Featured Timeline Entries
January 10, 2026 - Scott Bessent: 'When the bear trap snaps' Minnesota fraudsters and complicit officials will face justice

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Credit: public domain)

Christopher Rufo’s bombshell reporting on Minnesota’s Somali fraud schemes ignited a massive federal crackdown — now, in this exclusive interview, he sits down with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the latest on the escalating investigations.

While fraud rings in Minnesota’s Somali community have been under federal investigation for years, it was investigative journalist and BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo’s reporting that brought the billion-dollar scandals to national attention. Back in November 2025, Rufo published a report titled “The Largest Funder of Al-Shabaab Is the Minnesota Taxpayer,” in which he and co-author Ryan Thorpe alleged that billions of taxpayer funds were being stolen through schemes in Minneapolis’ Somali community and that millions of those funds were being funneled to the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia.

Rufo’s reporting sparked massive federal action, including revoking Temporary Protected Status for Somalis, surging Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, freezing child-care funds, and ramping up prosecutions. Most notably, it led Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to visit Minnesota in January 2026 and launch major FinCEN probes into hawala businesses, IRS audits, and enhanced transfer reporting.

In this exclusive BlazeTV interview with Rufo, Bessent shares what his team’s investigations have revealed about Minnesota’s Somali fraud operations and what steps the Treasury is taking to ensure it stops.

(Read more: BlazeTV, 1/12/2026)  (Archive)

In the same interview, Scott Bessent also said:


“It’s hard to follow the money. There are evidently some disturbing tapes of AG Ellison in meetings with people who donated to him—calling for political favors to stop the investigations. We’ll see. I don’t want to get out ahead of the investigation. It’s going to be very methodical. But I can guarantee you—when the bear trap snaps, we’re going to get these folks. We’re going to follow the money, whether it’s here in Minneapolis and St. Paul or over in East Africa. There are tons of luxury properties and cars that have been bought over there.”

January 10, 2026 - Criminal histories of illegal aliens recently captured in MN by ICE that anti-ICE protesters risk all to protect and state officials fondly call their "neighbors"

BREAKING: ICE has provided @FoxNews a list of the most egregious criminal aliens they’ve arrested during their surge in the sanctuary state of Minnesota, & it’s the most disturbing list I’ve ever seen, including numerous convicted child rapists/sodomizers & ten convicted killers, most with deportation orders going back many years. Several from Laos, Somalia, and Sudan.

WARNING GRAPHIC – Highlights below:

Sriudorn Phaivan, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm sodomy of a boy & strong-arm sodomy of a girl with a deportation order since 2018.

Tou Vang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of sexual assault and sodomy of a girl under age 13 and procuring a child for prostitution with a deportation order since 2006.

Chong Vue, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of the strong-arm rape of a 12-year-old girl and kidnapping a child with intent to sexually assault her, with a deportation order since 2004,

Ge Yang, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of strong-arm rape, aggravated assault with a weapon, and strangulation with a deportation order since 2012.

Pao Choua Xiong, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of rape and child fondling with a deportation order since 2003.

Kou Lor, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of rape, rape with a weapon, and sexual assault with a deportation order since 1996.

Hernan Cortes-Valencia, Mexican illegal alien convicted of sexual assault of a child and DUI with a deportation order since 2016.

Abdirashid Adosh Elmi, a Somalian illegal alien convicted of homicide.

Gilberto Salguero Landaverde, a Salvadoran illegal alien convicted of three counts of homicide with a deportation order since June 2025.

Gabriel Figueroa Gama, a Mexican illegal convicted of homicide who has been previously deported in 2002.

Galuak Michael Rotgai, a Sudanese illegal alien convicted of homicide.

Thai Lor, a Laotian illegal alien convicted of two counts of homicide with a deportation order since 2009.

Mariana Sia Kanu, an illegal alien from Sierra Leone convicted of two counts of homicide with a deportation order since 2022.

Aldrin Guerrero Munoz, a Mexican illegal alien convicted of homicide with a deportation order since 2015.

Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed, a Somalian illegal alien convicted of manslaughter with a deportation order since 2022.

Mongong Dual Maniang Deng, a Sudanese illegal alien convicted of attempt to commit homicide, weapon possession, and DUI.

Aler Gomez Lucas, a Guatemalan illegal alien convicted of negligent homicide with a vehicle and DUI with a deportation order since 2022.

Shwe Htoo, a Burmese illegal alien convicted of negligent homicide.

ICE says all of these criminal aliens were roaming freely in the sanctuary state of Minnesota prior to arrest, and that these are the type of people that politicians and activists are referring to as their “neighbors” as they attempt to interfere with ICE.

January 11, 2026 - DOJ subpoenas Fed over Powell testimony on renovation overruns

Jerome Powell’s latest statement is nothing more than a desperate attempt to save his own skin. After the criminal investigation into his misleading testimony about the Fed’s extravagant renovations became public, he now claims the DOJ is threatening the entire institution over interest rate policy. This is a classic deflection tactic.

The probe centers on whether Powell lied to Congress about the massive costs and scope of those headquarters upgrades, not on monetary policy decisions. By pivoting to accusations of pressure over rates, he tries to paint himself as a victim defending the Fed’s independence while conveniently sidestepping the real issue: his own potential perjury.

President Trump has every right to demand accountability from unelected bureaucrats who control the nation’s money supply. The Federal Reserve is not above the law, and refusing to answer legitimate questions from Congress should carry consequences. Powell’s attempt to flip the narrative only highlights how deeply entrenched the resistance to real oversight has become.

This escalation shows the establishment is rattled. If the investigation continues to gain traction, Powell will face mounting pressure to step down, opening the door for Trump to appoint a chair who actually prioritizes American workers, lower borrowing costs, and economic growth instead of protecting bloated budgets and insider perks.

Markets would welcome the change. Removing obstacles to sound policy would signal a return to fiscal discipline and reward productive investment. Powell’s spin cannot hide the facts: transparency is long overdue, and the current leadership has failed to deliver it. The momentum is clearly on the side of those demanding real reform.

The probe focuses on a $2.5 billion upgrade to the Fed’s Washington buildings, where costs ballooned from $1.9 billion, sparking a July 2025 criminal referral by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna over Powell’s congressional statements denying luxury features like a VIP dining room and premium marble—elements documents later referenced before being scaled back. Powell called the subpoenas pretexts amid clashes with President Trump on interest rates, while U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was ignored on questions about overruns. Republicans split, with some vowing to block Fed nominees until resolved, as markets showed mild reaction and Powell’s term ends in May 2026. (X.com/Trending)

The United States Attorney’s Office contacted the Federal Reserve on multiple occasions to discuss cost overruns and the chairman’s congressional testimony, but were ignored, necessitating the use of legal process—which is not a threat.

The word “indictment” has come out of Mr. Powell’s mouth, no one else’s. None of this would have happened if they had just responded to our outreach.

This office makes decisions based on the merits, nothing more and nothing less. We agree with the chairman of the Federal Reserve that no one is above the law, and that is why we expect his full cooperation.

From April 2024:

BREAKING, INSIDE THE FEDERAL RESERVE: Hidden Camera captures Principal Economist @federalreserve talking about Jerome Powell’s legacy as “somebody who held the line against like, Trump.” The influential agency responsible for maintaining a stable monetary system appears to not just be establishing interest rates, but to be setting policies for desired social outcomes.

“Under Powell, the Fed has changed to think about equity issues, like racial issues, think about wealth inequality as part of the mandate, as part of the things we are following. Think about climate change.” Aurel Hizmo, Principal Economist at the Federal Reserve, who prior to working at the Fed was an Assistant Professor @NYUStern and received his PhD in Economics from @DukeU, helps write speeches for Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell for the Federal Open Market Committee.

Hizmo says “Trump is just a crazy person” and conservatives are “dumb” as he describes to OMG’s American Swiper Citizen Journalist a politicized Federal Reserve Board where Powell has promoted ESG issues like climate change and “wants to be remembered in history” “as a savior.” But shhh…don’t tell anyone because Hizmo says: “I’m just really worried that I’m saying stuff that’s classified…It’s all classified.”

January 11, 2026 - Minneapolis anti-ICE mob attacks Nick Sortor, Cam Higby in vehicle as they flee chaotic scene

Independent journalists Nick Sortor and Cam Higby are in Minneapolis to cover protests against immigration enforcement operations on Sunday.

BREAKING: These are the moments leading up to Minneapolis anti-ICE rioters SURROUNDING my vehicle, smashing my windows, and attempting to kiII
@CamHigby and me

I was forced to drive away to save our lives, repeatedly warning those standing in front to GET OUT OF THE WAY.

They didn’t listen, so I had no choice but to go anyway.

They then used vehicles to BLOCK US as we were running, forcing me to throw the truck off the road to go around them.

Then, it appears we were CHASED down the interstate by another one of their goons.

I have to post this now because these idiots called the police on me saying I had a gun and was “running innocent protestors over”

You can try to terrorize me all you want. BUT I WILL NEVER STOP, AND NEVER SHUT UP.

“This is the moment @nicksortor was forced to drive away as a mob SURROUNDED his vehicle, smashed the windows, and spray painted the car,” Higby posted. “Rioters have now told @MinneapolisPD that we have guns. The rioters repeatedly threatened to [kill] us.”

Higby later posted video showing the frozen water bottles that he said were thrown at their truck, breaking the back window.

“They should be arrested for attempted [fucking] murder,” Sortor posted on X. “They beamed frozen water bottles through the windows, and if one of us would’ve been struck, we could’ve easily been [killed.] This was planned. But luckily, I drove away, so they beamed them through the back window instead.”

h/t Daily Caller, 1/12/2026

January 11, 2026 - Kristi Noem surges HSI officers in Minnesota to hunt down child sex traffickers; "It's so prevalent in Minnesota."

Kristi Noem says that they have surged HSI officers in Minnesota specifically to hunt down child sex traffickers.

“We’ve surged HSI officers there specifically to focus on sex trafficking and child trafficking. It’s so prevalent in Minnesota. It’s horrific.

And we brought dozens and dozens of those individuals to justice already. We’re gonna keep hundreds of HSI officers there to continue to protect those children.

Every day we get another individual that was sexual assault against a child. Sodomy against a child.

I can’t believe that the mayor and governor can defend allowing those people to go out there and victimize more of our children and grandchildren.”

Infuriating. When see you see these dumbass leftists protesting in the streets, just know that they are out there protecting pedophiles.

At this point, how can anyone claim that the Democrats are the “good guys”?

January 12, 2026 - House "Republican Leadership" is attempting to funnel $315 million to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)

RINO ALERT: House “Republican Leadership” is attempting to FUNNEL $315 MILLION of YOUR TAX DOLLARS to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a left-wing propaganda outfit.

NED is a Deep State slush fund exposed by DOGE for spending BILLIONS on regime-change ops, color revolutions, and woke activists to topple governments.

NED is the CORE of the global Censorship Industrial Complex, a CIA cutout redefining “democracy” for elitist control, using backchannel deals with the EU to silence conservatives worldwide.

Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced an AMENDMENT to DEFUND NED entirely in the FY2026 appropriations bill.

It requires 7 Republicans on the Rules Committee to force a floor vote.

These are the Republican members on the House Rules Committee who hold the power right now:

Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Michelle Fischbach (R-MN)
Ralph Norman (R-SC)
Chip Roy (R-TX)
Erin Houchin (R-IN)
Nicholas A. Langworthy (R-NY)
Austin Scott (R-GA)
H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA)
Brian Jack (R-GA)

Per my Mike Benz notes, NED should now be controlled by the Trump State Dept? Correct?

1. USAID – funding arm

2. State Department – sets policy

3. NED – technical implementation of work. CIA birthed. Subsidize groups without having CIA fingerprints on the work.- Founder admitted it was done to keep CIA from getting into trouble doing things they are not supposed to do. Accountable to foreign relations committee.

IRI – GOP arm for CIA to make sure their projects receive funding.
NDI – Dem arm for CIA to make sure their projects receive funding.

January 13, 2026 - Law enforcement is misclassifying race and distorting crime statistics; it's demographic manipulation and narrative laundering

This is not a clerical error. This is narrative laundering.

The arrest records shown do something very specific. They classify a foreign national as a White male with blond or strawberry hair while omitting immigration status entirely. That is not descriptive accuracy. That is demographic manipulation. When law enforcement records misclassify race and suppress immigration status, the downstream effect is predictable. Crime statistics are distorted. Public understanding is corrupted. Accountability disappears.

Police departments know exactly why this is done. Federal crime data is aggregated by race. When offenders who are foreign nationals are reclassified into domestic racial categories, the real source patterns are buried. The public is then fed a sanitized dataset that supports preselected talking points. This is not about one case. It is about how the books are cooked so trends can never be honestly discussed.

News outlets compound the deception. They repeat the arrest sheet verbatim, never asking why immigration status is missing, never questioning implausible physical descriptors, never pressing the department for clarification. The omission is the story, and they deliberately ignore it. That is not journalism. That is information control.

If the individual were a citizen, the records would say so. If the individual were legally present, that status would be highlighted immediately. Silence only appears when the truth is politically inconvenient. That silence protects institutions, not victims. Two teenagers are dead, and the system’s first instinct was not transparency, but insulation.

This is exactly why public trust is collapsing. People are not stupid. They can see when reality does not match the paperwork. When law enforcement manipulates categories and media outlets run interference, the public correctly concludes that the truth is being managed rather than reported.

The question is simple. If the data were honest, why hide it.
If the classification were accurate, why does it defy common sense.
If transparency mattered, why was immigration status erased.

This is not incompetence. It is intent.

#SilentMajoritySpeaks #AStoneGroove

January 13, 2026 - Watch how calmly the media talked about ICE raids and family separation under Obama

In 2016, before Trump was president, Obama was using ICE to deport some illegal immigrants and families were separated. Yet the media didn’t act like it was the end of the world.

There were no protests. No one was being accused of being a Nazi or a fascist. The left didn’t care at all and neither did the media.

In the clip below, one journalist calmly asks about it and Obama’s press secretary Josh Earnest is able to answer without interruption.

Even the reporting from the Washington Post was more measured:

Asked about the removal operations, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the administration has “prioritized the cases of recent arrivals, individuals who recently crossed the border without proper documentation. That is the nature of the operations carried out in the last several days.”

Earnest said the efforts are “consistent with the priorities the president himself talked about, deporting felons not families, with a focus on individuals who only recently crossed the border.”

He added that those targeted for removal have gone through due process legal proceedings and said the effort will help discourage Central American families that sending their children on a dangerous journey to try to enter the United States illegally.

“People should take from this the understanding that the administration is quite serious when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.”

Because of the sensitivity of taking children into custody and deporting them and their families, authorities took precautions during the raids, Johnson’s statement said, using female agents when possible to apprehend families and having medical personnel on hand.

Watch this video:

On the same note, here’s Obama himself in 2013 talking about deporting people.

From Townhall:

“As time goes on, a thousand deportations on average a day. People are wondering…won’t you at least consider unilaterally freezing deportations for the parents of deferred action kids?” reporter Jose Diaz-Balart asked.

“Here’s the problem that I have, Jose, and I’ve said this consistently,” Obama replied, “my job in the Executive Branch is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. Congress has said, ‘Here’s the law when it comes to those who are undocumented,’ and they allocate a whole bunch of money for enforcement.”

Watch:

(Read more: The Gateway Pundit, 1/13/2026) (Archive)

More examples of Democrat hypocrisy when Trump deports illegal aliens:

The Obama-era photos of children in cages were originally shot for the Associated Press by photographer Ross D. Franklin, during a Jun. 18, 2014 visit to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) placement center in Nogales, Arizona.

January 13, 2026 - US Secret Service agent assigned to VP Vance leaks sensitive information to undercover reporter

Escotto is a holdover from the Biden administration and stated that he voted for Joe Biden, while expressing opposition to ICE & the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “I hate that [ICE] sh*t.”

Tomas Escotto, a current U.S. Secret Service agent on Vice President JD Vance’s protective detail, was recorded on hidden camera providing an undercover journalist with sensitive security information, including protective formations, shift schedules, travel plans, & real-time locations.

The Secret Service agent detailed how the Vice President is physically surrounded, described multiple daily shift changes, & disclosed advance security procedures.

In addition to past movements, the agent revealed future travel plans, sometimes days in advance. Escotto even sent images from Air Force Two while onboard with the Vice President.

Despite acknowledging that he signed paperwork prohibiting the disclosure of sensitive information, the Secret Service agent repeatedly shared details with someone he believed was a casual romantic interest.

While the safety of the Vice President and his family was always our top priority, what OMG uncovered raises serious questions about operational security, protocol compliance, and oversight within the U.S. Secret Service.

Our team coordinated with the U.S. Secret Service ahead of publication, redacted sensitive operational details at their request.

We were just informed Tomas Escotto has been placed on administrative leave with his clearance suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked.

This is the memo USSS sent out.

That dig they gave at us is below the belt and unfounded.

Imagine if we were working for a foreign Govt?

We exposed the secret service is vulnerable to espionage.

If the agent can’t figure out to a citizen journalist is playing them, how can they figure out if a foreign govt is playing him?

This is a such a colossal error. Far beyond the magnitude of anything he actually said – is the circumstances he didn’t figure out he was being played by a citizen journalist.

As an agent he’s been exposed to every spy agency in the world

That’s why they’re doing espionage training in their statement.

That’s why they failed as an agency

January 13, 2026 - Bill Clinton snubs his third subpoena and refuses to show for a deposition with House Oversight Committee

January 14, 2026 - Judge orders USDA to continue paying fraudulent SNAP benefits in Minnesota

Across 28 states, more than 500,000 individuals are using dummy social security numbers, over 350,000 are collecting benefits in multiple states, and nearly 200,000 dead people are collecting benefits!

And now, a federal judge just slapped a temporary halt on the @USDA withholding administrative SNAP funds from Minnesota—right in the middle of blatant fraud scandals draining taxpayer dollars!

Biden appointed Judge Laura Provinzino (l) orders SNAP benefits to continue in Minnesota despite the massive welfare fraud recently exposed. (Credit: public domain)

But guess what? We’re not stopping. These states stonewalling on data sharing? It’s just more fraud-protecting games to cover their tracks. The people see through it, and the litigation rolls on. We’ll keep fighting for every hardworking American’s money. No surrender.

January 14, 2026 - Short documentary on Tina Peters and video of her appeal hearing and oral arguments

This short video shares the story of Tina Peters and how she was punished and imprisoned for performing her job as County Clerk, overseeing elections in Mesa County, Colorado. The video includes some things that have never been reported before. Tina was imprisoned for doing precisely what the law required.

Source (couldn’t embed).

https://x.com/VoterGa/status/2011114492319445038

Tina Peters Appeal – Oral Arguments LIVE 4:30pm

 

MARK COOK- Tina Peters Oral Arguments Commentary at Appeal Hearing- 1 14 2026

January 14, 2026 - Nigerian honored by Gretchen Whitmer exposed as massive daycare fraudster

(…) A former professor, Nigerian immigrant Nkechy Ezeh, pleaded guilty last month to wire fraud and tax evasion in a scheme that defrauded Michigan taxpayers out of over $1 million, according to news site MLive.

The misappropriated money had been intended for Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, an early childhood education program for disadvantaged children. Ezeh was the founder and CEO of ELNC.

“The nonprofit closed in 2023 after Ezeh and former Director of Finance and Administration Sharon Killebrew were accused of embezzling more than $2.5 million combined over several years,” WZZM-TV reported.

Killebrew, 70, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud a federally funded program, according to MLive.

Ezeh faces 20 years for wire fraud. The charge of tax evasion could carry an additional five years in prison.

Nigerian news outlet Business Day reported Ezeh, a former professor at Aquinas College, did not shy away from the public eye, as Whitmer once put her on a state executive committee. She also won several “Woman of the Year” awards.

“Ezeh created nearly $500,000 in fraudulent invoices and established two fictitious daycare businesses to mask the movement of stolen funds,” Business Day reported. “The embezzled money reportedly financed a lavish lifestyle, including international travel to Hawaii, Liberia, and Nigeria.”

This is a woman who, in a 2022 interview with Voyage Michigan, once had the audacity to decry “structural racism” as a problem immigrants had to overcome.

(Read more: The Gateway Pundit, 2/5/2026) (Archive)

January 14, 2026 - Minnesota House files 4 Articles of Impeachment against Gov. Tim Walz

Tim Walz (Credit: Gage Skidmore)

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is facing formal impeachment proceedings after Republican lawmakers introduced four articles accusing him of corrupt conduct in office, centered on his alleged role in overseeing, enabling, or failing to act on extensive fraud in state-run programs.

According to the resolution, under Article I, Walz is charged with knowingly permitting the concealment of “widespread fraud within Minnesota state administered programs,” despite “repeated warnings, audits, reports, and public indicators of systematic abuse.” It states that the governor was made aware of this fraud through “briefings, audits, agency reports, or public findings,” yet failed to act effectively. The article claims he “allowed fraudulent activity to continue after credible warnings were raised” and “created or tolerated an environment where disclosure of fraud was delayed, minimized, or obscured from legislators and the public.”

Article II alleges that Governor Walz violated his constitutional oath through actions and omissions that interfered with lawful oversight, investigations, or corrective measures related to fraud in state agencies. The article charges that he failed to promptly direct executive agencies to cooperate with audits, permitted or tolerated resistance to legislative oversight and public transparency, failed to discipline or track officials responsible for fraudulent programs, and delayed reforms while financial losses mounted.

Article III charges Walz with placing “political consideration above lawful administration,” stating that he prioritized the preservation of political narratives over disclosing known program failures, failed to act to protect taxpayer funds once fraud became apparent, and allowed executive agencies to continue operations without proper safeguards after fraud risks were identified. The resolution further states that he undermined public confidence in state government by failing to ensure transparency and accountability.

Article IV accuses the governor of failing to uphold laws related to public fund stewardship. It charges him with allowing statutory safeguards to be ignored, failing to enforce anti-fraud measures, and permitting violations of the law despite being aware of wrongdoing.

As outlined in the resolution, the Minnesota Constitution grants the House the authority to impeach and the Senate the power to try impeachments. Under Article VIII, Section 3, Walz is barred from executing the duties of governor upon the House’s adoption of the resolution and may resume those duties only if acquitted by the Senate. (Read more: Breitbart News, 1/14/2026)  (Archive)

***

January 14, 2026 - Jonathan Turley: Democrats fight to keep the insurrection myth alive in the new J6 Committee

Rep. Harriet Hageman (Credit: video clipping)

The new J6 Committee has started its hearings and, unlike the prior Committee, Republicans have allowed Democrats to select members to sit in opposition. That has led to sharp exchanges, but one of the more interesting occurred between Rep. Harriet Hageman (R., Wyo.) and Jamie Raskin (D., Md.). After Hageman got a witness to admit that no one was charged with incitement, Raskin made the clearly false statement that a few defendants charged with seditious conspiracy was the same thing as incitement. It is not.

Rep. Raskin triggered the confrontation by making a clearly false claim about one of those charged by the Biden Administration: “I would just commend to everybody the testimony of Pamela Hemphill, who was a convicted insurrectionist that was pardoned. She rejected her pardon.”

In reality, Hemphill was charged (like most of the rioters) with relatively minor misdemeanors. She pleaded guilty to one count of demonstrating, picketing, or parading in a Capitol building and received just 60 days in prison, 36 months of probation, and a $500 fine for restitution. She was never charged with insurrection or any felony.

Rep. Hageman pounced on the comment and asked former Justice Department prosecutor Michael Romano whether any January 6 protester had actually been convicted under the federal insurrection statute.

Romano tried to dodge the question but admitted that no one, not Trump nor any rioter, was ever charged with insurrection. Notably, after January 6th, there was a great amount of coverage on Trump and his aides being possibly charged with insurrection or incitement. Despite some of us noting that the speech was clearly protected under the First Amendment, the press portrayed such a charge as credible and heaped coverage on District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, who announced that he was considering arresting Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and charging them with incitement. It never happened. The reason is obvious. It could not be legally maintained.

While the FBI launched a massive national investigation, it did not find evidence of an insurrection. While a few were charged with seditious conspiracy, no one was charged with insurrection.

The Supreme Court later reduced charges further by rejecting obstruction charges in some cases.

Yet that did not stop members and the media from repeating the false mantra that this was an insurrection, despite some of us immediately rejecting it as legally unsustainable. Indeed, Democrats used the false claim to seek to disqualify Trump and dozens of Republicans from ballots.

Now back to the hearing.

Hageman asked the witness, “Mr. Romano, did you prosecute anyone related to January 6th for engaging in an insurrection?” she asked. Romano responded, “No, congresswoman.”

That is when Raskin objected and tried to interrupt the confirmation that, in fact, there never was an insurrection or any such charges.

Hageman persisted, “So, Mr. Raskin’s statement that someone was a ‘convicted insurrectionist’ is actually inaccurate, isn’t that correct?” When Romano again tried to pivot, she pressed further, “She wasn’t a convicted insurrectionist, was she?”

“For the crime of insurrection, no,” he admitted.

Raskin shouted, “Do you accept seditious conspiracy as insurrection?”

It was a telling statement. For the record, I have long been a critic of sedition crimes. As I discuss in my book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,”sedition was a noxious import from Great Britain. British judges had balked at the effort to accuse citizens of treason for things like telling bawdy jokes about the queen in some pub.

However, putting that aside, the handful of charges for seditious conspiracy are not legally the same or even close to an insurrection charge. Rep. Raskin, a former law professor, must know that.

The provision in 18 U.S.C. 2384 has long been controversial because it is so sweeping and includes any effort “by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law.” While the provision can also entail an intent to overthrow the country, the provision covers any interference with federal proceedings or laws.

Ironically, Raskin opposes the invocation of the Insurrection Act in cities like Minneapolis on the basis of the interference with federal officials in the enforcement of federal law. However, he seems to view this provision as endlessly malleable, so that anyone accused of hindering the execution of a federal law is an insurrectionist.

After January 6th, Justice Department official Michael Sherwin publicly declared that “our office wanted to ensure that there was shock and awe” in hitting people with a maximal level of charges. Yet, despite that “shock and awe” effort, not a single charge for insurrection was ever brought — an inconvenient truth for members like Raskin. (Read more: Jonathan Turley, 1/16/2026)  (Archive)

January 14, 2026 - Hillary defies subpoena to testify; Comer moves to hold both Clintons in contempt of Congress

Former President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive prior to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump at the United States Capitol on January 20, 2025. (Credit: Melina Mara/Getty Images)

House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Wednesday moved to hold the Clintons in contempt after Hillary Clinton was a no-show to her deposition.

Former President Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear for a closed-door deposition on Tuesday.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to appear for a closed-door deposition on Wednesday.

Bill Clinton was a no-show on Tuesday.

Hillary also snubbed the subpoena.

The Clintons claimed they already provided the Committee with all of the information they have on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Clinton’s lawyers told Politico that the House Oversight subpoenas are not enforceable because they are “not related to a valid legislative purpose,” and are therefore “invalid and legally unenforceable.”

“After five months of good-faith negotiations, President Clinton has refused to comply,” Comer said on Tuesday.

“We are now initiating contempt of Congress proceedings,” Comer added.

(Read more: Gateway Pundit, 1/14/2026) (Archive)

January 15, 2026 - A Navy Intelligence Officer reports he tracked Minnesota daycare money to foreign terror groups in 2016

MINNEAPOLIS (NewsNation) — A former Navy intelligence officer assigned to track terrorist financing says he documented hundreds of millions of dollars flowing from Minnesota day care fraud schemes directly to al-Shabab terror networks in Somalia as early as 2016 — nearly a decade before federal authorities began widespread prosecutions.

Navy Lieutenant Phillip Parrish, joined the Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2016. (Credit: video clipping)

Phillip Parrish, a lieutenant in the Navy who joined the Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2016, said he tracked money couriers from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the Netherlands, then to Nairobi, Kenya, and finally into Mogadishu money exchanges called “hawalas” — the same exchanges the Treasury Department designated in 2012 as fronts for the al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabab.

“In 2016, we were already tracking that was adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars, and that was just what we were tracking,” Parrish told NewsNation. “Then, by now, fast forward nearly 10 years later, yeah, when they’re talking about $9 billion, that’s a real figure, and that’s probably conservative.”

Parrish’s account raises questions about why Minnesota officials did not act on early warnings about fraud schemes that allegedly fleeced taxpayers of billions through fake day care centers and other programs.

Parrish said his investigation began when he noticed an unusual pattern of cash leaving Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Money traced to Somalia hawalas Treasury labeled terror fronts in 2012

“There’s an interesting pattern here happening, where the money’s coming out of Minneapolis International Airport. Well, where’s it coming from?” Parrish said. “How are they getting it in Minneapolis? Where is it coming from? Well, that led to some research about a list of fake companies. Well, it’s all cash that’s coming out of these fake day cares or day cares with inflated numbers.”

When asked how much money was involved, Parrish described the scale as massive.

“Hundreds of millions. You’re talking suitcases of evidence, reports of suspicious activity, reports from banking, TSA, reports from the airport, and then the military side of the house, tracking who it got to,” he said.

“You’re talking about tens of thousands, $300,000, $500,000, all these different varying amounts, daily. The open source material will tell you every other week out of Terminal 2, but it was daily out of Terminal 2, it was daily.”

“Direct portions of it were ending up in the hands of terrorists, absolutely, all the way from pirate boats being bought to essentially the administration of a terrorist network, administratively,” he said.

Parrish said his reports were used by military operations abroad but largely ignored by the public and state officials.

Officer: ‘No doubt’ money funded terrorists, pirate boats, terror networks

“Hundreds of men and women like me know the truth. It’s been the truth all along,” Parrish said. “We don’t know why we’ve been ignored, other than thieving and grifting, a culture of thieving and grifting that was intentional, no matter how it started.”

Parrish suggested the fraud schemes were part of a broader system dependent on continued immigration to sustain fraudulent programs.

(Read more: NewsNation, 1/15/2026)  (Archive)

January 14, 2026 - Navy Veteran turned federal government contractor accused of stealing classified national defense information and leaking to WaPo

LAUREL, Md. — A U.S. Navy Veteran turned federal government contractor is accused of stealing secret classified national defense information.

Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones was granted top security clearance as a systems engineer and information technology specialist for a federal government contractor based out of Annapolis Junction located near the border of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties.

The FBI alleges in charging documents that on at least four occasions between October 28, 2025 and January 7, 2026, Perez-Lugones accessed and viewed classified intelligence reports related to a foreign country without any prior authorization.

Agents say they have evidence proving Perez-Lugones printed out and took screenshots of secret documents, before taking them to his home in Laurel, Maryland.

In doing so, Perez-Lugones allegedly removed classified markings from one of the secret documents.

On January 8, the feds searched his car and home.

Inside the car, investigators discovered a lunchbox containing the secret document from which he removed the classified markings.

Meanwhile, inside the house another document marked secret was located.

Lugones served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 2002. Since then he’s worked as a government contractor in various capacities.

His criminal case is currently pending before the U.S. District Court of Maryland.

January 15, 2026 - Trump warns he will use the Insurrection Act in Minnesota; Walz incites further, anti-ICE riots escalate

 

January 16, 2026 - Michael Cohen says he was ‘coerced’ and ‘pressured’ by Bragg, James to testify against Trump

Michael Cohen (Credit: public domain)

After years of criticizing Donald Trump, the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is admitting that he was “pressured” and “coerced” by Alvin Bragg and Letitia James to testify against Donald Trump.

In an astonishing Substack post published Friday evening, Cohen writes that he “felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump.” He said the feeling began from his very first meetings with the lawyers working with Bragg and James, New York’s attorney general.

Specifically regarding James, he said he felt “compelled and coerced to deliver what they were seeking.”

“Letitia James made it publicly known during her 2018 campaign for attorney general that, if elected, she would go after President Trump,” Cohen writes in the post. “Her office made clear that the testimony they wanted from me was testimony that would help them do just that. Again, I felt compelled and coerced to deliver what they were seeking.”

In a Friday night phone conversation, Donald Trump told The Daily Wire that this was further proof that it was a “very corrupt investigation” that Cohen testified in. Trump has long held that Cohen is a liar, and was only cooperating to get his prison sentence reduced. (Read more: The Daily Wire, 1/16/2026)  (Archive)