Fired Trump prosecutors launch new Washington firm they say will battle government corruption
Two federal prosecutors fired by President Donald Trump after working on special counsel Jack Smith’s legal team investigating the commander in chief have founded a new law firm to battle corruption. Molly Gaston and J.P. Cooney have formed a boutique firm in Washington, D.C., to do much of what they did for the Justice Department — but now in private practice. “We will offer a unique combination of services, including public integrity counseling to state and local governments, strategic representation at every stage of congressional and criminal investigations, and trial-ready representation in criminal and civil cases,” Cooney wrote in a LinkedIn blog post. DOJ SEEKS REMOVAL OF COMEY’S DEFENSE LAWYER, CITING CONFLICT OF INTEREST “We are thrilled to join the emerging market of boutique firms offering independent representation and zealous advocacy,” he added. The pair were part of Smith’s legal team looking into potential election interference and allegations that Trump moved classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago residence. The cases against Trump were dropped when he took office in January. They were then fired, along with several others who worked on Smith’s prosecutions, with termination letters saying they couldn’t be trusted to “faithfully implement” the president’s agenda, The Wall Street Journal reported. TRUMP’S US ATTORNEYS IN BLUE STATES FACE LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD UPEND KEY PROSECUTIONS “We conducted a thorough and efficient investigation under very difficult circumstances. The simple fact is that we ran out of time,” Cooney told the newspaper. “That is unfortunate because it would have been good for the country to resolve these cases in court.” The new law firm will take on corruption and civil rights cases. “In the wake of the federal government’s decision to greatly reduce its enforcement of public corruption and civil rights laws, we help state and local governments fill the void,” a fact sheet on the firm’s website states. Smith recently stood by his 2023 decision to subpoena several Republican lawmakers’ phone records, calling the move “entirely proper” and consistent with Justice Department policy. In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Snith said through his lawyers that the subpoenaed data, known as toll records, belonging to eight senators and one House member were carefully targeted to support his investigation into Trump’s alleged subversion of the 2020 election. “As described by various Senators, the toll data collection was narrowly tailored and limited to the four days from January 4, 2021 to January 7, 2021, with a focus on telephonic activity during the period immediately surrounding the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol,” Smith’s lawyers wrote Tuesday to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Fox News Digital has reached out to the law firm for comment. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
Reporter’s Notebook: White House pounces after top Dem says government shutdown gives party ‘leverage’
Senate Republicans are forcing Democrats to take a stand today — vote to pay expected federal workers (so-called essential) during the shutdown or risk looking anti-worker. The bill, from Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Todd Young, R-Ind., would pay troops, on-duty TSA agents, air traffic controllers and law enforcement. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., says it’s a “political ploy” to let Trump “pick and choose” who gets paid. WHITE HOUSE MAY ‘RUN OUT’ OF FUNDS TO PAY MILITARY IF SHUTDOWN CONTINUES, JOHNSON WARNS House Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., conceded to Fox News in a now-viral clip that there will be “families that are going to suffer” because of the shutdown but added that “it is one of the few leverage times we have.” Karoline Leavitt pounced, saying Democrats “admitted” to inflicting pain and asking, “What’s wrong with them?” Clark fired back, accusing the White House of “spinning the conflict” and inflicting “trauma” by firing workers. However, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called out his own party on Fox News’ “Hannity,” saying, “I am a country over party guy … It’s wrong to shut our government down.”
Red state university student caught on video threatening lives of Charlie Kirk supporters: ‘Watch your neck’
Another example of Charlie Kirk supporters being harassed surfaced at the University of Arizona this week, where a group of Turning Point USA students were threatened in an incident that was caught on camera. “Hey Nazis, can you set up somewhere where I can avoid you more easily?” a pink-haired individual, presumably a student, told a group of Turning Point USA students who had set up a tent on the University of Arizona campus. “Yeah, thank you, have a great day,” one of the students responded in the video, posted online by Turning Point USA on Wednesday. “Nah, f*** you Nazi, watch your neck,” the pink-haired student responded, referencing the assassination of Charlie Kirk. CHICAGO SCHOOLS SILENT ON PUNISHMENT OR PUBLIC CONDEMNATION OF TEACHER WHO MOCKED CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH In a statement to Fox News Digital, a University of Arizona spokesperson said the school is investigating. “The University of Arizona does not tolerate harassing or threatening behavior,” the statement said. “After learning of the social media post and video, the Office of Public Safety and the Dean of Students contacted the Turning Point USA students and are actively investigating the incident.” CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY GUIDING ‘UNHAPPY’ GENERATION TOWARD FAITH, FAMILY AND FULFILLMENT ENDURES AFTER DEATH Since Kirk’s murder, the internet has been littered with examples of liberal attacks that either mock or celebrate his death. The outpouring of rhetoric has led to individuals across the country losing their jobs, particularly on college campuses. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In Chicago over the weekend, as ‘No Kings’ protests were in full swing, an elementary school teacher was caught on video mocking Kirk’s death by pointing an imaginary gun at her neck and yelling, “Bang, bang.” “The most vile reactions to Charlie’s murder have almost all been public school teachers and professors,” TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet posted on X. “Tells you a lot about what America’s children are facing and why TPUSA is more important than ever.”
GOP bill would require all truckers to pass English test as highway safety fears grow
Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., is spearheading an effort to make English proficiency an enforceable prerequisite for commercial drivers in the wake of fatal crashes caused by illegal immigrants who skirted language requirements. “If you can’t read ‘bridge out ahead’ or communicate with a state trooper at a crash scene, you have no business driving an 80,000-pound truck on American highways,” Harrigan said. On Wednesday morning, Harrigan unveiled the SAFE Drivers Act alongside cosponsors Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Rep. Bob Onder, Mo. The bill would instruct states to administer English proficiency tests for applicants pursuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and grant the secretary of Transportation enhanced powers to oversee compliance. ‘ENGLISH ISN’T OPTIONAL’: SENATE GOP BILL TAKES AIM AT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS AFTER FLORIDA CRASH If the secretary determines a state has failed to implement the standard, the bill grants them the ability to withhold funding for other aspects of its commercial driving program. The bill also includes reporting requirements states must make annually to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration detailing the number of prospective, successful and compliant applicants. “The SAFE Drivers Act [requires] one uniform English test nationwide before any CDL is issued. No more guesswork, no more state-by-state loopholes, just one standard that keeps Americans safe,” Harrigan said. DUFFY RESPONDS WITH ‘CROCODILE TEARS’ COMMENT ON BANNED CALIFORNIA TRUCK DRIVER CASE The SAFE Drivers act comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $40 million from California after Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant, struck and killed three people after making an illegal U-Turn in Florida in August. California, where Singh had attained the CDL, had refused to enforce English language requirements, according to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. In a separate instance, Jashanpreet Singh, 22, an illegal immigrant who crossed the southern border, allegedly crashed headlong into a traffic jam on Wednesday while intoxicated. He, too, received a CDL from California — after having been released from prison under the Biden administration. Duffy said that existing requirements should have prevented the administration of a CDL in both cases. “U.S. Department of Transportation took THOUSANDS of commercial drivers out of service for not speaking English. Now we are withholding $40 MILLION from California for their refusal to do the same. TIME’S UP,” Duffy wrote in a post to X. Harrigan’s bill isn’t the only piece of legislation that seeks to give Duffy enhanced enforcement mechanisms. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., introduced a bill earlier this month that would deem drivers “out of service” if they fail to meet driving requirements. Harrigan’s bill differs from Lummis’ bill by applying the language requirement before the CDL license is granted. SENATE REPUBLICANS TARGET OBAMA-ERA TRUCKING RULE WITH NEW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY BILL “We have federal rules that require English proficiency, but no standardized test to enforce them, so states like California hand out commercial licenses to drivers who can’t understand basic safety instructions,” Harrigan said. Like other pieces of legislation, the SAFE Drivers Act likely won’t come to the floor for a vote until lawmakers resolve a 23-day shutdown and gridlock over how to fund the federal government. Consideration of a short-term spending bill failed for a 12th time in the Senate on Wednesday.
White House trolls Democrats over ballroom meltdown — adds cocaine, Clinton, Obama scandals to timeline
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is trolling Democrats over their objection to President Donald Trump‘s White House ballroom construction, launching an official timeline of the White House’s history that includes top scandals that plagued former Democratic presidents’ administrations. The White House website as of Thursday includes a “major events timeline” of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., stretching back to 1791, when plans for the iconic building were first mapped out. The timeline includes a series of benchmarks such as the addition of the north portico from 1829 to 1830, and the addition of the Oval Office in 1909 under the Taft administration and the “total reconstruction” of the White House interior under the Truman administration. The timeline also includes a handful of high-profile scandals that rocked previous Democratic administrations. “2023: Cocaine Discovered,” one slide on the White House’s website reads. “During Biden’s administration, a U.S. Secret Service agent discovered a small, zippered plastic bag containing cocaine in the West Wing entrance lobby.” HILLARY CLINTON MOCKED FOR 2001 FURNITURE SCANDAL AMID TRUMP BALLROOM MELTDOWN: ‘AT LEAST HE DIDN’T STEAL’ “Speculation has pointed to Hunter Biden, an admitted drug user,” the slide continues. “Additional evidence includes a laptop, seized in 2019, which contains photos of frequent drug use alongside emails about foreign business dealings (Ukraine, China) involving his father, Joe, while he was Vice President.” Former President Bill Clinton’s 1998 sex scandal with intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Barack Obama inviting a delegation of the Muslim Brotherhood to the White House in 2012 also were included on the official timeline. “1998: Bill Clinton Scandal,” one slide reads. “President Bill Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky was exposed, leading to White House perjury investigations. The Oval Office trysts fueled impeachment for obstruction.” “2012: Muslim Brotherhood Visit,” another slide reads. Obama hosts “member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that promotes Islamist extremism and has ties to Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood is a designated terrorist organization by nearly a dozen nations.” Another slide takes issue with former President Joe Biden’s administration recognizing International Transgender Day of Visibility on the same day as Easter in 2023. International Transgender Day of Visibility was created by activists more than 10 years ago and is celebrated each year on March 31, with the Biden administration acknowledging both holidays in 2024. “2023-2024: The Biden/Harris administration hosts transexuals at the White House in 2023, and goes on to establish the ‘The Transgender Day of Visibility’ on the same day as Easter Sunday in 2024,” the slide reads. The White House’s historical timeline was launched as Democrats, from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, criticized Trump for constructing a ballroom at the White House. The 90,000-square-foot project is privately funded and will accommodate an estimated 650 seated guests, according to the White House. “It’s not his house,” Clinton wrote on X Tuesday morning. “It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.” TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’ “Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,” Warren added in her own criticism. “I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump,” New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X Monday. “We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing.” TRUMP BREAKS GROUND ON MASSIVE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT WITH PRIVATE FUNDING FROM ‘PATRIOTS’ The Trump administration has, meanwhile, celebrated that the new addition of the White House does not cost taxpayers, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt adding that presidents have long complained that the historic residence lacks a space to entertain large groups. “Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” Tuesday. “In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.” “President Obama even complained that, during his tenure, he had to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent.” Fox News Digital reached out to the respective offices of Clinton, Obama and Biden Thursday morning regarding the past controversies.
New poll in key showdown for Virginia governor indicates single-digit race
With just a dozen days to go until Election Day, a new poll in one of the only two states in the nation holding showdowns for governor this year indicates Democrats with a single-digit lead at the top of the ticket, but tight margins in the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger leads Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears 52%-43% among likely voters in Virginia, according to a Suffolk University poll released Thursday in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS, But the survey indicates Republican Lt. Gov. nominee John Reid and Democratic rival Ghazala Hasmi deadlocked at 45%, and GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares topping Democratic challenger Jay Jones 46%-42%. Virginia and New Jersey are the only states that hold gubernatorial contests in the year after a presidential election. And the elections, which traditionally grab outsized national attention, are viewed this year as early verdicts on President Donald Trump‘s unprecedented and relentless second-term agenda, as well as key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm showdowns for the U.S. House and Senate. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS While Spanberger has held the lead over Earle-Sears in a slew of surveys since the start of the year, polls tightened recently after explosive revelations in Virginia’s attorney general race rocked the campaign trail. NATION’S ONLY TWO 2025 RACES FOR GOVERNOR ROCKED WITH THREE WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY Jones has been in crisis mode since controversial three-year-old texts — where he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot. He said that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head. The news was first reported a couple of weeks ago by the National Review. Jones acknowledged and apologized for the texts, but has been facing calls from Republicans to drop out of the race. And the GOP is aiming to leverage the controversy up and down the ballot, forcing Spanberger on defense. While the poll indicated that more respondents see the nation on the wrong track, more also view Virginia on the right track under Youngkin, which would typically buoy the party in power in Richmond. However, President Donald Trump’s approval has fallen below 40%, suggesting a tug-of-war that could break for Democrats in the end. However, Trump also received the most credit from Virginians asked about the Israel-Hamas peace process – with former President Joe Biden only receiving credit from 4% of respondents. More respondents also blamed Democrats than Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown – by 38-28%, while Trump, by name, was blamed by 21% of additional respondents. “Spanberger is trying to carry the whole Democratic ticket over the finish line,” said David Paleologos, Director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “However, the Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general are struggling in their respective contests, and they can’t seem to replicate Spanberger’s popularity, early voting ground game, or dominance over their opponents.” According to the new poll, which was conducted Oct. 19–21, Spanberger led Earle-Sears among women 57%-38%, while only trailing among men by a single point, 49%-48%. Among Black voters, Spanberger led Earle-Sears 87%-9%, while trailing among white voters 52%-46%. And the survey indicated Spanberger topping Earle-Sears by 15 points among those voters who identify as independents, and by 19 points among those who have already cast a ballot. Early voting in Virginia kicked off on September 19 and the poll suggests that nearly a quarter of all votes for governor in the November election have already been cast. Five-hundred likely voters in Virginia were questioned in the poll. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
After waffling between Russia and Ukraine, Trump slaps Kremlin with oil sanctions
After months of wavering between confrontation and conciliation toward Moscow, President Donald Trump has imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies and canceled a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — signaling a renewed attempt to pressure the Kremlin without committing to deeper U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s war. The measures, announced Wednesday, target Rosneft and Lukoil, key pillars of Russia’s energy sector, and mark the administration’s most significant sanctions package since Trump returned to office. But they also come after years of similar Western actions that have failed to slow Moscow’s military campaign. “We canceled the meeting with President Putin. It just, it didn’t feel right to meet. It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get,” Trump said Wednesday. “So I canceled it, but we’ll do it in the future.” “Every time I speak to Vladimir, I have good conversations and then they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere,” Trump added. Asked why he had chosen to impose sanctions on oil majors Lukoil and Rosneft now, he said, “I just felt it was time, we’ve waited a long time.” WITKOFF SCRAMBLES FOR PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS SANCTIONS LOOM TARGETING INDIA, CHINA The Treasury Department announced the designations under Executive Order 14024 for operating in the energy sector of the Russian Federation economy. The sanctions freeze all U.S.-linked assets belonging to Rosneft and Lukoil and prohibit American entities from doing business with them. Dozens of subsidiaries are also affected, effectively extending the restrictions across much of Russia’s global oil and gas network. “Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war.” China’s state oil giants have already begun suspending purchases of seaborne Russian crude following the U.S. sanctions. According to multiple trade sources cited by Reuters, PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC and Zhenhua Oil have halted short-term deals with Rosneft and Lukoil, citing compliance concerns. The pullback — along with reports that Indian refiners are sharply cutting imports from Moscow — is expected to strain Russia’s oil revenues and tighten global supply, driving up prices for non-sanctioned crude from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE The sanctions were announced just days after Trump abruptly canceled plans for a trilateral summit in Hungary with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — a meeting that had been billed as a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the conflict. The reversal continues a pattern that has defined Trump’s approach to Russia since returning to office: alternating bursts of engagement and confrontation that make it difficult for allies and adversaries to predict his next move. Last week, Zelenskyy visited Washington hoping to secure a deal for Tomahawk long-range missiles. But Putin preempted the meeting with a two-and-a-half-hour call with Trump the day before — and the missile deal evaporated. “Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire,” Bessent said in announcing the sanctions. “A permanent peace depends entirely on Russia’s willingness to negotiate in good faith.” Analysts say the sanctions are aimed at regaining leverage and forcing both Moscow and Kyiv back to the negotiating table after months of stalemate. Trump would often meet with one side or the other and come out more sympathetic to the viewpoint of whoever he’d just met with. An unnamed diplomat told Fox News Digital, “It’s fundamentally making both sides think they can manipulate him. Which doesn’t make either side want to negotiate, because both believe they can still rally Trump to their side.” Now, Trump says he doesn’t want to “waste time.” TRUMP DEMANDS NATO ALLIES HALT RUSSIAN OIL PURCHASES BEFORE NEW US SANCTIONS Andrew D’Anieri, associate director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said the sanctions are a welcome step but only part of a broader effort required to curb Russia’s war financing. “The Trump administration’s decision to sanction Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil is a welcome move to make it more difficult for Russia to continue its war on Ukraine,” he said. “It’s significant that these designations come just a week after the U.K. sanctioned the same entities; sanctions have a greater effect when Western countries work in concert.” He cautioned, however, that implementation will determine the outcome. “Enforcement of these sanctions will be the key to cutting into Moscow’s oil revenues,” D’Anieri said. “Those who do purchase Russian oil will demand a steep discount for evading U.S. sanctions, which itself will hurt Russian revenues.” “If Trump truly wants to end the war, he should continue to ratchet up the pressure on Moscow, including the threat of secondary sanctions and further military aid to Ukraine,” he added. “This one move alone won’t be enough to get Putin to negotiate in good faith, but it’s a step in the right direction.” Former National Security Council official Jason Israel described the difference between the Biden and Trump approaches as one of philosophy, not objective. “Both want to help Ukraine negotiate from strength and avoid direct NATO involvement,” he said. “But Biden worked through European partners to uphold the rules-based order. Trump has taken a more transactional approach — selling weapons to Ukraine funded by European partners — with the goal of speeding negotiations and shifting more of the cost to allies.” Trump has long emphasized that he wants to end the war and avoid indefinite U.S. involvement. “Let it be cut the way it is,” he said earlier this month, referring to Ukraine’s divided territory. “It’s cut up right now… They can negotiate something later on down the line. But for now, both sides of the conflict should stop at the battle line — go home, stop fighting, stop killing people.” The sanctions, coupled with the canceled
NYC Mayor Adams to endorse Cuomo in race against Mamdani
New York City Mayor Eric Adams will endorse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city’s mayoral race as he faces off against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. “As spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams, I can confirm that the Mayor will endorse former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for mayor and intends to campaign alongside him,” Adams’ spokesman, Todd Shapiro, said in a statement to Fox News. “The time and locations for their joint appearances are currently being finalized.” Adams declined to answer questions about Cuomo at an unrelated press conference Thursday morning. “On topic,” Adams told reporters at an event centered on the affordability of child care. “I’ll be with Andrew later today, but right now we’re talking about this,” the mayor added. “And if we mix the two, you won’t cover this because it’s good. So if you don’t have an on topic, I’m going to bounce.” The upcoming endorsement was first reported by The New York Times. Adams ended his re-election campaign last month. Despite past spats on the campaign trail, Adams and Cuomo seem to have put aside their differences as they push to stop Mamdani’s rise. “I think that it is imperative to really wake up the Black and brown communities that have suffered from gentrification on how important this race is,” Adams said in an interview with the Times. “They have watched their rents increase in terms of gentrification, and they have been disregarded in those neighborhoods, and I’m going to go to those neighborhoods and speak one on one with organizers and groups, and I’m going to walk with the governor in those neighborhoods and get them engaged,” he reportedly added. The two former rivals even sat together courtside at the New York Knicks’ season opener on Wednesday. Cuomo, fresh from the debate, said on social media that he made it in time for the second half and posted a photo of himself with Adams. Cuomo, Mamdani and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa had their last chance to make their pitches to voters on Wednesday night as they sparred on the debate stage. The debate came as Sliwa and Mamdani faced outside pressure. Billionaires have recently called on Sliwa to drop out over concerns that he would split the anti-Mamdani vote with Cuomo, leading the Democratic socialist to victory. Meanwhile, Mamdani faced condemnations from more than 650 rabbis nationwide, including those from the largest New York City synagogues, signed an open letter condemning Mamdani for what they said was anti-Israel rhetoric. Fox News Digital also reached out to Cuomo and Mamdani’s teams for comment. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
Top Trump officials subpoenaed in Abrego Garcia hearing for ‘vindictive’ prosecution
Lawyers for Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia subpoenaed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to testify over the government’s decision to investigate and pursue a criminal case against him this year while he was detained in El Salvador. The move portends what is certain to be a high-stakes court clash in Nashville next month, as Abrego Garcia seeks dismissal of his criminal case on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution. Blanche is one of at least five government officials Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have subpoenaed to appear in the two-day evidentiary hearing, according to a court filing submitted Wednesday. Others include two of Blanche’s deputies and two officials from the Department of Homeland Security. US JUDGE VOWS TO RULE ‘SOON’ ON ABREGO GARCIA’S FATE AFTER MARATHON HEARING DOJ lawyers said that they plan to ask the judge to quash the subpoenas to prevent the officials from testifying. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled earlier this month that Abrego Garcia’s legal team had established a “realistic likelihood” of vindictiveness in his criminal case, which was initiated by the Justice Department while he was detained in El Salvador. Crenshaw ordered new discovery and a two-day evidentiary hearing, scheduled for the first week in November. Crenshaw’s ruling named Blanche directly on several occasions, which could present a bigger hurdle for the Trump administration in their efforts to quash the subpoena. The judge cited Blanche’s remarks directly, including from an interview in June, in which the deputy attorney general said that Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. not because of orders from a federal judge in Maryland, but because of the Tennessee arrest warrant. “This could be direct evidence of vindictiveness,” Crenshaw said in his ruling. ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT It is notoriously difficult to have a case dismissed on the grounds of selective or vindictive prosecution, and few attempts have even made it even to the discovery phase. Still, the outcome is anything but clear. Existing precedent requires a defendant to prove both that prosecutors acted with genuine animus in bringing the case, and that prosecutors singled them out because of that animus. Selective prosecution requires the defense to prove that “similarly situated” persons have not been prosecuted. Still, the case has been at the center of an eight-month legal maelstrom — one that critics say has given the Trump administration a chance to test its approach to immigration enforcement and to delay or sidestep compliance with federal court orders. Trump officials, for their part, have railed against the “activist” judges whom they argue are blocking their agenda and impinging on the president’s executive branch authorities. ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGES FROM TRUMP DOJ A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the subpoenas, citing the judge’s earlier order for both parties to limit their public remarks about Abrego Garcia’s case. “We cannot comment due to a gag order in this case,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March in violation of a 2019 court order, and in what Trump administration officials later acknowledged was an “administrative error.” He entered the country illegally more than a decade ago and had been living in Maryland with his wife and child when authorities deported him to a maximum security prison in El Salvador in March. Trump officials have repeatedly alleged that Abrego Garcia is a vicious MS-13 gang member, a notion that Crenshaw dismissed as “fanciful” in ordering Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal custody pending trial. Others have also objected to the administration’s characterization of the smuggling charges brought against him, noting that in 2024, they carried an average prison sentence of 15 months.
Inside Trump’s ultimatum that forced Netanyahu to the table: ‘You can’t fight the world’
President Donald Trump issued Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a stern warning Oct. 4, according to a new report. At that point, representatives from the Trump administration had hashed out an agreement with other mediators from countries including Qatar, Egypt and Turkey — just days before the two-year anniversary of the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Trump didn’t mince his words during a call with Netanyahu: the deal would be announced and Netanyahu had no other choice but to get on board, Time magazine reported Thursday. COULD TRUMP’S GAZA CEASEFIRE PLAN OFFER A BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE? “Bibi, you can’t fight the world,” Trump said he told Netanyahu, as he detailed their conversation in an interview with Time. “You can fight individual battles, but the world’s against you.” Although Netanyahu resisted, Trump’s patience had expired. Trump “launched into a profanity-laced monologue cataloging all he’d done for Israel as President: moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, brokering the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, even joining Israel’s strikes on Iran in June,” according to Time. As a result, Trump indicated that he would no longer back Netanyahu if the prime minister didn’t agree to the peace deal, Time reported. “It was a very blunt and straightforward statement to Bibi…that he has no tolerance for anything other than this,” Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told the outlet. Netanyahu ultimately agreed to the deal, which includes a provision requiring Israeli forces to pull its troops, and a complete disarmament of Hamas. The deal also required Hamas to return the hostages that were still in captivity within 72 hours of signing the agreement. Hamas has yet to turn over some of the remains of deceased Israeli hostages. TRUMP WRITES MESSAGE TO ISRAELIS AFTER ALL LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Israel began to face increased pressure and frustration from the Trump administration after it conducted strikes against Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, in September. Qatar is a U.S. ally, and the attack violated the country’s sovereignty — prompting Trump to say at the time that he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the situation. But Trump used the attack as leverage to convince regional leaders to band together and negotiate an end to the conflict. “This was one of the things that brought us all together,” Trump told Time. “It was so out of joint that it sort of got everybody to do what they have to do. If you took that away, we might not be talking about this subject right now.” Trump has hailed the peace agreement as a victory, and visited with Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset and other officials in Egypt to recognize the finalization of the first phase of the deal. WORLD LEADERS PRAISE ‘LANDMARK’ ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL MEDIATED BY US: ‘NEW HORIZON OF HOPE’ “At long last, we have peace in the Middle East, and it’s a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. “We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there,” Trump said. “And now we’re there.” Now, Trump has indicated that he is setting his sights on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and signaled his administration will build off the momentum from the Middle East peace agreement to end the conflict in Europe. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte Wednesday, to discuss the conflict.