FBI gave #RonJohnson defensive briefing in 2020 warning he was being targeted by Russia to spread disinformation on Biden.
What did he do?
He considered it “completely useless and unnecessary”
With his usual paranoia, he thought FBI briefing was a trick
2. And then, worse of all, Johnson continued to use his office to act as a conduit for the Russian disinformation campaign to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
4. Ron Johnson in his own—self-incriminating—words:
“I suspected that the briefing was being given to be used at some future date for the purpose that it is now being used: to offer the biased media an opportunity to falsely accuse me of being a tool of Russia despite warnings.”
5. Worth recalling this is not a partisan issue.
Fellow Republican Senators—including Richard Burr and Marco Rubio—warned Johnson that he was using his congressional powers in a way that could aid the Kremlin’s efforts.
DOJ admits repeatedly made "material mistaken" representations to judge. ICE never had authority (under 2025 Guidance) to conduct arrests at immigration courthouses!
"This error, however, is not caused by a lack of diligence and care by the undersigned attorneys. The undersigned were specifically informed by ICE that the 2025 ICE Guidance applied to immigration courthouse arrests."
"... agency attorney error ..."
3/ You can be assured that we'll add this to 5th edition of Presumption of Regularity study.
Currently tracks 90+ cases in which either court determined the Trump administration submitted false information or the administration admitted it.
If Hegseth et al got this wrong, think what else is happening with the drug boat strikes and much more.
The U.S. Said It Helped Bomb a Drug Camp. It Was a Dairy Farm.
Gets worse as you read it.
1/
2/ "Workers on the farm told The Times that Ecuadorean soldiers .. doused several shelters and sheds with gasoline and ignited them after interrogating workers and beating four of them with the butts of their guns ... later choked and subjected them to electrical shocks."
3/ "The Ecuadorean government said in the news release that it had relied on U.S. 'intelligence and support' to target the farm, which it said was a camp used to train 'about 50 drug traffickers.'”
"Plaintiffs have made a clear showing that Defendants have adopted a POLICY authorizing federal immigration officers to conduct investigatory stops based on ethnicity or race without reasonable suspicion." 1/
2/ With a team, I had provided a graphic representation of some of the key declarants in the plaintiffs' case here:
"These witnesses’ accounts and related evidence show these witnesses were detained by DHS officers and questioned about their immigration status based solely on their race or ethnicity."
NYT adds important context for reporting on Kash Patel and Susie Wiles (plus oddity of Patel being Reuters' source for his own grievance).
[1] "Requests for phone records are common in complex criminal investigations to establish timelines and provide proof of communication."
[2] "It has been known for years that Mr. Patel was closely scrutinized by investigators under the special counsel Jack Smith and was compelled to testify in front of a grand jury."
My add/reminder: Kash invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
[3] "The fact that investigators obtained some of Ms. Wiles’s phone records was made public during the inquiry into Mr. Trump’s mishandling of classified documents."
Five days after Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest, federal authorities “directed” NY law enforcement authorities to “stand down” their investigations related to Epstein, new documents released by DOJ show.
Part of new Timeline on NY and Epstein.
2/ source
FBI’s “Stand Down” Directive to NYPD on Jeffrey Epstein Investigations, and More
A Timeline of NY Law Enforcement and Epstein Investigations