Rev. Michael Blake, a former aide to President Barack Obama, will run for mayor of New York City in 2025, the New York Post reported. Blake blasted Adams over legal woes and his friendliness toward the "incoming fascist president," Donald Trump.
Blake is the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and was a New York assemblyman from 2015 to 2021. The 41-year-old also ran unsuccessful campaigns for the House of Representatives and city public advocate.
Now, he joins the crowded field of hopefuls looking to unseat Adams. With his twin ambition to become chairman of the DNC, Blake posted to X, formerly Twitter, last week, "NYC. DNC. A New Day is coming."
NYC. DNC. A New Day is coming.
— Michael Blake (@MrMikeBlake) November 22, 2024
Blake's background includes a stint on Obama's public engagement team and other positions, though he has yet to clinch a role as high profile as the mayor's office. Instead, he railed against Adams over his federal indictment after allegedly taking bribes and campaign violations, court documents say.
Adams also has been accused of accepting "improper benefits" from a Turkish diplomat in exchange for favors from the city. "We deserve a leader who won’t have headlines about investigations but rather have headlines about jobs," Blake said of Adams.
"Never forget that on Nov. 2 of last year, when Mayor Adams literally landed in Washington, DC, for a meeting at the White House to address the migrant situation, he turned back around because his fundraiser was being raided. He decided that it was more important to protect himself than protect you," Blake went on.
Aside from the pending charges, Blake also hammered Adams on his friendliness to Trump. Blake said he will be a force against the "incoming fascist president" as opposed to Adams, who has been "literally spending every possible day" cozying up to Trump.
"Unlike Mayor Adams, I won’t use my Saturday nights trying to be close to him in a UFC fight, but I’ll actually use my nights to make sure that you are safe and secure," Blake promised. Adams had a brief exchange with Trump at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.
Blake has promised to entice businesses back to New York City with tax incentives. He's also committed to universal child care, which is typically a concept of the far left.
Others who have thrown their name in include Democratic NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, who similarly pledges many handouts and destructive leftist policies. He claims "democracy is in peril" because of Trump and plans to "fight back against any authoritarian attempts to rip away the rights of women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, people of color, Jews, Muslims, or any other New Yorkers."
Attorney Jim Walden, who is running as an independent, sent shockwaves on Monday when his kick-off included former New York Gov. David Paterson. Until very recently, Paterson publicly defended Adams through his indictment.
Not only is he going against him, but Paterson is doing so for what many consider a long-shot candidate. "I don’t know what he’s thinking," an unnamed operative told the Post. It's likely several more announcements from other candidates are forthcoming.
New York is a deep blue city, and a more radical choice could very well throw out Adams. Unfortunately, that means the problems plaguing the city will only get worse.
Florida GOP Rep. Mike Waltz has resigned from Congress after being tapped to serve as incoming President Donald Trump's national security adviser, The Hill reported. Unfortunately, this could impact the balance of the House of Representatives.
Waltz's resignation takes effect when Trump takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025. This ensures Waltz can vote for Speaker of the House on Jan. 3.
However, this news also comes on the heels of fellow Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's resignation last week. Gaetz was initially picked to be Trump's attorney general, but he withdrew his name from consideration and later from his current and new terms in Congress.
Even before these registrations, Republicans had a narrow majority to pass Trump's agenda. Now, they will have to wait until April 1, when special elections will be held to elect replacements for the outgoing representatives.
On Monday, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd accepted Waltz's resignation. Byrd said the primary election would occur on Jan. 28, with the general election commencing on April 1 to fill the vacancies.
Unlike other cabinet positions, the national security adviser role goes into effect as soon a candidate accepts the role rather than requiring Senate confirmation. Other Republican members of Congress tapped to staff Trump's cabinet include Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who lost her reelection, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.
According to Fox News, Trump has already begun endorsing some candidates for their replacements. In Florida, Trump presented the state's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis Jr., and former state Sen. Randy Fine as possible candidates.
So far, Trump's cabinet picks have been popular with Americans, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Health and Human Services Secretary and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary, the New York Post reported. Surveys show that his new cabinet is well received.
There is considerable optimism for Trump when he takes the White House along with the people he's handpicked to help. However, he may run into a snag with the vacancies in Congress from those who will leave to join his administration.
Fox News noted that Republicans have 219 seats compared to Democrats' 213 seats in Congress. The majority could be in jeopardy with the departure of Gaetz, Stefanik, and Waltz.
Even in heavily Republican districts, the success of Republican candidates is not guaranteed, which is making some nervous. "I know he's already pulled a few really talented people out of the House – hopefully, no more for a little while until special elections come up, but it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have," House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly implored Trump to quit pulling talent from their ranks. "President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it's just a numbers game. You know, we believe we're going to have a larger majority than we had last time," Johnson said.
"It's too early to handicap it, but we are optimistic about that. But every single vote will count, because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor. So, I think he and the administration are well attuned to that. I don't expect that we will have more members leaving, but I'll leave that up to him," Johnson said.
There's a delicate balance between getting the best of the best in Trump's cabinet and leaving some solid Republicans in place. Trump will strike that balance as best he can, but the nation's future is looking bright with him at the helm no matter what.
Special counsel Jack Smith has moved to drop federal charges against President-elect Donald Trump, the UK Daily Mail reported. U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan granted Smith's request Thursday, marking another Trump legal victory.
Smith's charges involve Trump's alleged involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, as well as separate charges for the classified documents case. Smith requested the judge grant a dismissal "without prejudice" for the former while dropping an appeal of the latter's dismissal.
The judge agreed to stop the prosecution while Trump is in office, but the government can pick them up again when Trump is no longer president. Chutkan agreed that was the best course of action given a prohibition on prosecuting a sitting president.
"Dismissal without prejudice is appropriate here," she wrote in her decision. Chutkan added that this "consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office."
Although Trump is out of the woods while in office, he could still face prosecution once his term is over. This comes after he's spent years defending himself against lawfare attacks since leaving office.
Not long after President Joe Biden was sworn in, the Department of Justice began pursuing every individual who participated in the demonstration on Jan. 6 in any way. That included Trump, who was the former president by then.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to ascertain "whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021." Smith was a war crimes prosecutor on a mission.
However, after spending $50 million of taxpayer money to prosecute Trump, all of that comes to an end for now. This comes as other lawfare against Trump begins falling apart as well.
Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in connection with a so-called hush money payment in New York. However, the judge has since moved to dismiss the case since the state cannot prosecute a sitting president. This all but negates the lawfare aimed at taking Trump out leading up to the election.
Steven Cheung, who will be Trump's White House communications director, championed the move as a return to justice. "The American People re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate to Make America Great Again," he noted in a statement.
"Today’s decision by the DOJ ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump, and is a major victory for the rule of law. The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country," he added.
Trump also posted about the decision to his Truth Social. "Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME," Trump said following the decision.
"Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before," he added. "It was a political hijacking, and a low point in the History of our Country that such a thing could have happened, and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump concluded.
This is great news that Trump is off the hook for now. As the president-elect noted, these cases should have never seen the light of day but at least the threat of imprisonment is off the table until he leaves office.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Friday that state Attorney General Ken Paxton did not have to testify in a whistleblower lawsuit brought by some of his employees, reversing a lower court decision.
Because Paxton's office does not dispute any of the issues in the suit, which is related to failed impeachment charges brought against him, and he agrees to any judgement in the case, there is not a compelling reason for his testimony.
“In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years,” a statement from Paxton’s office said.
The employees say they were improperly fired or forced out because they told the FBI that Paxton misused his office to protect a friend, who was also a campaign donor.
The donor was in turn helping Paxton hide an extramarital affair, they further allege.
Texas Governor and the legislature have said they want Paxton to testify before deciding on a settlement amount.
But the supreme court acknowledged that Paxton's testimony and that of others could be used improperly by the legislature.
A preliminary deal included an apology from Paxton to the employees for calling them "rogue employees" along with a $3.3 million settlement, but the sticking point was that Paxton wanted the state to pay the settlement.
The House balked at that plan, and started investigating him. Eventually, they impeached him, but he was acquitted in the Senate trial.
Paxton has consistently denied the charges against him and called them politically motivated.
The settlement, which Paxton agreed to in January, does not involve him admitting to any wrongdoing.
That should have been the end of the litigation, but the judge has let it drag on for almost a year.
Paxton's office slammed the lower court ruling that was overturned as an "effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the Agency has wasted public resources for years."
The office characterized the judge's actions as an "apparent effort to prolong the political charade and interfere with the OAG’s day-to-day business."
President-elect Donald Trump has been naming prospective members of his new administration at a lightning-fast pace, and now it appears that the former -- and future -- first lady has also begun the process of choosing key personnel for her White House office.
As The Hill reports, Melania Trump announced on Friday the selection of longtime aide and confidante Hayley Harrison to serve as her chief of staff as she makes yet another transition to the East Wing.
Mrs. Trump's office made the announcement of Harrison's new role in a post on X, touting her longstanding ties to the incoming first lady.
“Mrs. Harrison has maintained an integral role and exceptional leadership on the First Lady's team over the past seven years,” the statement began.
Melania Trump's office continued, “She has a strong understanding of White House operations, and as Chief of Staff, Mrs. Harrison will oversee and manage the East Wing's team while strategically liaising with other parts of government.”
The appointment of Harrison to this key role in Mrs. Trump's office represents the first such hire following Donald Trump's Nov. 5 victory against Kamala Harris.
As USA Today notes, Harrison's tenure as a Trump insider includes Donald Trump's first term in office as well as the post-presidential period during which the family relocated to Palm Beach, Florida.
Harrison's involvement in Mrs. Trump's post-White House life was so substantial that she was later identified as “Trump Employee 1” in special counsel Jack Smith's classified documents indictment of Donald Trump.
The Washington Examiner reported that court filings indicated that Harrison had sent text messages to another Trump staffer in regard to the need to move the documents at issue out of the Mar-a-Lago business center to another location so that staff would have sufficient room to work.
Hayley Harrison's husband, William “Beau” Harrison, also has a history of strong ties to the Trump family, also having been the subject of a grand jury interview before charges were lodged against Donald Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta.
The questioning revolved around Harrison's prior role coordinating relocation logistics with the General Services Administration ahead of the Trumps' move back to Florida in 2021.
As the Examiner suggested, it is far from clear that Mrs. Trump has any plans to move back to the White House on a full-time basis, with all indications suggesting that she will split time between her homes in New York City and Palm Beach Florida, traveling to D.C. when official needs dictate.
Mrs. Trump has made it clear, however, that her prior experience as first lady has prepared her well to make critical personnel decisions such as the appointment of Harrison, explaining in late October, “So when you go in, you know exactly what to expect. You know what kind of people you need to get.” Hopefully, she can now rely on the sort of staff loyalty that all too often proved elusive last time around.
Andrew Klavan warned that President Joe Biden could "start a nuclear war with Russia," he wrote in a Daily Wire satire. Drawing from the real-life actions of Biden's final days in office, Klavan argued that Biden is dangerous.
Klavan asserted that with America run by a shadow government of elites, "there is not much left for our dementia-riddled president to do except lie in his lawn chair, eat Jello and start a nuclear war with Russia." The author and podcaster imagined the scenario where Biden gave Ukraine permission to fire American long-range missiles.
“Given the inexcusable aggression of Vladimir Putin’s reckless attempt to rebuild the Russian empire by invading a perfectly innocent cesspit of corruption like Ukraine, I just wanted to see the pretty streaks of light that missiles make when you fire them across the night sky," Klavan said in a faked Biden quote. Unfortunately, the reality is no laughing matter.
The Biden administration gave the okay to fire these missiles for the first time last week, and that action led to what the New York Times called a "chilling" warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin: America is provoking a nuclear war. This escalation on Friday could become the tipping point, and Klavan expertly explained it humorously.
The Times noted that Russia retaliated by launching ballistics at Ukraine and promised more to come. Putin has also made it clear it could escalate to nuclear weapons that were previously off the table.
"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities. The contours of further retaliatory actions, if our concerns are not taken into account, have also been quite clearly outlined," Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov warned.
As Klavan put it, "the Putin doctrine declared that a Russian nuclear attack could only be triggered as a self-defensive response to a ground invasion of the motherland" before. After recent events, it "permits the launch of world-destroying total war as a gesture of annoyance at the crappy finale of Gilmore Girls or any other equivalently frothy-but-delightful streaming concoction," Klavan wrote.
"The doctrine is mitigated by the fact that nuclear launch cannot begin without the final approval of President Putin or anyone else wearing a spiked helmet and beating his bared chest while proclaiming his right to world domination," Klavan quipped. Many are beginning to wonder why Biden would have sparked this chain of events in the first place.
"Among political conservatives, the sudden launch of American-made missiles from Ukraine into Russia set off a round of wild speculation as to Biden’s motives," Klavan wrote. He joked that a going theory was this was payback to Vice President Kamala Harris "after she humiliated him by forcing him to abandon a presidential campaign that he would absolutely have won had he still been alive..."
Klavan illustrated the difference between Biden and Trump. He imagined Trump watched SpaceX mogul Elon Musk's starship "land gently on Vladimir Putin’s desk in his office at the Kremlin, and open to release a miniature robot Trump who would march out, slap Putin in the face, tell him to stop invading other people’s countries, then march back into the starship, which would return safely to Florida after stopping at McDonald’s to pick up a Happy Meal," Klavan wrote.
"So the transition continues," Klavan added. Even the Times had to admit that Trump's election would be a deterrent for Putin to use nuclear weapons.
While Trump has warned that Biden is about to spark off a world war, and Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center senior fellow Tatiana Stanovaya believes Putin also feels it. "I don’t see him being concerned about ruining his chances for a deal with Trump — rather, quite the opposite," she said.
"Trump took the position that Biden’s policies are leading to World War III, and what Putin is doing confirms this," Stanovaya added. Meanwhile, the president pushing the world to the brink of war needed his wife, Jill Biden, to steady him after he missed his footing on the beach earlier this month.
It's dangerous to have Biden leading the world when he can barely walk or string sentences together. He's provoked Russia most dangerously, and Americans will be forced to live with the consequences if this blows up into a full-out conflict.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was briefly hospitalized with "symptoms of labyrinthitis and a hypertensive crisis" on Wednesday, Breitbart reported. Tedros, 59, was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 summit when it occurred.
Tedros was experiencing symptoms consistent with labyrinthitis, an infection of the inner ear that may cause dizziness and vertigo. He underwent "necessary tests," which ultimately found "no signs of seriousness" that would require further action.
The WHO chief was kept overnight for observation and given medication to help with his hypertension. By Thursday, Tedros was released and "back to work," he said in a statement.
"I felt unwell yesterday afternoon and was admitted to Samaritano Barra Hospital in Rio, but I was discharged this morning and am back to work," Tedros said, according to Reuters. During the summit, Tedros met with President Joe Biden and other world leaders to discuss health issues facing the world, including hypertension.
The WHO released its report on Sept. 19, 2023, outlining the health crisis caused by hypertension. "Most heart attacks and strokes in the world today can be prevented with affordable, safe, accessible medicines and other interventions, such as sodium reduction," Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, said in the report.
"Treating hypertension through primary health care will save lives, while also saving billions of dollars a year," Bloomberg said of the initiative. Tedros also revealed that he suffered from high blood pressure while touting the new report at the time.
"Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, affecting 1 in 3 adults – including me. I am fortunate that I was diagnosed early and have access to good medical care," Tedros said in his remarks in a video shared on Instagram.
"Unfortunately, the same is not true for the majority of those with hypertension, especially for those in lower-income countries and communities. Today, at [the United Nations General Assembly], we launched the first-ever hypertension report," Tedros said.
View this post on Instagram
Aside from Tedros' mild health crisis, there were other notable incidents at the summit. One of those occurred during the so-called "family photo" traditionally snapped of attendees.
According to the Associated Press, Biden missed the traditional group photo, which "left Chinese President Xi Jinping front and center," the news outlet noted. Also missing was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who came over to the group after the photo had already been snapped.
A Biden staffer who was not at liberty to speak publicly about it said the oversight came down to "logistical issues." This will be the last time Biden attends the summit as president.
The G20 summit brings together leaders like Biden, Trudeau, and Tedros under the guise of solving the world's problems. Issues from geopolitical conflicts to health topics are discussed and workshopped.
Unfortunately, it's also often an excuse to impose more control and big government on the world. While these meetings likely yield some goodwill among nations, the players typically want more control over ordinary citizens as the answer to all of the issues raised.
President-elect Donald Trump urged Republicans to "kill" a bill that would provide additional protections for journalists and their sources, Newsweek reported. Trump previously supported the bipartisan legislation but has misgivings about malicious media hiding behind such protections.
During Trump's first term as president, there were many leaks to the press from insiders and a barrage of negative press from those who simply disliked his politics. Now, Trump is trying to plug up those leaks and temper the media's power by encouraging Republicans to shoot down a bill that would give them cover.
In a post to Truth Social Wednesday, Trump shared an update from PBS News about the details and status of the bill. "REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!" Trump wrote.
The legislation, known as the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act, has already succeeded in Congress. It was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin and GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley and passed the House of Representatives in January.
Raskin said the victory moved the U.S. "closer to establishing our first federal press shield law ever" at the time. "This awesome bipartisan vote at a time of party polarization underscores the binding power and universal appeal of freedom of the press as a leading constitutional principle," the Maryland Democrat noted.
Kiley similarly had high hopes for the bill's effect, noting that both parties "have unjustly targeted journalists and used compulsory process to obtain information from them about their sources." He believed that the PRESS Act was long overdue.
"Most states have protected journalists from such interference, and it is past time for Congress to do so as well," Kiley said. The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it is under review.
Although many free press advocates are pulling for its passage, Trump has been on the receiving end of attacks that fall under media protections. He has also threatened to pull licenses from media outlets that weaponize their coverage against him, but this turn away from supporting media protections has blindsided Congress.
Since Trump's first presidential run, the establishment media has been out to get him and wasn't even hiding it anymore in the 2024 campaign. This was apparent in how CBS treated an interview with his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on 60 Minutes.
According to Fox News, Trump was outraged after the network spliced together an answer Harris gave to make her appear more confident and competent. Trump called it a "giant Fake News Scam by CBS & 60 Minutes" and said the network should lose its license over it.
"TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE. Election Interference," Trump wrote on his Truth Social at the time.
"She is a Moron, and the Fake News Media wants to hide that fact. An UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL!!! The Dems got them to do this and should be forced to concede the Election? WOW!" Trump said.
Trump was justified in his anger at CBS, and he has suffered from the excesses of an unfriendly media out to get him. However, it's important that the U.S. continues to enjoy a free press and that the laws that ensure that are upheld even if they can be abused.
President-elect Donald Trump notched a victory Tuesday after the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office recommended Judge Juan Merchan freeze sentencing in the business records case, Breitbart reported. If granted, Trump's sentencing would be suspended for the next four years.
Attorneys for Trump sought to get the case tossed completely based on the flimsy premise of the case. However, it appears Trump will at least have a reprieve as he won't face sentencing during his presidency while in office.
"The people deeply respect the office of the president, are mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency, and acknowledge that defendant’s inauguration will raise unprecedented legal questions. We also deeply respect the fundamental role of the jury in our constitutional system," prosecutors said to Merchan in the letter.
Unfortunately, without a proper dismissal, Trump may be fighting the battle for the next four years before ending with the Supreme Court. Still, his attorneys celebrated this as a win.
Even with movement in Trump's favor, there's no guarantee that the saga will be over for the president-elect. As noted by Ken Klukowski, Breitbart News senior legal contributor, this has the makings of a "trap" for Trump.
"On one hand, perhaps Merchan could see the handwriting on the wall. This lawfare was election interference, and it failed. Trump was elected to a second term in a modern landslide, with unified government," Klukowski reasoned.
"This prosecution was and is unlawful and so are the convictions, and this pause could be the first step in landing the plane. Bragg and Merchan have been beaten, and they should know it," he added.
"On the other hand, this could be an attempt to trap the president. Until Merchan enters final judgment in the case, there are only a few ways to get this case away from him and into a court that will follow the law," Klukowski said.
"If he could freeze the case where it is now, he could wait until after President Trump’s second term, then pull Trump back into his courtroom after January 2029 and attempt to imprison Trump as a private citizen for the rest of his life. The president has options, but only a few. And his lawyers are currently trying to exercise one such option," Klukowski noted.
The ball is now in Merchan's court regarding Trump's future. "Needless to say, all eyes will be on Merchan and his decision on Trump’s motions to set aside the convictions and on the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s push to freeze the sentencing until he leaves office," Klukowski said.
“This is a major positive development for President Trump. While the president still needs to have his invalid convictions reversed and the case dismissed, this now provides his lawyers with time to navigate," Klukowski explained.
The legal expert said that Trump's team has "breathing room" to appeal for the case to go to federal court where it's likely to be dismissed. Klukowski added that the delay "allows time for alternative moves if Merchan does not rule on the pending motions in a timely manner," a fact which helps Trumps cause.
"The president is out of imminent danger, and that was the most pressing item. President Trump is having a good day," Klukowski added.
It was clear from the start that the case was a political ploy meant to derail Trump's candidacy. Now that he's been elected to serve a second term, those who brought the case will have to decide whether it's worth continuing since it didn't serve its original purpose.
A guard at Buckingham Palace has been fired after losing a bullet while on patrol and then lying about it, the New York Post reported. Royal Protection Officer Stephen Cotgreave said he feels "stupid, ashamed, and embarrassed."
Cotgreave was on patrol at the palace garden on Dec. 6, 2022, when he dropped the magazine from his pistol. One of the bullets fell out, and the armed guard, unaware of what had happened, failed to retrieve it.
The blunder became apparent when he brought the weapon back to the armory at the end of his shift. Rather than admitting his mistake, the 24-year law enforcement veteran insisted that he had no idea what happened to it.
This forced officials to search for the missing bullet because it posed a risk to the royal family. Surveillance footage caught the incident, and Cotgreave later faced a disciplinary inquiry.
Cotgreave's bullet remained lost for eight days until it was found in the area where the 48-year-old had dropped the magazine to his weapon. It was then that he decided it was time to come clean and tell the truth.
Cotgreave, who had an impeccable record before this incident, called the initial lie a "moment of madness." However, the disciplinary panel was not convinced.
"We find the culpability in this matter to be high as there was a deliberate course of conduct by the officer which posed a risk to the welfare of the public and the royal household," the panel chairman Harry Ireland KC said, according to the BBC. They ruled that Cotgreave was to be dismissed immediately, and he was fired on Friday.
The panel said Cotgreave's actions were an "abuse of trust, particularly as working in the royal household" because he thought that "concealing wrongdoing for eight days and lying to fellow officers on three occasions" was the solution. Cotgreave's reluctance to tell the truth put lives at risk.
"As a result of PC Cotgreave's short round, all the magazines were emptied, and a thorough account was conducted, and the loading bay was searched," Metropolitan Police spokesperson Unyime Davies said. Coincidentally, the bullet went missing on the same day that the King had an egg thrown at him in Luton, Bedfordshire.
This development comes on the heels of a burglary at Windsor Castle, home to Prince William, his wife Kate, and their three children, The New York Times reported. Intruders stole two vehicles after successfully breaking into a building on the estate's grounds on Oct. 13.
"Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pickup and a red quad bike. No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing," a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said.
The thieves scaled a fence to access the property where they could steal the vehicles used on the estate's farm. They escaped with the vehicles by crashing them through a fence.
Nobody was hurt in the incident, but it is believed that the royal family was home when it happened. The family has spent considerable time at Windsor Castle as of late while Kate was recovering from cancer.
The royal family must always be protected from such threats that are likely a constant concern. Unfortunately, it seems those charged with doing so have fallen short, and these are just the incidents the public is aware of.