This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden's lawfare against President Donald Trump needs more review.
That's according to Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, both Republicans, who dispatched a formal letter to the National Archives and Records Administration.
A report at the Federalist explains they are seeking more government records concerning Biden's role in the so-called "election interference" case that Democrats created to target Trump.
The letter to NARA Acting General Counsel Hannah Bergman and Acting Inspector General William C. Brown explains how the senators already have evidence that shows "a politically-driven conspiracy that began at the hands of a group of anti-Trump FBI officials who worked closely with Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors in an investigation known as 'Arctic Frost.'"
That later was morphed into Jack Smith's elector case against President Trump.
The senators want more government records concerning that scheme, including records and communications involving the Biden White House that concern the "election interference case" as well as the claims that Trump allegedly mishandled classified information.
That investigation infamously featured an FBI SWAT-style raid of Trump's home, with photographs of "evidence" that was "staged" in the home and then released to the public to influence public opinion regarding the charges.
"[B]ecause many of the DOJ, FBI and Biden White House personnel who were involved in Arctic Frost were also involved in the Biden administration's classified document case against President Trump, we are also requesting records pertaining to that matter as part of our investigation," the letter states.
The Daily Signal said, "Arctic Frost was the term used inside the FBI to describe the investigation into Trump opened in 2022, according to Fox News. Sources reportedly told Fox News Digital that former FBI agent Timothy Thibault 'took the action to open the investigation and involve Trump,' even though he was 'unauthorized to open criminal investigations in his role.' Fox News also reported in March that the Biden White House provided Trump and Vice President Mike Pence's government cellphones to the FBI as part of the probe. However, as Johnson and Grassley point out in their letter to NARA, this was done even though Trump 'was not yet a subject of the investigation.'"
The Federalist already had reported on the Biden administration's obsession with trying to put Trump in jail over the classified documents disputes.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A settlement "in principle" has been reached in a lawsuit against the government brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed by police during the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol
At a hearing on Friday, Department of Justice Lawyer Joseph Gonzalez and Robert Sticht, representing Babbitt's husband, Aaron, confirmed the settlement was in process, but neither revealed exact terms or whether there would be monetary compensation for the shooting by police officer Michael Byrd.
The action had sought $30 million in damages.
Byrd shot and killed Babbitt as she was part of a group of protesters who had entered the Capitol and ended up near the House chamber.
A report at WUSA said details still were being negotiated.
The lawsuit charged wrongful death and cited the Federal Tort Claims Act.
It charged Byrd "had negligently discharged his firearm and failed to warn Babbitt or de-escalate the situation. The suit also alleged negligence on the part of other officers near the Speaker's Lobby at the time of the shooting as well as the U.S. Capitol Police and the Capitol Police Board in failing to properly train Byrd in tactical decision-making."
Babbitt was an Air Force veteran but was killed during the protests that day.
The report explained, "The hearing Friday was called in response to an emergency filing by attorney Terrell N. Roberts III, who was previously retained by Aaron Babbitt to pursue a $10 million wrongful death suit. Roberts said he'd learned of the impending settlement and sought a temporary restraining order to ensure he will receive a 25% cut of any funds he says he's owed from his prior agreement with Aaron Babbitt."
The report said Roberts had worked on the case, then terminated his representation.
In a series of serious criticisms, former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi has raised multiple concerns about the professional behavior of current FBI Director Kash Patel, highlighting issues related to his personal lifestyle and management of the FBI, the Daily Mail reported.
Patel, accused of prioritizing nightlife over agency responsibilities, faces questions about his leadership style and recent controversial actions.
Figliuzzi made these assertions during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," where he communicated his insights to Jonathan Lemire. Describing Patel's nightlife-oriented persona, Figliuzzi claimed that the director has been more frequently at nightclubs than at the central FBI offices in the Hoover building. These assertions come at a time when Patel's approach and experience, or lack thereof, have been matters of public discourse.
During the program, Figliuzzi cited unnamed sources within the FBI indicating that there has been a notable decline in Patel's involvement in routine briefings. According to Figliuzzi, these crucial briefings, originally conducted daily, have reportedly been reduced to only twice per week.
The core of Figliuzzi's criticism not only touches on Patel's physical absence but delves deeper into the ramifications of his sporadic engagement. With limited participation in daily operations, agents have been granted significant autonomy in managing matters, an approach that Figliuzzi suggests may stem from the director's unique career trajectory and limited experience in traditional FBI roles.
In his critique, Figliuzzi painted a picture of disarray within the organization. He pointed out that without Patel's consistent engagement or the necessary experience to run operations effectively, the situation could devolve into disorder. However, Figliuzzi also noted that with agents handling matters independently, the long-term implications remain uncertain.
Compounding these managerial issues are the recent controversies surrounding Patel's professional conduct. One such incident involved his announcement of the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, charged with obstruction for allegedly interfering with an immigration arrest operation in Milwaukee. Patel made this announcement on his official X account before removing and reposting the information, adding to the controversy.
Adding another layer to the scrutiny, Senate Democrats have initiated an investigation into Patel's alleged misuse of government resources. Specifically, there are claims that he improperly used FBI aircraft for personal travel. Reports suggest that Patel may have used these flights to attend a UFC fight and an ice hockey game with sports legend Wayne Gretzky, among other private excursions.
These allegations, along with Figliuzzi's allegations, have sparked debates regarding the appropriateness of Patel's conduct as a high-ranking public servant. The use of government assets for personal activities has drawn questions about propriety and adherence to ethical standards.
At the heart of these issues is the question of leadership quality within the FBI, as raised by Figliuzzi's discussion of Patel’s experience and management style. The debacle has ignited discussions over his qualifications for the role and the impact of his conduct on the agency's effectiveness and morale.
The situation highlights the broader implications of leadership in law enforcement organizations, where the integrity and presence of leaders are critical to function efficiently. The dialogues initiated by Figliuzzi's comments underscore the need for a thorough evaluation of how leadership is perceived within such agencies and the consequent influence on morale and operational standards.
As scrutiny over Patel's conduct intensifies, the FBI is left to navigate a turbulent period. The impact of these claims on the agency's function and reputation remains to be fully realized. However, the increased public and political attention will likely prompt further examination into both the organization’s leadership structure and the ethical standards expected of its executives.
In response to these challenges, the FBI and its leadership must move towards addressing these concerns openly and transparently. The agency must work to restore and maintain public trust, demonstrating a commitment to ethical conduct and proficient management in high office.
With these accusations prominently in the public eye, stakeholders, both within the FBI and outside, are called to reflect on and address the systemic issues raised by Figliuzzi and ensure they do not detract from the critical mission of the agency.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The latest chapter of leftists and Democrats advocating for violence, even murder, has arrived.
There long have been statements by that community that call for the removal or elimination of President Donald Trump, verbiage that one report called "assassination prep."
Now an instructor from a school in Maine has turned blunt, with JoAnna St. Germain of Waterville Senior High calling on the Secret Service to kill Trump and his supporters.
On Facebook, she insisted the federal agency "step up" and avoid a civil war by killing Trump and his supporters.
She claimed it would not constitute assassination, since she turned conspiracy theorist with the claim Trump is not a legitimate president "duly elected by the American people."
She said, "If I had the skill set required, I would take them out myself."
Jonathan Turley, a constitutional expert and professor of public interest law at George Washington University, was quick to comment.
"Whatever 'skill set' St. Germain possess, sanity does not appear to be part of it," he said.
He noted the recent comments from the left about violence.
"That includes a student who published a column recently on 'when must we kill them?' I noted that such views are often reflections of the many extremists currently in teaching. That was evident this week in Maine, where English teacher JoAnna St. Germain of Waterville Senior High School called upon the Secret Service to kill Trump and his supporters."
She wrote, "I believe Trump and every sycophant he has surrounded himself with (this is not you – if you're reading this, this doesn't apply to you. You are beneath his notice and mine) needs to die. I believe this with the same forceful belief that Hitler and his sycophants needed to die, before they murdered 6 million innocent Jewish persons."
Turley explained, "These faculty members have normalized violent speech."
"After losing the last election, some on the left are turning to calls for violence or committing political violence. Ironically, they do so in the name of democracy. That is precisely why rage is so addictive and contagious. It gives you license to do things that you would ordinarily never do," Turley said.
WND reported just days ago on comments from Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat billionaire, of Illinois.
He said, "Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on a soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box."
The Federalist explained, "The language is all too familiar and can only be described as assassination prep – carefully cloaked in moral outrage – designed to incite the most egregious acts of political violence. His words follow the same formula of other leftists: frame the political opposition as not merely wrong, but evil and tyrannical, then justify any means to defeat them. Such language is meant to dehumanize their opponents and provide moral permission for violence."
In fact, there have been two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump in the last year.
The comments follow a long tradition of Democrats demanding violence.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., in 2021 for protesters to be "confrontational," a follow to her demand that people harass Trump administration members.
"Let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. . ..And you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere."
Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, at one point stood at the Supreme Court and threatened Justice Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh: "You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you."
Just last year, Joe Biden complained to donors on a private call it was "time to put Trump in the bull's-eye," the report said.
And, it confirmed, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said Trump "has to be eliminated."
WND reported last year that Kamala Harris had joined the rhetoric.
She had claimed in multiple ways that Trump would be a dictator if elected.
And other Democrats long have been part of the campaign.
For instance, Del. Stacey Plaskett, the Democrat non-voting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, said, "He needs to be shot … stopped."
And a video has assembled more than two minutes of direct threats, often from politicians, entertainers and other public figures:
Among the comments:
"I'd like to punch him in the face."
"If we were in high school I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him," from Joe Biden
"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"
"They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump. That's a fact."
"Where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him?"
"I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House."
The Trump campaign itself released a compilation of some of the threats, and identified those making the threats. They mostly are political or media figures or political operatives:
Kamala Harris: "Trump is a threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
Harris: "It's on us to recognize the threat (Trump) poses."
Harris: "Does one of us have to come out alive? Ha ha ha ha!"
Joe Biden: "It's time to put Trump in a bull's-eye."
Biden: "I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Trump is a threat to this nation!"
Biden: "There is one existential threat: It's Donald Trump."
Biden: "Trump is a genuine threat to his nation … He's literally a threat to everything America stands for."
Biden : "Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country."
Biden: "Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. … and that is a threat to this country."
Tim Walz: "Are (Republicans) a threat to democracy? Yes … Are they going to put peoples' lives in danger? Yes."
Gwen Walz: "Buh-bye, Donald Trump."
Nancy Pelosi: "(Trump) is a threat to our democracy of the kind that we have not seen."
Jasmine Crockett: "MAGA in general – they are threats to us domestically."
Dan Goldeman: "He is destructive to our democracy and … he has to be eliminated."
Disgraced Harris staffer TJ Ducklo: "Trump is an existential, urgent threat to our democracy."
Liz Cheney: "Trump presents a fundamental threat to the republic and we are seeing it on a daily basis."
Steve Cohen: "Trump is an enemy of the United States."
Maxine Waters: "Are (Trump supporters) preparing a civil war against us?"
Waters: "I want to know about all of those right-wing organizations that (Trump) is connected with who are training up in the hills somewhere."
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Trump is an "existential threat to our democracy."
Adam Schiff: Trump is the "gravest threat to our democracy."
Gregory Meeks: "Trump cannot be president again. He's an existential threat to democracy."
Dan Goldman: "Trump remains the greatest threat to our democracy."
Jake Auchincloss: "What unifies us as a party is knowing that Donald Trump is an existential threat to Democracy."
Abigail Spanberger: "Trump is a threat to our democracy … the threats to our democratic republic are real."
Annie Kuster: "Trump and his extreme right-win followers pose an existential threat to our democracy."
Becca Balint: "We cannot underestimate the threat (Trump) poses to American democracy."
Jason Crow: "Trump is an extreme danger to our democracy."
Michael Bennet: Trump is "a threat to our democracy."
Steven Horsford: "Trump Republicans are a dangerous threat to our state."
Gave Vasquez: "Remove the national threat from office."
And more….
The Trump administration is diligently working to find thousands of missing children who may have fallen victim to sex trafficking during the Biden border crisis, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
During a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Kennedy accused the Biden administration of acting as a "collaborator" in the child sex trade.
Unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who cross the border illegally are held by the Health and Human Services' Office Of Refugee Resettlement, which has the responsibility of caring for them and eventually placing them with an adult sponsor.
During the Biden era, standards of vetting declined as the number of unaccompanied minors flooding across the border skyrocketed. It is feared that many of these children fell into the wrong hands.
A former Biden HHS employee, Tara Lee Rodas, testified to Congress last year about HHS sending children to traffickers, likening the set-up to a "white-glove delivery system." Republican Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) obtained internal records showing that Biden's HHS knowingly released two children to a sponsor with ties to MS-13.
Over 600,000 unaccompanied minors have crossed the border since 2019, a recent Inspector General report confirmed. The majority of them entered the U.S. under Biden, although crossings ticked up midway through Trump's first term in 2019 before dropping off with the onset of COVID in 2020.
As of January 2025, 233,000 UACs were released into the U.S. without receiving notices to appear in immigration court, the Inspector General report found. Another 43,000 who did receive notices to appear had failed to show up for their court dates.
An additional 31,000 were released with addresses that were blank, undeliverable, or missing apartment numbers, according to the report.
"Without an ability to monitor the location and status of UACs, ICE is unable to facilitate court appearances and has no assurance UACs are safe from trafficking, exploitation, forced labor, or involvement in criminal activities that may pose a risk to local communities," the report notes.
Since Trump returned to the White House and reinstated tough border policies, illegal crossings have plummeted to record lows.
The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has fallen from over 11,000 per month under Biden to less than 700 per month.
Under Secretary Kennedy, HHS is tightening vetting standards, implementing changes like mandatory fingerprinting to keep kids safe.
"We have ended HHS, as the role as the vector — the principal vector in this country for child trafficking,” Kennedy said.
“During the Biden administration, HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking and for sex and for slavery. And, we have ended that, and we are very aggressively going out and trying to find these children — 300,000 children that were lost by the Biden administration.”
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Democrat scheme drained supplies so fast, 'it did some damage to the facilities'
The administration of President Donald Trump has revealed plans to fix the Strategic Petroleum Reserve disaster created by Joe Biden's administration while he was in office.
The SPR, created following the 1973 energy crisis, serves as an emergency stockpile of unrefined petroleum, maintained by the Department of Energy, to mitigate the impact of supply disruptions that may occur because of world events.
The petroleum actually is stored at four sites along the Gulf Coast.
Biden stunningly ordered up 1 million barrels were to be released per day for 180 days in order to mitigate price hikes that developed because of his economic policies, and the threat reduced imports because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Most previous releases had maxed out at some 10 million barrels.
Now U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has estimated it will take $20 billion and years to refill the reserve.
A report at Legal Insurrection described how, "The nation is still facing some issues related to Biden's destructive and senseless energy priorities."
The report noted the SPR is the world's "largest emergency crude oil stockpile with capacity to store about 727 million barrels."
It currently is at about 395 million barrels.
The report said overall, the nation's energy outlook is slightly brighter since Trump took office and issued an executive order declaring a "national energy emergency."
That directed the Department of Energy to prioritize refilling the SPR.
Administration officials how have confirmed the reserve is being refilled, after being depleted "for electoral reasons."
Wright explained. "And in fact, it was drained so fast, it did some damage to the facilities. And so, right now, we only can fill two of the four major salt caverns we have, so we are doing repair work on the other two. We're slowly filling the other two, and I'm trying to get some funds through Congress that'll give us a longer-term runway to fill the strategic petroleum reserve at the fastest rate we can."
Biden's officials had claimed they had purchased enough oil to replace what Biden ordered released.
A report in the Hill said Biden officials said they purchased 40 million barrels, and canceled the sale of 140 million barrels "accounting" for the amount taken out.
However, a report at OilPrice.com explained the details.
"On July 29, multiple news outlets reported that the Biden administration has replenished the 180 million barrels of oil it removed from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. One headline read, 'U.S. Restores SPR to pre-2022 Levels,'" the report said.
"It is absolutely false that the SPR has been replenished," it reported.
"The reporting seems to be a misreading of the following precisely-worded commentary by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm: 'As promised, we have secured the 180 million barrels back to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve released in response to Putin's war in Ukraine – and we accomplished this while getting a good deal for taxpayers and maintaining the readiness of the world's largest Strategic Petroleum Reserve.'"
The report explained, "President Joe Biden inherited an SPR at 638 million barrels when he took office in January 2021. However, first in response to rising gasoline prices, and then as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Biden announced the most aggressive SPR drawdown in history. At its low point in July 2023, the SPR was drawn down by 288 million barrels, although some of that was due to congressionally-mandated sales. Since then, the Biden administration has made a few purchases to put oil back in the SPR. But, as of the week ending July 19, SPR levels had only risen 27.7 million barrels from the low point. That is only 9.6% of the oil that was removed from the SPR."
As of the date of the OilPrice report, last fall, the SPR still was 260 million barrels below the level it was when Biden took office.
The report said the misleading statement from Granholm confirmed that politicians were "taking credit for barrels" of oil that hadn't been delivered, meaning they took a "minor" purchase and made the impression they replaced 180 million barrels of oil that had been removed.
"So, it wasn't that 140 million barrels were put back, they are saying they avoided depleting it by another 140 million barrels in the future. So, it is absolutely false that the SPR has been replenished to pre-2022 levels. This reporting is based on a misunderstanding of the DOE's comments, which seem designed to imply that 180 million barrels were put back into the SPR."
Politico had raised the question during the Biden drawdowns whether the reserve left the U.S. ready for a crisis.
It noted Biden "sold off more than 40 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve" to minimize rising fuel prices.
"That's fueling Republican accusations that Biden has left the U.S. vulnerable to a disruption of global oil supplies — at a time when Hamas' terrorist attacks in Israel are stoking fears of a wider regional war disrupting fuel shipments from the Middle East," the report said at the time.
"That's Joe Biden's fault for trying to lower the price of gas before the election," House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., told the publication.
The Trump administration also has been aggressive in encouraging production of oil, which had been targeted for elimination by Biden.
The shocking theft of Homeland Security Krisi Noem's purse is shining a light on the open border policies of the Biden administration - and its residual effects in Democratic "sanctuary" jurisdictions that continue to obstruct immigration enforcement.
Just a few weeks before targeting Noem, Chilean man Mario Bustamante-Leiva was busted in New York for a similar theft - but he was let go because of the city's "sanctuary" policies.
The story begins with Bustamante-Leiva's entry into the United States in 2021, despite his role in a highly publicized $28,000 robbery spree in Britain that led to his imprisonment for three years.
According to the Daily Mail, Bustamante-Leiva was waved into the U.S. legally by Biden officials in 2021 but later violated the terms of his release.
He came to wider public attention after he snatched Noem's Gucci handbag during an Easter meal with her family at a restaurant in Washington D.C. The purse contained $3,000 in cash, Noem's credit card, her DHS badge, and other personal items.
The brazen thug was caught on surveillance footage stealing Noem's purse from under her feet at Capital Burger in D.C. It was his fourth theft in just eight days.
The self-admitted drunk went on to splurge on food and alcohol using Noem's stolen credit card, racking up $200 in charges at an Italian restaurant.
Police busted Bustamante-Leiva in the nation's capital on Saturday, and the next day his accomplice, another illegal alien from Chile, was arrested in Florida.
Despite her public-facing role in the Trump administration, it is believed that Noem was targeted randomly and not for any political purpose. She's far from the only victim of the open borders madness that Biden unleashed.
According to the New York Post, police in the Big Apple arrested Bustamante-Leiva on March 2 for a similar crime at an Indian restaurant in Times Square.
The suspect made off with the victim's fanny pack, and within 20 minutes, had made $1,200 in fraudulent credit card purchases.
The victim, an international student from India, was left shaken and after police let the suspect go with a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges. Not surprisingly, the suspect never showed up for his court appearance.
“That’s insane. I don’t know how he was let out after that without any reason,” the student said. “I mean, putting in so much effort and then coming to the States and experiencing something like that intrigued my frightened side.”
Because of New York's "sanctuary" policy, police were prevented from reporting the suspect to federal immigration agents - enabling him to continue with his crime spree.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Scandal-plagued New York Attorney General Letitia James, already referred to the Department of Justice for investigation of alleged fraud, now also is facing a possible investigation by the state bar association, for violating ethics rules that apply to lawyers.
The DOJ referral came just days ago from William J. Pulte, the chief of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, and alleged James, a Democrat who repeatedly has created cases to attack President Donald Trump, "In multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government-backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms."
Specifically, she's accused of falsely stating on a legal document that her main residence was in Norfolk, Virginia, to get a lower mortgage rate, and also misrepresenting the number of apartments in a building she owns, also in order to get more favorable loan terms.
Now a report from Fox News explains the legal nonprofit America First Legal has filed a state-level ethics complaint against her.
"If what Director Pulte uncovered is true, then we have a sitting state attorney general who made false certifications to the United States in return for federal benefits," explained AFL chief Dan Epstein.
The complaint charges James is in violation of the New York State Bar Association's rules of professional conduct, which prohibit lawyers from engaging in "illegal conduct" that can adversely impact the lawyer's honesty and trustworthiness.
The rules also bar conduct that may not be "illegal," but involves "dishonesty."
James' office already has hired a defense lawyer to represent her on the charges.
The lawyer claimed the subjects of the DOJ referral are, in fact, just "mistakes" that were made. Among those was that she was listed as the "spouse" of her father in at least one instance.
A report at Just the News explained, "If James committed mortgage fraud, then AFL alleges that would have violated Rules 8.4(b) and 8.4(c) of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct. The two rules prohibit attorneys from 'engag[ing] in illegal conduct that adversely reflects on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer,' and from 'engag[ing] in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.'"
Previously reported was that Joel Gilbert, a Los Angeles-based film producer, suggested James lied on various forms to obtain favorable real estate mortgage terms on a building she owns.
James was the state prosecutor who created a real estate fraud case against President Donald Trump, in which she claimed fraudulent activities in the valuation of his properties and his work to obtain various loans for his real estate business.
She brought the lawfare case against Trump and obtained a fraud judgment against him from a left-leaning judge who imposed damages of hundreds of millions of dollars even though witnesses during the trial testified Trump paid off every loan in full and on time, they did not lose any money and they wanted to do business with him again.
That judgment and penalty, from Arthur Engoron, now is on appeal.
The Gateway Pundit said for more than two decades, James has "repeatedly claimed her Brooklyn apartment building was a four-unit property on mortgage applications – despite official records proving it had five."
The report explained, "This may seem a minor discrepancy, but misrepresenting the unit count enabled her to secure more favorable loans, including a 2011 Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) loan that saved her tens of thousands of dollars annually."
The report includes online postings of various documents, including a Brooklyn Department of Buildings Certificate of Occupancy for the address that shows one family residence in the basement, one the first floor, one on the second, and two on the third.
But James repeatedly has described it as a four-unit building in mortgage applications.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has warned "doctors" who have been doing various body mutilations on children to stop.
"I am putting medical practitioners, hospitals, and clinics on notice: In the United States, it is a felony to perform, attempt to perform, or conspire to perform female genital mutilation ('FGM') on any person under the age of 18. That crime carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years per count," Bondi said.
A report from NBC explained she directed U.S. attorneys to use those laws to investigate doctors who "mutilate" children under the guise of "care."
Transgender activists across the country repeatedly have claimed that body mutilations on children, as long as it's called "gender-affirming care" under that ideology, actually is a good thing.
Mat Staver, the chief of Liberty Counsel which has fought some of the battles on the issue of transgenderism, explained, "These common sense directives will help protect children from the harmful and often irreversible gender interventions caused by the false gender ideology.
"They will also help hold accountable those who hurt children in this way. The insanity of this ideology and greed in the medical community has monetized the act of mutilating children and adults into a billion-dollar industry. Through President Trump's executive order and this memorandum, the federal government can now return to sound science and promote treating these mental health issues with proven psychiatric therapies to heal rather than harm. Now, it is up to the federal and state legislatures to pass laws that protect children from medical mutilation."
Bondi also directed the Consumer Protection Branch of the DOJ's Civil Division "to investigate potential violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by drug manufacturers and distributors who engage 'in misbranding by making false claims about the on- or off-label use of puberty blockers, sex hormones, or any other drug used to facilitate' a minor's gender transition," the report said.
Physicians will be investigated under the False Claims Act if they submit for reimbursement for services related to "gender experimentation" that is not covered by federal programs.
Robin Maril, an assistant professor of constitutional law in Oregon, told the network it still is legal for doctors to perform those body modifying surgeries in states where such "care" remains legal, and charged that the announcement is meant "to have a chilling effect" on what she called "necessary care."
Leftist medical organizations, prominently the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association, all have claimed to support "transition-related care" for minors.
The industry, of course, is lucrative for physicians and suppliers involved.
Liberty Counsel reported the directives "align under President Donald Trump's January executive order that withdraws all federal funding for puberty blockers, hormones, or irreversible mutilating surgeries for minors, and directs rigorous enforcement of all laws to protect children from these destructive and life-altering procedures."
Bondi said the ideology has been pushed on Americans by those who "deny biological reality."
Following the science, no one can change from male to female or vice versa because being male or female is embedded in the body down to the DNA level.
Bondi said the ideology has been pushed by "the Biden administration, the medical community, Hollywood, legacy mass media, children's books, and public schools," the report said.
"This gender ideology is just 'junk science' that steers children to 'process adolescent stress and confusion' as 'mistaken identity,' and that the only solution is permanent and life-altering chemical and surgical interventions," AG Bondi wrote.
She noted how Biden 'personally advanced" the beliefs by going to court against state-level protections for children.
He also appointed "Rachel" Levine, a man who portrayed himself as a woman, as Assistant Secretary of Health.
The attorney general, in fact, noted how "politically captured profiteers" were taking advantage of families and children.
"These 'professionals' have deployed junk science and false claims about the effects of so-called 'gender-affirming care' to justify the barbaric practice of surgically and chemically maiming and sterilizing children. Between 2019 and 2023, an estimated 14,000 children received 'treatment' for gender dysphoria, with more than 5,700 subjected to life-altering surgeries. The practitioners who provided this so-called 'care' profited while their patients were left permanently disfigured, scarred, and sterilized."
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who falsified most of his resume while running for a House seat in 2022, was sentenced on Friday to seven years in prison for wire fraud and identity theft.
He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to making fraudulent campaign donations in the names of 11 family members and reporting to the Federal Election Commission that he had loaned his campaign $500,000 when he only had $8,000 in his bank accounts.
Santos, who sobbed at Judge Joanna Seybert's sentence, has until July 25 to report to prison for the start of his sentence.
He also has to pay $373,000 in restitution and will have two years of probation after his time is served.
“I offer my deepest apologies,” Santos said. “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”
He admitted that he had “betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by constituents, donors, colleagues, and this court.”
Santos committed the fraud in order to qualify for aid from the national party, which helped him get elected to the swing seat.
In addition to the fraud, Santos's campaign also stole the identities and financial information of many of his donors and repeatedly charged their credit cards for more donations without authorization.
Judge Seybert did not buy his apology for one second. “Where’s the remorse? Where do I see it?” she asked.
She also called him “an arrogant fraudster talking out of both sides of his mouth."
“Mr. Santos, words have consequences,” she said. “You got elected with your words, most of which were lies.”
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham said after the sentence: “From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit."
“Today, George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he perpetrated," Durham stated. "For the defendant, it was judgment day, and for his many victims including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, it is justice.
“To Mr. Santos and other dishonest individuals of that ilk, who lie, steal identities and commit frauds to get elected to public office, this prosecution speaks to the truth that my Office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption and that public officials who criminally abuse our electoral process will end up in a federal prison," he added.