”
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday, asking for the governments of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. to quickly step in, writing, “if they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed.&#8221;
“The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it. But remember, even in that case, with the Democrat Shutdown, we’ll have to bring in true Patriots to do the work because many are not working right now. These Democrat caused Disasters, both River and Shutdown, will only get worse,” Trump added, calling it a “Radical Left caused Environmental Hazard.”
The incident has led to more tensions between the president and Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D), who posted a map on X on Wednesday that highlighted what is and is not considered federal jurisdiction.
“Heard you weren’t sure about what is federal vs. local jurisdiction, Mr. President. So we wanted to make it easier for you. Many thanks to [the National Park Service] for this great map of federal land!” Moore wrote.
Kramer said that she’s “never seen a governor so adamant to not take actions to protect the health of its citizens.”
“The federal piece of this, I think that he&#8217;s pointing to when he&#8217;s talking about federal lands, is that is the National Park Service piece of it. But again, like I just discussed, that second bucket of remediation, that is really going to be led by National Park Service to ensure that the property is cleaned up to the levels and the specificity that&#8217;s necessary for the National Park Service,” she explained.
“And so there is definitely a federal component here, but the break happened within the jurisdiction of Maryland. And so when we talk about cooperative federalism under the Clean Water Act, we really look at the state as the primary enforcement agency. And we, as EPA, the federal government, we have […] oversight authority that lays on top of that. And so we will step in if we need to,” she continued.
She added that the &#8220;federal government is actively working to fulfill requests for assistance that we have gotten over the last 24 hours, from the various state government and local government partners. And those are things that we are providing to help ensure the protection of public health as well as helping to provide resources, to ensure the expedient cleanup and remediation of this site.&#8221;
Earlier on Thursday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a State of Emergency in hopes of getting federal help for the situation, including “100% reimbursement for costs incurred.”
Kramer explained that the goals for remediation fall into three main categories: getting the sewage returned to the Potomac Interceptor, which diverts sewage to a <a href="https://www.dcwater.com/potomacinterceptor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">water treatment center</a>, from the canal in the next four to six weeks; having the land cleaned up after the “sanitary sewage” is back in the interceptor; and doing “necessary inspections and operations and maintenance” on the interceptor quickly to make sure there is not a repeat of the issue.
FEMA is also playing a key role in the clean-up efforts, despite the current lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as Congress and the White House have yet to reach a deal regarding federal immigration enforcement tactics.
&#8220;Democrats in Congress have shut down [FEMA] funding—leaving our hard working employees to work without pay—yet FEMA is now stepping in to coordinate cleanup of one of the largest raw sewage spills in U.S. history,&#8221; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted to X on Monday.
&#8220;Thanks to gross mismanagement by Maryland&#8217;s Democrat leaders, hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage has reportedly been dumped into the Potomac River—flowing straight through our nation&#8217;s capital and endangering millions of people, wildlife, and the entire DC region&#8217;s water supply. Democrats are withholding paychecks from the men and women of [DHS] while they clean up this Democrat-created disaster. Unbelievable hypocrisy,&#8221; Noem added.
When The Daily Wire reached out to Moore&#8217;s office for comment, they referred to the governor&#8217;s Wednesday remarks on the issue, where he said that the EPA did not attend a Maryland General Assembly hearing on the &#8220;cleanup status&#8221; and that &#8220;to blame Maryland in this when this is a DC pipe on federal land is asinine. It is disingenuous, absurd, and politically motivated.&#8221;

US-ENVIROMENT-SEWAGE-POTOMAC

‘Radical Left’ Environmental Hazard? Trump’s Potomac Sewage Dare To Dems

enviornment

Maryland

potomac river

Trump Administration

Washington D.C.

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1914-is-elon-musk-finally-becoming-christian?elementPosition=8&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show.</a>
* * *
The Democrats have admitted what their strategy is for the midterm elections and Republicans need to pay attention because it’s a pretty scary one.
Abigail Spanberger, Virginia’s new governor, is the personification of the Democrats’ strategy for the 2026 midterm elections and for the 2028 presidential election. Spanberger ran as a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-virginia-the-mask-comes-off-the-moderate-democrat?author=Jenny+Beth+Martin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=In+Virginia%2C+The+Mask+Comes+Off+The+%E2%80%98Moderate%E2%80%99+Democrat">moderate</a>” for governor of Virginia. Now, five seconds later, she&#8217;s coming out decrying President Trump&#8217;s immigration policy as &#8220;horrifying,&#8221; saying:
<blockquote>In what we&#8217;ve seen recently, the really, I think, horrifying thing is that now, under the new administration or the Trump administration, where every cross into the United States is considered a criminal act.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP7Nnx8AByz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP7Nnx8AByz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Michael Markuson (@mmmarkuson)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
Credit: @mmmarkuson/X.com
That is an amazing statement from a governor — of any party.
That’s not a specific policy of the Trump administration. That is a matter of federal law passed by Congress. It has been federal law for many decades now. It&#8217;s there in the meaning of the word illegal. When an illegal alien does the thing that distinguishes him as an illegal alien, that is, in fact, illegal — not just because President Trump says so, but because federal law says so.
So, when she says she is horrified by President Trump actually applying the law, she&#8217;s admitting she&#8217;s horrified by the law.
How did Spanberger get elected? She ran as a moderate.
So, are the Democrats going to moderate their policies, or are they just going to lie to get through the elections?
Here&#8217;s what Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, has to say:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Media’s current ‘moderate’ darling Andy Beshear points to Spanberger’s campaign as evidence that Democrats can win running to the center.
What Andy fails to mention is that since she was elected, Spanberger has been full throttle on every far-left agenda item imaginable. <a href="https://t.co/J3k6xKC0pB">https://t.co/J3k6xKC0pB</a> <a href="https://t.co/tBg7LRdqtm">pic.twitter.com/tBg7LRdqtm</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/2023141792103981151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @WesternLensman/X.com
<blockquote>Jake Tapper: How do you respond to a Democratic voter who might say, “I like you. I like your track record in a red state or red commonwealth, but you&#8217;re too soft-spoken?”
Gov. Beshear: “Well, first, yes, that message is working. Look at Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, who ran great campaigns in races that should have been structurally difficult, and they both won by double digits. They are the DGA, and our candidates are winning everywhere. For me, I believe that the American people want stability, that Donald Trump is exhausting. Many Americans feel like the pendulum swung too far during the Biden administration and has swung way too far during the Trump administration, and what they want is an America where they can wake up every morning and not be worried about its future.”</blockquote>
America wants stability. In other words, moderation. 
The pendulum swung not only too far under the Trump administration, but he says probably the pendulum swung a little too far under the Biden administration. 
The Left went a little too far Left. In other words, we need moderation.
Moderation, moderation, moderation.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1914-is-elon-musk-finally-becoming-christian?elementPosition=8&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
Who do we look to? We look at Abigail Spanberger in Virginia. And what did Spanberger do? She ran as a moderate and then, we don&#8217;t need to speculate on what she will do — we now know what she did the minute she got into office — she pulled ICE cooperation from her state.
The minute she gets into office, she says Virginia will no longer cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. 
The minute she gets into office, she says we&#8217;re going to reduce the mandatory minimums for certain heinous, violent crimes.
The minute she gets into office, she backs a constitutional right to late-term abortion — not first-trimester abortion, which is evil in itself, but third-trimester abortion. She then doubles down on the radical LGBT agenda and supports voting rights for felons.
Abigail Spanberger, in office, is as Left as any left-wing politician in the country. The only thing that distinguishes her, the only reason Andy Beshear pointed to her, is because she lied and ran as a moderate. And that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re going to do in the midterms.
So it&#8217;s up to us — Conservatives, normal people, centrists, Republicans — to expose that lie and really push them.
For example, when they say, “Actually, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton deported more people than Donald Trump,” we say, “Oh, so you&#8217;re saying deportations are good? You want to deport more people?” They will quickly backtrack and say, “Well, I … I &#8230; I never meant …”
The contrivance that the Democrats are trying to put forward is that we&#8217;re all just kind of moderate. The goal is to sound like Andy Beshear and Abigail Spanberger on the campaign trail.
The chief strategy for Democrats heading into ’26 and then into ’28 is to hide all of it by running as moderates.

Democrats Reveal Their 2026 Strategy

2026 Midterms

2028 presidential election

abigial spanberger

Andy Beshear

Democrats

Leftists

Michael Knowles

Opinion

U.S. Politics

The FBI believed a Virginia state senator accepted money in exchange for using his position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to seek pardons for criminals, newly unsealed documents obtained by The Daily Wire said.
Joe Morrissey is a disbarred attorney who once successfully ran for office from a jail cell, where he was serving time for having sex with an underage girl who worked as his secretary. He was pardoned by Gov. Ralph Northam (D) just before Northam left office in 2022.
The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27172525-joe-morrissey-affidavit/">FBI search warrant</a>, which was unsealed last month after two years had passed, alleged that Morrissey was charging money from criminals to seek pardons from Northam as well.
&#8220;Senator Morrissey offers services to inmates and defendants through his business, Premier Jury Consulting Services, LLC,” the June 2023 search warrant says. “Senator Morrissey has pamphlets for Premier Jury Consulting Services, LLC at numerous jail facilities throughout the greater Richmond area. The pamphlet has a photograph of Senator Morrissey with the caption &#8216;Senator Joe Morrissey.'&#8221;
The consulting business listed the same address as his Senate office, and advertised to potential customers that &#8220;Joe Morrissey is currently a Virginia State Senator having served in the Virginia General Assembly since 2008 when he was first elected to the House of Delegates. Senator Morrissey currently serves on the prestigious Senate Judiciary Committee.&#8221;
The pamphlet contained a list of &#8220;success stories/testimonials&#8221; from people who were &#8220;pardoned, paroled, or released early from incarceration.&#8221;
In February 2023, the Virginia State Police told the FBI it had evidence that Morrissey &#8220;accepted a $15,000 payment from the father of a Virginia inmate in exchange for getting the Virginia Governor to pardon the inmate.&#8221;
The father told the police that he knew Morrissey as an elected official, and that Morrissey told him he would get a pardon for his son from Gov. Northam in exchange for $30,000.
&#8220;Witness 1 said he was unable to pay that amount and Senator Morrissey agreed to get the Governor to pardon Inmate 1 in exchange for $15,000,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27172525-joe-morrissey-affidavit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI affidavit said</a>.
The father met with Morrissey and an attorney in Morrissey&#8217;s office, and the attorney told him the son had no chance of being pardoned because he had stabbed a law enforcement officer. &#8220;Senator Morrissey met with Witness 1 privately in his office without Attorney 1. Senator Morrissey reassured Witness 1 he could get the pardon for his son and that they would listen to him because he was a State Senator,&#8221; it continued.
In October 2020, the father wrote a $15,000 check to Premier Jury Consultants, in addition to $1,500 he had already paid, receiving a receipt for &#8220;Payment of: Jury Consulting/Legal Research.&#8221;
Morrissey&#8217;s Senate aides then handled further correspondence with the father, according to emails reviewed by the FBI. The aides used a Gmail account senatorjoemorrissey@gmail.com, but signed the emails using their names and signature blocks with their titles, such as, &#8220;Legislative Assistant, Office of Senator Joseph D. Morrissey.&#8221;
On March 1, 2021, Morrissey wrote to the father, &#8220;The good news is that the [General Assembly] Session is officially over today.&#8221;
The next day, he sent a copy of a Petition for Conditional Pardon that he said he had &#8220;hand delivered to Clark Mercer, Chief of Staff to Governor Northam. Further, I spoke with Mr. Mercer today and I am going to personally sit down with him and go over your case with him.&#8221;
Later that month, Morrissey sent a letter on his Senate stationery to Mercer and Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson that said it was a &#8220;follow up to my recent visit to your office wherein I provided you with a Petition for Conditional Pardon.&#8221;
On May 3, 2021, he sent a letter on Senate stationery to the inmate, letting him know that on April 28, &#8220;I met with Clark Mercer, Governor Ralph Northam&#8217;s Chief of Staff regarding 12 inmates whom I whole-heartedly support the release of and you were on [sic] of them.&#8221;
The father asked how to make arrangements for the inmate to come home. In April 2022, the father noted it had been a year since the meeting, and a legislative assistant replied saying &#8220;I  spoke to [the inmate] today.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1045173" style="width: 1732px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1045173" class="size-full wp-image-1045173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819.jpg" alt="" width="1722" height="1149" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819.jpg 1722w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819-863x576.jpg 863w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1258278819-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1722px) 100vw, 1722px" />Virginia State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D), left, poses for a photo with a supporter on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Gregory S. Schneider/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
The FBI asked the court for permission to obtain data in the Gmail account from Google, saying, &#8220;It appears Senator Morrissey engaged in bribery when he corruptly solicited $30,000 from Witness 1&#8230; Official Senate correspondence refers to official acts Senator Morrissey took regarding the pardon.&#8221;
The <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.539173/gov.uscourts.vaed.539173.3.0_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">search warrant</a> was granted, but Morrissey was never charged. The allegations have not previously been reported. Morrissey did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
The affidavit does not say that Northam agreed to grant any pardons sought by Morrissey. Northam pardoned more than 1,200 people–including, in January 2022, Morrissey himself on his conviction for <a href="https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/northam-pardons-morrissey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributing to the delinquency</a> of a minor.
Prosecutors had accused Morrissey of having sex with a 17-year-old receptionist at his law firm in 2013 and of possessing child pornography — a photo of the girl he shared with a friend. Morrissey denied the relationship, but when she turned 18, the girl was pregnant, and Morrissey married her.
Morrissey took a plea deal that downgraded the charges to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to six months in jail. The judge allowed him out during the day to run for office for the House of Delegates while returning to his jail cell at night, and in January 2015, he was in jail when he learned that he had won re-election.
He was nonetheless <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/dc-wtop-former-del-morrissey-accused-of-presenting-knowingly-false-defense/115798/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disbarred</a> as a lawyer for a &#8220;fraud perpetrated on the court&#8221; by claiming the photo had been placed on his phone by a hacker.
Morrissey later received a promotion to the state Senate, where he occupied an influential role due to his Joe Manchin-like role as a centrist Democrat in a narrowly-divided chamber.
In the end, it was that centrism–not his sexual abuse of a minor–that crossed the line for Democrats. He was defeated in the June 2023 primary by a black female who criticized Morrissey&#8217;s opposition to abortion.
Around that time, his wife filed for <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/01/18/joe-morrissey-myrna-public-divorce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divorce</a>, saying he had sex with her while she was a minor and cheated on her repeatedly.
In the early 1990s, Morrissey served as Richmond&#8217;s prosecutor, during which time he spent five days in jail for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/after-indictment-morrissey-again-fighting-for-his-political-life/2014/07/05/269294f4-02b7-11e4-b8ff-89afd3fad6bd_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punching</a> a defense attorney. He was indicted on bribery charges in 1993, but acquitted.
Virginia&#8217;s burgeoning reputation for rough-and-tumble politics has been on display as Democrats proposed amending the state&#8217;s constitution to gerrymander the state to include 10 Democrat and one Republican districts. They plan to put it on the ballot with <a href="https://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-amendment-for-april-2026-special-election/">biased language</a> that asks: &#8220;Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections?&#8221;
&nbsp;

Richmond mayoral candidate Joe Morrissey is a controversial figure who has been in the news for his politics as well as personal problems including a sex scandal involving his now-wife.

FBI Probe Into Scandal-Plagued Democrat Uncovers Explosive Allegations

A Maryland man is facing attempted murder charges after authorities say he attempted to kill Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought at his home in Northern Virginia.
Arlington County Police arrested Colin Demarco, 26, on January 22. Demarco said that he feared a “fascist takeover” of the country under the Trump administration and that he was writing a manifesto and instructions on topics such as “Body Disposal Guide,” according to court documents reviewed by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryland-man-russell-vought-attempted-murder-charges/">CBS News</a>.
Charging documents say that Demarco planned to kill someone with the initials “R.V.” who “has served as a presidential appointee.” A source familiar with the case later confirmed to CBS News that Vought was the intended target.
“We are grateful for the work of law enforcement in keeping Director Vought and his family safe,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
Demarco visited Vought’s home last year. He was caught on the director’s Ring doorbell camera on August 10, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/maryland-man-facing-attempted-murder-charges-showing-omb-director-russ-rcna257693">NBC News</a>.
Demarco has been charged with attempted murder, carrying a firearm without a permit, and unlawfully wearing a mask.
The alleged attack on Vought comes amid a series of high-profile politically motivated attacks in recent years. On January 27, a man rushed Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as she was speaking at a town hall and sprayed her with apple cider vinegar. Prosecutors later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-charges-man-in-apple-cider-vinegar-attack-on-ilhan-omar">charged</a> Anthony Kazmierczak with a single count alleging he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered” with the congresswoman.
In September, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a college campus event in Utah. Some of the bullet casings from the murder weapon were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ammunition-from-charlie-kirk-assassination-was-engraved-with-transgender-and-anti-fascist-ideology">inscribed</a> with politically-tinged messages, such as “Hey Fascist! Catch” and lyrics from the Italian anti-fascist anthem “Bella Ciao.”
President Donald Trump narrowly survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. During an attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, a bullet grazed the president’s ear. The shots meant for Trump killed one person in the audience, former fire chief Corey Comperatore.
Vought is the architect of key parts of Trump’s deregulatory and cost-cutting agenda. One of his key successes was designing Schedule F, a new classification that eases the process of reducing the size of the federal workforce.
The OMB director has been the target of numerous death threats and now has a security detail from the U.S. Marshals Service, according to CBS.

Russell Vought

Maryland Man Attempted To Murder A Top Trump Budget Official, Prosecutors Say

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

The Democratic effort to redraw Virginia’s congressional map is unraveling beneath the weight of internal party infighting, as leaders in Richmond miss their own deadlines and spar over which factions and politicians stand to benefit.
A disagreement between Democrats in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates has stalled plans to release a new congressional map, despite both chambers agreeing in principle on an aggressively gerrymandered split that awards 10 seats to Democrats and only one to Republicans. Party leaders passed a self-imposed January 30 deadline to unveil a proposal, and a scheduled negotiating session this week was abruptly canceled.
The breakdown comes as Democrats insist that redistricting remains urgent following a judge’s order to block the effort. Party leaders have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-democrats-ask-court-to-reverse-ban-on-redistricting-plan?author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Virginia+Democrats+Ask+Court+To+Reverse+Ban+On+Redistricting+Plan">publicly vowed</a> to fight the ruling, but behind the scenes, lawmakers appear divided over who gets what turf. At the center of the dispute is which side of the party stands to gain from the new map proposal.
House of Delegates Democrats favor a proposal drafted by the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) that targets four Republican-held seats and creates a new district anchored in Northern Virginia. Senate Democrats, however, have balked at that plan, arguing the new seat appears designed to favor a specific House member with close ties to leadership.
The Senate’s alternative map would carve out new Democratic-leaning districts in Loudoun County and the Richmond area, a move critics say would conveniently position two sitting state senators for congressional runs. That proposal also risks forcing top Democratic recruits into the same district, creating a costly and avoidable primary fight.
Virginia is a key battleground in the Democrats’ push to retake the U.S. House, with national party leaders eyeing a three-to-four-seat pickup through redistricting alone. But Democrats hold only a razor-thin majority in the state Senate, meaning a single defection could sink any proposal.
Republicans have been quick to note that the Democratic redistricting push is driven by self-interest rather than necessity. The Republican Party of Virginia accused Democrats of missing their own deadline and devolving into internal squabbles over who gets to run in the districts they are trying to redraw.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MORE PROOF that Democrats’ gerrymandering power grab is just about selfish ambition and nothing more.
They said we’d see the maps by Jan. 30. Nearly a week later and guess what &#8211; NO MAPS!
Now we have confirmed that the very people looking to blow up our maps and give themselves… <a href="https://t.co/3duj8VSv99">pic.twitter.com/3duj8VSv99</a>
— Virginia GOP (@VA_GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VA_GOP/status/2018692379562426566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D-VA) has remained in contact with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) throughout the process, while Virginia Senate leaders have separately expressed deep concerns about the NDRC-backed map. For now, both chambers say they’re working toward a compromise, though no new deadline for a plan has been announced.
For a party arguing that redistricting is both urgent and necessary, the continued lack of a unified proposal raises questions about whether Democrats can translate that urgency into action. With competing maps, missed deadlines, and unresolved disputes between the House and Senate, the process appears increasingly shaped by internal dynamics rather than a shared strategy, complicating efforts to reshape the map as midterm deadlines tighten.

Richmond Virginia State Capitol

Virginia Democrats Feud With Each Other Over Redistricting Plans

Virginia Democrats Fight Over Gerrymandering Spoils

gerrymandering

Redistricting

Virginia Democrats

WASHINGTON—The War Department is monitoring efforts by Virginia Democrats to potentially cripple the Virginia Military Institute, The Daily Wire can first report.
Cadets at VMI, the nation&#8217;s first state-sponsored and supported military college, have grown increasingly anxious about the fate of their institution since Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger entered office and <a href="https://virginiabusiness.com/spanberger-names-27-new-university-board-members/">appointed</a> former Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to VMI&#8217;s Board of Visitors.
Northam <a href="https://www.schev.edu/Home/Components/News/News/154/">had ordered an audit</a> into alleged racism and sexism at VMI in 2021, amid the Democrat-led wave of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion measures in universities across the nation — measures supported by then-President Joe Biden and his administration.
Now, Virginia Democrats suggest that the military institution is still rife with racism, sexism, and cultural barriers. They proposed two measures taking aim at the school: their proposed House Bill 1377 establishes a task force evaluating whether VMI should still be funded by the state, and House Bill 1374 would end VMI&#8217;s Board of Visitors and give the state full oversight of the institution.
Revoking VMI&#8217;s state funding would likely lead to the school&#8217;s demise.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Daily Wire on Tuesday that the War Department &#8220;reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI.&#8221;
&#8220;Our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast,&#8221; he said.
Some state representatives who support the measures, like Democrat Michael Feggans of Virginia Beach, point to VMI&#8217;s roots in the Civil War, arguing that the institution has buildings on campus named for Confederate military figures.
“For VMI to flourish into the future, it must be allowed to move unfettered by the ghosts of the past, ghosts rooted in efforts to keep this country divided,&#8221; Feggans <a href="https://www.progress-index.com/story/news/local/2026/02/02/parade-of-speakers-ask-house-panel-to-block-vsu-taking-over-vmi/88476161007/">said during a Monday subcommittee meeting</a> on the matter.
Democrat state Rep. Dan Helmer of Fairfax, frustrated that VMI did not renew the contract of VMI&#8217;s first black superintendent, <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2026/01/27/bills-targeting-vmi-governance-gain-traction-in-general-assembly/">told one local outlet</a>: &#8220;For those of us, like me, who care deeply about service and care deeply about producing leaders of character, we need to ensure that VMI has turned the page.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1037751" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/?attachment_id=1037751" rel="attachment wp-att-1037751"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1037751" class="wp-image-1037751 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256250118-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256250118-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256250118-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256250118-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256250118.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" /></a>Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger watches the Corps. of Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</div>
Parnell shared with The Daily Wire on Tuesday that the Pentagon is specifically monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374 &#8220;with significant concern.&#8221;
&#8220;For generations, the unique military environment at VMI has made the institute a vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest and any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention.&#8221;
Emphasizing the Trump administration&#8217;s commitment to the cadets and midshipmen training at VMI, Parnell promised that the War Department has the right to take the &#8220;extraordinary measures&#8221; to protect the institution.
&#8220;We urge the Virginia General Assembly to consider the broader implications of this bill on military readiness, as well as the federal government&#8217;s long-standing investment in this critical institution,&#8221; he said.
Parnell&#8217;s words will come as a relief to cadets and their families who have watched the developments of the last few weeks with concern.
Michael Ferrara, a VMI student, told Fox News in late January that he chose the school because he wanted to serve his country. He and his fellow cadets are proud of the long legacy of accomplished fighters that have emerged from VMI: &#8220;We&#8217;ve had approximately 300 generals and flag officers coming from the Virginia Military Institute. We&#8217;ve had seven Medal of Honor recipients, 11 Rhodes Scholars, one Nobel Prize winner.&#8221;
Ferrara and his roommate, Devin Auzenne, brushed aside allegations that VMI is not inclusive enough.
&#8220;My two roommates, they look nothing like me, come from completely different places, worship different gods,&#8221; said Auzenne. &#8220;My roommates &#8230; these are the people who I can call my brothers, my family, my friends, and anytime I ever need them, they&#8217;ll always be here for me. I can say VMI is the most inclusive environment that I have ever been a part of.&#8221;

DOD Secretary Hegseth And Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Caine Brief On Iran Strike

Trump Admin Says It Will Fight Virginia Dems To Save Historic Military College

Department of War

Pete Hegseth

Abigail Spanberger’s inauguration as the Old Dominion’s 75th governor on January 17 and the subsequent unveiling of her legislative agenda shared by her Democrat colleagues in the legislature have once again proven a very important point: You cannot take Democrats at their word when they claim to be moderate. Once they win, they will drop the mask.
During last year’s campaign for governor, Virginians were told again and again that Spanberger was a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/abigail-spanberger-thinks-that-democrats-need-to-listen-more?utm_source=chatgpt.com">moderate</a>, a <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/the-new-democrat-divide-socialist-mamdani-v-security-moms-kn38qjgfk?utm_source=chatgpt.com">pragmatist</a>, a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-spanberger-sherrill-virginia-new-jersey-trump-5869ac164d05f00f4ca07d7919e3960b">bipartisan problem-solver</a> who would govern from the center and resist the ideological excesses of today’s Democrat Party.
The New Yorker ran <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/abigail-spanberger-thinks-that-democrats-need-to-listen-more?utm_source=chatgpt.com">an article</a> just two days before election day titled: 
<blockquote>Abigail Spanberger Thinks That Democrats Need to Listen More: The front-runner for Virginia governor has long made the case for moderation.</blockquote>
In an interview with The Times of London, a liberal pundit <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/the-new-democrat-divide-socialist-mamdani-v-security-moms-kn38qjgfk?utm_source=chatgpt.com">said this</a> about Spanberger:
<blockquote>“The last word you would use [about] Spanberger is populist,” says Colin Mortimer, founder and director of the Centre for New Liberalism. “She is a pragmatic, grounded, moderate Democrat who is hyper-focused on delivering results for Virginia.</blockquote>
Voters were assured that campaign slogans about “working across the aisle” and choosing “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/791441170380360">pragmatism over partisanship</a>” meant something real, as Spanberger herself emphasized on the campaign trail and on election night.
Now that the election is over and governing has begun, Virginians can see the truth clearly: Spanberger’s promises of moderation should be thrown into the trash, where they belong.
The <a href="https://x.com/greg_price11/status/2013350008733487510">legislative agenda</a> now being advanced by <a href="https://vahousedems.org/2025/11/17/virginia-house-democratic-caucus-announce-first-bills-and-legislation-for-2026-session/">Democrats in the General Assembly</a> is not by any means a moderate agenda. It is not a centrist agenda. It is not a pragmatic agenda. It is a radical leftist agenda, clearly aligned with priorities laid out by Democrat leadership in Richmond.
<div id="attachment_1037217" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1037217" class="size-large wp-image-1037217" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256776000-864x576.jpg" alt="RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - JANUARY 17: Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger speaks after being sworn into office at the Virginia State Capitol January 17, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. Spanberger is the first woman elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s highest office. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256776000-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256776000-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256776000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2256776000.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Win McNamee/Getty Images</div>
Even though outgoing governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, left the new governor with a <a href="https://wydaily.com/latest/2025/07/31/virginia-closes-budget-year-with-a-nearly-2-7b-surplus/">$2.7 billion budget surplus</a>, Virginia’s Democrats want new and higher taxes on income, investments, landscaping equipment, food deliveries, and hotel stays.
Spanberger’s <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/january-releases/name-1111414-en.html">agenda</a> also includes new restrictions on free speech near abortion clinics, taxpayer-funded education for illegal aliens, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, lowering the criminal penalties for robbery, and potentially eliminating Virginia’s right-to-work protections.
Spanberger also wants to change the way elections are administered in Virginia. She wants to <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/session-details/20261/committee-information/S08/dockets/20933">extend</a> the time absentee ballots can be received and counted after Election Day, extend the deadline for ballot curing, ban the hand counting of machine-readable paper ballots, allow people to cast votes electronically, and <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB965">add Virginia</a> to the National Popular Vote Compact, which destroys the Founders’ vision for the Electoral College.
This is not a bait-and-switch in theory; it is bait-and-switch in practice.
That should not surprise anyone who has been paying attention to how modern Democrats govern. It should matter to voters, however, who were explicitly told that this governor would be different.
The agenda now being pushed through the General Assembly reflects the same ideological commitments we have seen from Democrats nationwide: more government, more mandates, more power centralized in Richmond, and less deference to parents, taxpayers, and local communities. It reflects a belief that government knows best, and that, once the election is over, dissenting voices should be ignored.
This is the fundamental problem with the “moderate Democrat” brand. It exists entirely as a campaign tactic. Once power is secured, the mask comes off, the talking points fade, and the base demands results. And when the leftist base of today’s Democrat Party demands results, it demands policies that are anything but moderate – a reality <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5694763-progressive-populism-democratic-party/">even acknowledged by</a> some of the Democrat Party’s best strategic thinkers.
Virginia voters were told they were electing a governor who would check the excesses of her party. Instead, they are watching a governor who appears ready to sign off on those excesses.
To be clear, this is not about one bill or one issue. It is about an overall governing philosophy. Taken as a whole, the legislative package being rapidly advanced by Democrats in Richmond represents a sharp turn to the radical Left – on spending, on regulation, on social policy, and on the role of government in everyday life.
This is not what Virginians were promised.
Elections have consequences, and governors are entitled to advance their priorities. But voters are also entitled to honesty. If a candidate intends to govern as a reliable partner of radical leftist lawmakers, voters deserve to know that before Election Day, not the morning after the inaugural ball.
We should all take note and remember that when it comes to Democrat governance, moderation is just a campaign costume, discarded the moment the votes are counted.
* * *
Jenny Beth Martin is Honorary Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action and host of <a href="https://jennybethshow.com/">The Jenny Beth Show</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

In Virginia, The Mask Comes Off The ‘Moderate’ Democrat

In Virginia, The Mask Comes Off The 'Moderate' Democrat

Elections

Glenn Youngkin

governor

Liberals

Taxes

Voters

Redistricting efforts by Virginia Democrats hit a serious snag on Tuesday when Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ruled against a proposed constitutional amendment the Democratic-majority General Assembly approved last year.
The amendment — initially set to make its way to voters in April — would have redrawn the congressional map in the commonwealth to favor Democrats more heavily ahead of the 2026 election if Virginians passed it.
Hurley&#8217;s ruling argued, in part, that Democratic lawmakers &#8220;failed to comply with a state law requiring proposed constitutional amendments to be publicly posted and published ahead of the next election,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/virginia-judge-voids-redistricting-push-rules-lawmakers-overstepped-authority">according</a> to Fox News.
“Therefore, the Court FINDS that following the October 31, 2025 vote and passage of House Joint Resolution 6007 there HAS NOT BEEN an ensuing general election of the House of Delegates, and such ensuing general election CANNOT occur until 2027,” the ruling stated.
“Thus, the action of the General Assembly during its Regular Session 2026 CANNOT meet the second passage required of Article XII, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution, which second passage must occur before the same can be submitted to the voters of Virginia for adoption,” Hurley&#8217;s ruling added.
Democrats in the General Assembly vow to continue the redistricting battle, as several other states, including Texas and California, have made mid-decade redistricting moves.
“We always knew this would be a fight— because this has never been about what’s easy. It’s about what’s right: leveling the playing field and protecting the right to vote,” House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott posted to X. “Today’s ruling won’t deter us. Republicans who can’t win at the ballot box are abusing the courts to sow confusion and block Virginians from voting. We will appeal immediately, and we expect to prevail. Voters—not politicians—will have the final say.”
A statement from Democratic leadership, including Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, also accused Republicans of “court-shopping,” as the ruling came from deeply Republican Tazewell County, according to <a href="https://x.com/TylerEnglander/status/2016264172095361324?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC 8 News</a>.
Republicans applauded the ruling, with some arguing that maps would limit representation for people in rural parts of the state.
“Today’s court ruling is a major win for fair representation for rural Virginians,” Delegate Tony Wilt posted to social media. “The Circuit Court found Democrats’ attempt to revive partisan gerrymandering wasn’t lawfully passed on multiple counts. This is an important step in stopping a partisan power grab.”
The race for the House of Representatives will likely continue to intensify nationwide in both the courts and on the campaign trail, as Republicans currently hold a narrow 218-213 majority, with four seats currently empty. Currently, the <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a> has three Virginia seats it considers to be more competitive — the First Congressional District is rated &#8220;Lean Republican,&#8221; the Second Congressional District is rated a &#8220;toss-up,&#8221; and the Seventh District is rated &#8220;Lean Democrat.&#8221;

Top three Virginia Democrats embroiled in scandal

Virginia Court Rejects Redistricting Push By Democrats As 2026 Election Draws Closer

House of Representatives

Menu