Kash Patel sworn in as ninth FBI director
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, was sworn in on Friday after a narrow Senate confirmation vote Thursday. Patel was sworn in at the Eisenshower Executive Office Building by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the ninth-ever FBI director, succeeding Christopher Wray. Patel, who is Indian-American, is the first person of color to become FBI director. “I am living the American dream,” Patel said after taking his oath of office. “And anyone that thinks the American dream is dead: just look right here. You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who’s about to lead the law enforcement community of the greatest nation on God’s green earth. That can’t happen anywhere else.” FBI NOMINEE KASH PATEL CONFIRMED IN NARROW SENATE VOTE Patel also made a promise to the lawmakers who confirmed him and those who opposed his nomination. “There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.” Patel has been a longtime Trump ally and a fierce opponent of the investigations into the president. During his confirmation hearing last month, Patel vowed he would not engage in political retribution against agents who worked on the Trump classified documents case and other politically sensitive matters. He faced a rocky path to confirmation – similar to other fellow Trump picks – despite the Republican-majority chamber. Democrats on the panel used their political weight to delay Patel’s confirmation vote earlier this month. TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL PICKS UP SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR On the Senate floor, top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI. Durbin cited what he described as “highly credible” whistleblower reports that indicated Patel had personally directed the ongoing FBI employee purge prior to his confirmation. Patel brings to the office an extensive background in national security and intelligence. He previously engaged in personally carrying out dangerous missions in the Middle East in an effort to bring home U.S. hostages and also implemented counterterrorism strategies against America’s most-wanted terrorists. 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING Current and former U.S. national security officials and lawmakers told Fox News Digital previously that he, “objectively,” is “one of the most experienced people ever to be nominated” to lead the bureau. Patel’s confirmation to head the office comes at a time when the FBI’s activities are under extreme scrutiny for possible political motivations, including its own leadership and decisions. Previously, thousands of FBI agents as well as their superiors were ordered to fill out a questionnaire detailing their roles in the Jan. 6 investigation, prompting concerns of retaliation or retribution. “There will be no politicization at the FBI,” Patel said during his confirmation hearing. “There will be no retributive action.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Patel previously served as deputy assistant to the president and as senior director for counterterrorism under the first Trump administration, wherein he worked on presidential missions aimed at decimating al-Qaeda senior leadership and ISIS command and control. Patel was also involved in planning the mission to take out Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, among others. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Morgan Phillips, and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
FEC clears Ted Cruz of wrongdoing over podcast syndicator’s donations to super PAC
The agency dismissed a campaign finance watchdog complaint after finding no evidence Cruz “solicited, directed, received, transferred, or spent the funds.”
Trump admin ousts top ICE official over concerns about pace of illegal immigrant deportations
The Trump administration is replacing the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over concerns about the pace of deportations and arrests of illegal immigrants. A source familiar confirmed to Fox News that acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello has been removed from his position. The source said that the administration is not happy with the pace of deportations and arrests. The development was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the personnel change to Fox News. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR “Caleb Vitello, acting director of ICE, is no longer in an Administrator role. He is, however, overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of President Trump and Secretary Noem,” they said. ICE arrests have gone up significantly since the beginning of the administration, but not enough to meet the administration’s targets. President Donald Trump had promised a “historic” mass deportation campaign on the campaign trail. Fox reported last week that Department of Homeland Security data showed 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8., compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That’s a 137% increase. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year. TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’ Separately, numbers coming across at the border have plummeted. Fox News reported last week that the daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office. Border czar Tom Homan said this week that border crossings are down 95% “based on actual data.” Meanwhile, DHS has made a number of moves to expand ICE enforcement, including taking Biden-era limits on where agents can make arrests, deputizing officers from other agencies, and using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants. It has also ended Biden-era parole policies that allowed migrants to enter at ports of entry or be approved for travel into the U.S. Fox previously reported that the CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The administration is also using Guantanamo Bay to house migrants. The DOH launched legal action against multiple “sanctuary” cities that do not co-operate with ICE. Fox News Digital reported on Friday that the administration has also ended a Biden-era extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, echoing a similar move from last month for Venezuelans. Fox News’ Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
Howard Lutnick sworn in at White House as Trump’s commerce secretary
Vice President JD Vance swore in Howard Lutnick as secretary of commerce at the White House on Friday. During the swearing-in ceremony, President Donald Trump said that Lutnick’s priorities in the role will be focusing on job growth, asserting that Lutnick “really understands something about business.” Additionally, Trump signaled he would impose reciprocal tariffs soon. Lutnick has voiced support for Trump’s tariff proposals, and said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in January that the U.S. “can use tariffs to create reciprocity.” The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to investigate imposing reciprocal tariffs to correct any tariff imbalances that exist between countries that sell the U.S. products. Lutnick said on Feb. 13 that a report on the issue will be ready by April 1. Additionally, Lutnick, the former chair and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, vowed he would sell all his business interests upon confirmation to avoid any conflicts of interests. “My plan is to only serve the American people,” he told lawmakers in January. “So I will divest, meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything.” The Senate confirmed Lutnick on Tuesday by a 51–45 margin. Deirdre Heavey and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
ATF chief legal counsel fired by Bondi in latest Justice Department shakeup
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms‘ (ATF) chief legal counsel was fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, the former ATF official confirmed on social media. “Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Pamela Hicks posted on her LinkedIn page on Thursday, confirming the termination. Hicks had served as ATF’s chief counsel since 2021 under the Biden administration, and served as deputy chief counsel for ATF under President Donald Trump’s first administration. She spent 23 years overall as an attorney within the Department of Justice (DOJ), she posted to LinkedIn. “Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure,” Hicks continued in her LinkedIn post. “I thank my colleagues for their friendship and partnership over the years.” AG BONDI SAYS VIOLENT ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENT PROTESTERS IN US ON VISAS ‘NEED TO BE KICKED OUT’ A source familiar with the termination said Hicks was escorted out of the ATF building upon her termination. “ATF respects the rights of all our employees,” ATF told Fox News Digital when asked about Hicks’ termination. “As a general policy, ATF does not comment on personnel matters, including but not limited to, specific personnel issues, actions, or the existence of ongoing investigations.” The firing comes after a handful of senior DOJ officials have quit or been fired in recent days. At least seven federal prosecutors quit in February over the Trump DOJ ordering the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dropped, while Trump on Tuesday ordered the DOJ to “clean house” of all Biden-era U.S. attorneys. “Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence,” Trump wrote. “America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!” Trump posted to Truth Social. VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON ‘FUNDAMENTAL GOAL’ OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS Bondi, who was confirmed as the nation’s 87th attorney general on Feb. 5, joined the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where she remarked that the sheer “volume” of political weaponization in the DOJ left over from the Biden administration concerned her. “What concerned me the most? It’s the volume of how bad it was, and it still is,” she said while speaking with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on a live episode of his podcast, “Verdict.” “We’re working on it. It’s day by day by day, but we’ve got a team of great people. And on day one, I issued 14 executive orders. And number one is the weaponization ends. And it ends now. And that’s what we did.” TRUMP ORDERS ALL BIDEN-ERA US ATTORNEYS TO BE FIRED: ‘WE MUST CLEAN HOUSE IMMEDIATELY’ Bondi added that the state of the DOJ was “worse” than she expected. “Worse meaning, that department had completely lost its mission of fighting violent crime,” she said of the DOJ. “Look what they did to President Trump. Look at the weaponization.” ATF was transferred from the Department of Treasury to the Department of Justice in 2003, following the Homeland Security Act mandating that the law enforcement agency join the DOJ amid the nation’s reshuffling of the federal government to better combat terrorism following 9/11.
NIH funding cuts: Federal judge extends restraining order blocking Trump administration’s action
A Biden-appointed judge extended a temporary restraining order Friday against the Trump administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health research funding. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley of Massachusetts – who issued the initial restraining order last week – comes in response to separate lawsuits filed by a group of 22 states plus organizations representing universities, hospitals and research institutions nationwide. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced earlier this month it would be cutting billions in costs associated with federally funded research grants that go to various institutions, as part of a wider move by the Trump administration to slash wasteful spending. The NIH, the main funder of biomedical research, awarded more than 60,000 grants last year totaling about $35 billion. The total is divided into “direct” costs – covering researchers’ salaries and laboratory supplies – and “indirect” costs, the administrative and facility costs needed to support that work. TRUMP SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER CUTTING BILLIONS IN COSTS FROM NIH RESEARCH GRANTS The Trump administration had dismissed those expenses as “overhead” but universities and hospitals argue they’re far more critical. They can include such things as electricity to operate sophisticated machinery, hazardous waste disposal, staff who ensure researchers follow safety rules and janitorial workers, according to The Associated Press. The states and research groups argue that the cuts are illegal, pointing to bipartisan congressional action during Trump’s first term to prohibit them. “Yet here we are again,” attorneys argued in a court motion, saying the NIH is “in open defiance” of what Congress decreed. In its own written arguments, the Trump administration said NIH has authority to alter the terms after awarding grants and that Kelley’s courtroom isn’t the proper venue to arbitrate claims of breach of contract. States and researchers “have failed to show that they would suffer an irreparable injury,” according to the administration motion. SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING If the new policy stands, indirect costs would be capped at 15% immediately, for already awarded grants and new ones. NIH calculated that would save the agency $4 billion a year. Officials at Johns Hopkins University said the cuts would end or require significantly scaling back research projects, potentially including some of the 600 NIH-funded studies open to Hopkins patients. “The care, treatments and medical breakthroughs provided to them and their families are not ‘overhead,’” university president Ron Daniels and Hopkins Medicine CEO Theodore DeWeese wrote to employees. The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has applauded the moves. “Can you believe that universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60% of research award money for ‘overhead’?” Musk posted on social media. “What a ripoff!” Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats silent on Patel as first ‘person of color’ FBI director despite previous DEI emphasis
Democrats have remained notably silent since Kash Patel became the first “person of color” to head the FBI, after previously emphasizing diversity and representation on the campaign trail and during the Biden era. Patel, a fervent Trump ally, underwent a rocky path to confirmation, with Democrats on the panel attempting to delay the vote earlier this month and continuing to protest his nomination into Thursday. Despite the criticism, Democrats have yet to make note of Patel, who is Indian-American, making history as the first “person of color” FBI director. KASH PATEL LAYS OUT FBI’S TOP TWO PRIORITIES IN LETTER TO SUBORDINATES Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, including ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., protested Patel’s confirmation outside the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., in particular, drew criticism from conservatives on social media after saying, “Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day.” “Did Sheldon Whitehouse come up with this pathetic line of attack at his all-white beach club?” asked conservative commentator and longtime Trump adviser Steve Cortes, referencing Whitehouse’s membership in an exclusive beach club that has a controversial history. Whitehouse’s office previously denied that the club was all-White. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL VOWS TO RESTORE TRUST IN BUREAU, HUNT DOWN BAD ACTORS ‘IN EVERY CORNER OF THIS PLANET’ “President Trump nominated Kash Patel because of his qualifications and commitment to restoring integrity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In contrast to the picture the media tries to paint, President Trump wants equality for all Americans regardless of skin color, which is why he eliminated unfair DEI policies and is restoring common sense to our country,” Harrison Fields, Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital. Democrats notably emphasized diversity and representation during both the 2020 and 2024 campaign trails as well as during the Biden era. Prior to his 2020 win, former President Joe Biden committed to naming a woman as his running mate and noted during the run-up to his decision that Black women were among his finalists. Likewise, upon taking her post as White House Press Secretary in 2022, Karine Jean-Pierre pointed to her race and sexual orientation during her first opening remarks on the job, thanking those who had fought for the progress that allowed her to fill her new role. HERE’S WHAT KASH PATEL’S FORMER COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING ABOUT HIM “I am obviously acutely aware that my presence at this podium represents a few firsts. I am a black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position,” Jean-Pierre said during her first briefing. “I would not be here today if it were not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on their shoulders.” Biden also announced that same year that he was committing to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. While on the 2024 campaign trial, Democrats made notable efforts to increase support among Black men for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who would have made history if she had been elected as the nation’s first female president. Former President Barack Obama rebuked Black voters during a Pittsburgh campaign event, saying he couldn’t understand why Harris wasn’t enjoying the same level of enthusiasm, noting that the hesitation was “more pronounced with the brothers.” Speaking directly to Black males, Obama said that “part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.” Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Michael Lee, and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Bondi says Epstein client list ‘sitting on my desk right now,’ and is reviewing JFK, MLK files
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” and she is reviewing the JFK and MLK files as well after President Donald Trump’s earlier directives. “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi told ‘America Reports’ host John Roberts on Friday. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.” Bondi also stated she is “reviewing” the JFK and MLK files, which the president signed an executive order to declassify at the start of his second term. JEFFREY EPSTEIN FILES: TRUMP’S ELECTION COULD EXPOSE NAMES ON ‘BLACK BOOK’ LIST “That’s all in the process of being reviewed, because that was done at the directive of the president from all of these agencies,” Bondi said. When asked if she had “seen anything,” Bondi responded, “Not yet.” Trump’s return to the Oval Office came with the prospect of the public finally being able to see Epstein’s long-awaited “black book” amid inquiries into the deceased financier and sex trafficker. Epstein, a 66-year-old millionaire financier with a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and mansions around the country, died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. FBI UNCOVERS THOUSANDS OF UNDISCLOSED RECORDS CONNECTED TO JFK’S ASSASSINATION Bondi herself advocated for the release of the Epstein list in 2024, telling Sean Hannity at the time, “It should have come out a long time ago.” Shortly after kicking off his second term, Trump signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. “Everything will be revealed,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office. Trump had previously promised on the campaign trail to declassify the documents upon entering his second term, saying at the time, “When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the TRUTH!” TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS Earlier this month, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the attorney general reached their deadline to release their proposed plan for the declassification of the JFK files. The FBI announced shortly thereafter that it had uncovered thousands of records connected to the JFK assassination. Axios initially reported that the agency had released 2,400 records tied to the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of Kennedy, which were not provided to the board that reviewed and disclosed the files. It was upon DNI’s plan submission to release the files that it reportedly disclosed the records’ existence. Fox News confirmed at the time with a person familiar with the records that the files were uncovered during the review. Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Kash Patel takes reins at scandal-ridden FBI with ‘America always’ mindset: ‘Let good cops be cops’
After being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, President Donald Trump’s new FBI Director Kash Patel is not wasting any time in taking the reins at the country’s top investigative agency, which has been marred by recent scandals and a breakdown in public trust. Even before being sworn in to begin his 10-year term later this afternoon, Patel will be spending the day meeting with his new staff at the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover Building. Patel has previously said that he would shut down the FBI building on day one. Though there is no indication that Patel plans to do that today, he is expected to make some changes. These include moving agents and other employees into the field and working to instill transparency between the agency and the public. In his first statement to Fox News post-confirmation, Patel said that his mission is clear: “Let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER ‘TERRIFIED’ DEM SENATOR LASHES OUT AT KASH PATEL AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION VOTE Patel was confirmed Thursday afternoon in a narrow 51-49 vote in the Senate. He faced staunch opposition from Democrats who accused him of wanting to reform the FBI for the sake of political interests. Rank-and-file agents, however, have expressed to Fox that they agree change is needed, but many are waiting to see how far Patel will go. The FBI under the Biden administration’s leadership has faced repeated scandals over the last four years. Among those was when former FBI Director Christopher Wray faced backlash amid the attempted assassination against Trump when he appeared before the House Judiciary Committee and cast doubt on whether the president was struck by a bullet or just shrapnel. THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION In January 2023, conservative lawmakers slammed an internal FBI memo from the Richmond field office titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.” The memo identified “radical-traditionalist Catholic[s]” as potential “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists” and said that “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.” The DOJ and FBI were also heavily criticized by parents nationwide in 2021 when Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing the FBI to use counterterrorism tools related to parents speaking out at school board meetings against transgender-related issues and critical race theory curricula. 5 FBI CONTROVERSIES OF 2023 THAT SHOOK FAITH IN AGENCY Speaking at CPAC on Thursday night, Elon Musk said that he is hopeful Patel will get to the bottom of the assassination attempt, earning cheers from the crowd. After being confirmed, Patel said that the “politicization of our justice system has eroded public trust—but that ends today.” “American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice,” Patel said. “Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Bureau and our partners, we will rebuild an FBI the American people can be proud of. And to those who seek to harm Americans—consider this your warning. We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet. Mission First. America Always. Let’s get to work.” Patel will be sworn in as the ninth director of the FBI outside the Hoover Building at 4 p.m. on Friday. Vice President JD Vance is expected to be present for the swearing-in ceremony. Fox News Digital politics reporter Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sacks fire chief who said city failed residents in wildfires
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday announced that LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had been fired. Crowley had criticized Bass and other Democratic leadership with the city, claiming it had failed its 100,000 residents displaced during January’s wildfires. Crowley said that pressing staffing shortages impacted the department’s response time when the blaze began tearing across Los Angeles. LA FIRE SOUNDED ALARM ON BUDGET CUTS IMPACTING WILDFIRE RESPONSE: MEMO “Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service,” Crowley said in January. “That is a ground truth in regard to our ability. If there’s a budget cut, we had to pull from somewhere else. What does that mean? That doesn’t get done or that there are delays.” Crowley said that staffing shortages and lack of resources have been a pressing issue facing the LAFD for years. She pointed to a series of memos she sent to the city identifying in detail the needs of the department. In a statement Friday, Bass said: “Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief. We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.” LA MAYOR BASS CONCEDES AFRICA TRIP WAS ‘ABSOLUTELY’ A MISTAKE AMID BOTCHED WILDFIRE RESPONSE She added, “While the Department is in the experienced and expert hands of Chief Villanueva, my office will lead a national search and I will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about what they want to see in their next permanent chief.” Republican Rick Caruso, who ran against Bass in the last mayoral election, criticized Crowley’s firing. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley,” he wrote on X. “Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD. That courage to speak the truth was brave, and I admire her. Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense. The Mayor’s decision to ignore the warnings and leave the city was hers alone. This is a time for city leaders to take responsibility for their actions and their decisions. We need real leadership, not more blame passing.”