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.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said Sunday on CNN that President-elect Donald Trump is trolling Democrats with his cabinet picks so far and that he's trying to get his political opponents to freak out.
"State of the Union" host Jake Tapper asked, “You have said that Democrats shouldn’t be ‘freaking out over every single thing Trump does.’ Are you freaking out at all about any of these cabinet picks, I wonder?”
Fetterman said, “There are some that I would be excited to vote for, like my colleague from Florida or the representative from New York, of course. Then there are others that are just absolute trolls, just like Gaetz and those things. That’s why, you know, Democrats, you know, like Trump, that gets the kind of thing that he wanted. You know, like the freakout and all of those things.”
Fetterman's point is that some of the things Trump does are for shock value or to get attention, and that he thinks Democrats need to be better at not giving it to him.
He continued, “It’s still not even not even Thanksgiving yet. And if we’re having meltdowns, you know, every tweet or every appointment or all those things, I mean, it’s going to be four years.”
Fetterman pointed out before the election that Trump was strong in Pennsylvania and predicted he could win the state, even though polls were extremely close.
He said to Tapper, “I’ve also claimed that Trump is the strongest, that he’s been in the three cycles here. And now things that were really unique that happened the assassination attempt that was in Butler, that’s 45 minutes from where we’re sitting right now.”
Trump's polls took a significant leap when a gunman tried to assassinate him on stage during a Butler, Pennslyvania rally on July 13.
While there was initial excitement for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat nominee to replace an obviously failing President Joe Biden, there proved to be no substance there and voters were just not willing to support her.
Fetterman has been an odd man out among Democrats at times since being elected in 2022 despite having a major stroke just months earlier.
He has spoken out in strong support of Israel when many in his party wanted to disavow its war on Hamas.
Prior to the election, he expressed his belief that Biden, and then Harris, would win while warning that Trump was stronger than expected in his state.
He has always marched to the beat of his own drummer--for instance, he usually wears hoodies and athletic shorts even while conducting official business instead of suits and ties.
He's a unique voice among Democrats, and makes sense a little more often than most of them, even if he's totally wrong about others.
Already sitting in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, Sean “Diddy” Combs now stands accused of additional conduct that prosecutors say should derail his latest attempt to secure bail.
The latest allegations against Combs came in a Friday filing made by federal prosecutors who stated that the music mogul has been working to contact potential witnesses and sway public sentiment ahead of trial, as Breitbart reports.
As ABC News reports, just last week, Combs made yet another to secure pre-trial release, offering what was described as a “far more robust” bail package.
In his filing, Combs stated that the federal case mounted against him is “thin” and suggested that the terms of his latest offer are more than sufficient to ensure his appearance at all future proceedings.
Combs, through his attorneys, has offered to remain subject to home detention supervised by 24-hour security monitoring.
His legal team also asserted that Combs would have “near-total restrictions” on his ability to make contact with anyone other than his own lawyers.
The latest bid for pre-trial freedom comes after the presiding judge in his case already denied the rapper, producer, and entrepreneur's release on bail due to findings that he remained a danger to the community and was likely to make attempts to obstruct justice and intimidate potential witnesses against him.
Despite what Combs' team says is a beefed-up bail proposal, prosecutors in the case continue to stand in staunch opposition to his potential release.
In a court filing last week, the government revealed that a review of jailhouse phone calls made by Combs indicated that he has requested that family members reach out to possible victims and witnesses.
Prosecutors also suggested that Combs has asked relatives to develop “narratives” and marketing ploys that might succeed in persuading public opinion in his favor.
The filing stated, “The defendant has shown repeatedly -- even while in custody -- that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions.”
A hearing on Combs' proposed $50 million bail package is scheduled to take place next week.
It was back in September that Combs was indicted on charges that include racketeering, sex trafficking by force, as well as facilitating transportation for the purposes of prostitution, as ABC noted, with counts relating to narcotics offenses, arson, bribery, kidnapping, and more also in the mix.
The government's indictment claims that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct, and though the disgraced music industry phenom has pleaded not guilty, it will be up to a jury to render a verdict when the trial -- now scheduled for May -- finally gets underway.
Democratic lawmakers have ordered former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to quit the public gripes about the party's failures, the UK Daily Mail reported. Pelosi has been denigrating her side after losing the White House and the Congress to the GOP.
The 84-year-old California Democrat has ruffled the feathers of her fellow lawmakers over her public tirades. These Democrats, who spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity, believe it's harmful to the party and disrespectful to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"She needs to take a seat. Making scattershot comments is not just unhelpful, it's damaging," a veteran Democratic lawmaker told the news outlet.
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus took umbrage with her treatment of Jeffries. "Hakeem has been tremendously graceful and respectful of her, but I don't think she is being respectful of him," the person said.
Although Pelosi hasn't been in leadership in two years, her outsized power is still apparent to House Democrats. They have been under her thumb for over 20 years, and she hasn't backed off that position as she'd promised when stepping away from leadership.
That fact has caused serious conflicts within the party as Pelosi airs its dirty laundry while also being a decision-maker. For instance, Pelosi was instrumental in getting President Joe Biden to step down from his reelection bid.
"We just have to win the election," Pelosi said at the time when pushing Biden aside. Many others in the party were happy about this move then, but the decision ultimately proved damaging to the Democratic Party.
However, during an interview with The New York Times for an election postmortem, Pelosi pinned the blame on President Joe Biden. She charged that "there may have been other candidates in the race" had he gotten out of the race sooner.
Instead, they were stuck with the unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, but the events that got them there started with Pelosi. Democrats across the U.S. went down in a decisive defeat, in part because voters chose President-elect Donald Trump and the down-ballot Republicans.
While Pelosi continues to throw her weight around, Jeffries looks like an ineffective leader for his party while falling on his sword for the Democratic Party. Pelosi has been supportive of Jeffries in what she has to say publicly as well.
A spokesperson for Pelosi said she is "immensely proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his masterful stewardship of the House Democratic Caucus" in a statement to Axios. "We all should praise the excellent progress made by House Democrats under his leadership."
In the same Times interview where Pelosi dragged Biden, she acknowledged Jeffries' success. "He did a masterful job in New York in this election," Pelosi told the New York Times.
When the dust settled, Democrats picked up three seats in Jeffries' home state of New York, while Pelosi's California lost five seats. Jeffries said that "the buck stops with me" to members of the Congressional Black Caucus, but it appears Pelosi is still pulling party strings while allowing Jeffries to take the blame.
This in-fighting among Democrats is a sign that the party is in shambles. Rather than let the newer leaders take over and fix things, Pelosi is still holding on to power with all of her might.
Senate Republicans warned the Department of Justice in a letter to preserve special counsel Jack Smith's records pertaining to the prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, Fox News reported. They cited "improper conduct of the past" as the impetus for the letter.
Smith was behind federal investigations against Trump, including the classified documents case that was tossed out. Others are expected to become irrelevant with Trump's win, including Smith's 2020 election interference cases.
Now, lawmakers are about to turn the tables and investigate Smith, and they are taking no chances. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Smith, Republican senators warned them to keep their records.
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) drew on their experience in 2020 when personnel involved in then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation "wiped" their devices. "The improper conduct of the past cannot be repeated in this matter; therefore, all records must be preserved so that Congress can perform an objective and independent review."
According to an earlier Fox News report, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) sent a similar missive to Smith on Nov. 8. "The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel," the lawmakers wrote.
"According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been ‘gaming out legal options’ in the event that President Donald Trump won the election. With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information," the letter said.
Congress just sent a letter to Jack Smith and told him to “preserve his records”. 🚨
As I have stated before, Jack Smith, Letitia James and Fani Willis all have a greater chance of going to prison than Donald Trump ever did.
This is getting SPICY! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/UrpEwKnN7S
— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) November 8, 2024
Jordan and Loudermilk first submitted their request for records in June 2023 pertaining to Smith's use of the FBI in his investigation against Trump. They demanded to know if the feds assigned had "previously worked on any other matters concerning President Trump."
They continued their pursuit in August and September of that year, adding the names of other officials along the way. Now, they're reminding Smith that he's "not immune from transparency or above accountability for its actions" and will have until Nov. 22, 2024 to comply.
It seems lawmakers are intent on ensuring that there is no repeat of past "mistakes" that hindered a probe into Mueller's investigation. He was in charge of investigating supposed Russian collusion with Trump during the 2016 election, a claim which has been proven false.
Somehow, when it came time to scrutinize the investigation, it turned out that Mueller's assistant, Andrew Weissman, had "accidentally wiped" his phone in March 2018 after trying to enter his password too many times. James Quarles, an attorney on the team, said his phone "wiped itself" mysteriously as well.
Most tellingly, former FBI attorney Lisa Page's phone also somehow underwent a factory reset by the time the Inspector General's office got ahold of it. The phone was the same one she used to text then-FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was working on the investigation.
Leaked text messages between the pair revealed they shared a mutual hatred for Trump even as their agency was investigating him. NBC News reported that they called Trump an "idiot" and a "loathsome human." Both expressed that Trump winning in 2016 would be "terrifying."
Smith's charges are becoming irrelevant following favorable decisions for Trump and his recent electoral win. However, Congress must remain vigilant about looking into the people and investigations that seemed to be aimed solely at taking Trump down.
The FBI raided the home of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan a week after the betting platform predicted the runaway win for President-elect Donald Trump, the New York Post reported. Law enforcement recovered a cellphone and other electronic devices from the 26-year-old's Manhattan apartment.
Agents descended on Coplan's home around 6 a.m. Wednesday, demanding he turn over the devices. According to the Post's exclusive report, a source called this raid "grand political theater at its worst" and similar to what made Trump furious when they did it to him.
"They could have asked his lawyer for any of these things. Instead, they staged a so-called raid so they can leak it to the media and use it for obvious political reasons," the source added.
There's no word on what the feds were after, but the source believes it had to do with the correct call on Trump's easy win against Vice President Kamala Harris. "This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election," the person told the Post.
Polymarket correctly called the presidential race early on Election Day. The events-based trading platform had Trump's odds at 58.6% compared to Harris' at just 41.4%.
This was a departure from the dead heat the rest of the pollsters were predicting heading into Nov. 5, and the feds may suspect market manipulation or election interference. However, the company insists that everything about its forecasting is above board.
"Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections," a representative for the company said. "We charge no fees, take no trading positions, and allow observers from around the world to analyze all market data as a public good," the spokesperson added.
Notably, Polymarket received a cash injection of $70 million from Trump friend Peter Thiel. There are also photographs of Coplan and Donald Trump Jr., which could hint at a possible friendship between the two.
It's possible that given this political climate, people who are friendly with the Trump family automatically have targets on their backs. After all, the FBI raided Trump's private home in August 2022 over allegedly mishandled classified documents while he was already cooperating with the feds, and this could be a similar operation against Coplan.
Coplan admonished President Joe Biden's administration for the raid. "It’s discouraging that the current administration would seek a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents," Coplan posted to X, formerly Twitter, Thursday.
"We are deeply committed to being non-partisan, and today is no different, but the incumbents should do some self-reflecting and recognize that taking a more pro-business, pro-startup approach may be what would have changed their fate this election. Polymarket has provided value to 10's of millions of people this election cycle, while causing harm to nobody. We're deeply proud of that," he added.
It’s discouraging that the current administration would seek a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents. We are deeply committed to being non-partisan, and today is no different, but the incumbents should do some self-reflecting…
— Shayne Coplan 🦅 (@shayne_coplan) November 13, 2024
In 2022, Polymarket stopped doing business in the U.S. after the company was fined $1.4 million for failing to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Coplan announced just a week before the raid that the company would return to trading stateside, though some were able to continue using the platform with a VPN.
It's unclear what the raid was about, but it wouldn't be the first time Biden's administration went after a political opponent if Coplan is right. Hopefully, Trump's recent election will prevent lawfare in the future.