Kash Patel slams ‘corrupt’ sanctuary sheriff indicted for cannabis company extortion
Boston’s sanctuary sheriff was arrested Friday on federal charges after allegedly leveraging his elected position to extort $50,000 from a cannabis executive who was seeking state approval to open a dispensary—a scheme FBI Director Kash Patel called a betrayal of public trust. Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees more than 1,000 employees in the Boston-area, was handcuffed Friday morning in the Southern District of Florida after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of extortion under color of official right, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. “When someone entrusted with enforcing the law is accused of breaking it for personal gain, it undermines the public’s trust in every honest officer who wears the badge,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “The FBI will pursue corruption at every level, because no one is above the law. The people of Suffolk County, and the country, deserve leaders who serve them, not themselves.” SUSPECTED ICE FACILITY ATTACKERS ARRESTED IN BLUE CITY, CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING FEDERAL OFFICERS Tompkins was appointed sheriff of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) in 2013, elected in a 2014 special election, and later re-elected to serve successive six-year terms. He made headlines in 2019 after booting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out of the county jail, signing an eviction notice that required hundreds of illegal immigrant detainees to be moved out within 60 days, according to a report from the Boston Herald. FLORIDA EX-SHERIFF ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY RUNNING ILLEGAL GAMBLING HOUSE THAT GENERATED MILLIONS According to court documents, a cannabis company applied in 2019 for a retail dispensary license in Boston through the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). To meet the state’s Positive Impact Plan (PIP) requirement, the company partnered with the sheriff’s department, which agreed to screen and refer graduates from its re-entry program for work at the dispensary’s retail store. The company’s partnership with SCSD was formalized in a letter signed by Tompkins in 2019 and submitted with its dispensary license application in 2020. The cannabis commission approved the license in 2021 and renewed it in 2022 and 2023, with the company citing the partnership to meet the PIP requirement in each application. To raise capital for an initial public offering (IPO) and expand as a publicly traded company, executives sought multimillion-dollar investments from institutions and other high-net-worth investors—not the general public, according to court documents. By mid-2020, the company was preparing for its IPO by producing audited financial statements, hiring attorneys and obtaining additional financing. Prosecutors allege Tompkins pressured the cannabis executive for stock, reminding the executive he had helped the company in its licensing efforts. The executive feared Tompkins might exploit his position as sheriff to undermine the partnership with the department, putting both the license and the company’s planned IPO in jeopardy. PATEL’S IMMIGRATION PUSH AT FBI YIELDS 10,000 ARRESTS SINCE JANUARY In October 2020, the company asked Tompkins for an updated partnership letter to submit with its license renewal application, according to court documents. Within a month of signing the letter, and after alleged pressure on the executive, Tompkins obtained a pre-IPO stake in the company. Prosecutors claim that in November 2020, Tompkins wired $50,000 from his retirement account to an account controlled by the executive, purchasing nearly 29,000 shares at $1.73 each. Following a reverse stock split, he held about 14,400 shares valued at $3.46 each. Once the company launched its IPO in 2021, the stock value jumped to $9.60 per share, increasing the value of Tompkins’ $50,000 purchase of 14,417 shares to $138,403. By May 2022, the value of Tompkins’ stock had dropped thousands of dollars below his $50,000 investment, but he allegedly demanded a full refund. The executive agreed, issuing five checks between May 2022 and July 2023. Prosecutors claim some checks were marked as “loan repayment” and “[company] expense” at Tompkins’s direction to disguise the nature of some of the payments. US ATTORNEY FOR MASSACHUSETTS SAYS INTERFERENCE WITH ICE OPERATIONS IS ‘DISTURBING,’ THREATENS ARRESTS U.S. Attorney Leah Foley wrote in a statement that elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest and law-abiding, “not self-serving.” “His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better,” Foley wrote. “Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses their position of trust and power for their own gain.” FBI Boston special agent in charge Ted Docks added the act was “clear-cut corruption.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “From his very first day as Suffolk County Sheriff, Steven Tompkins sought to portray himself as a man of the people–a principled public servant and reformer, devoted to the cause of justice. That’s why it’s beyond disappointing that he’s now accused of gaming a system instituted in the interests of public safety and fair play,” Docks wrote in a statement. “We believe what the Sheriff saw as an easy way to make a quick buck on the sly is clear-cut corruption under federal law. The citizens of Suffolk County deserve better, not a man who is accused of trading on his position to bankroll his own political and financial future. Public servants must be held to the highest of ethical standards, and those falling short will be rooted out.” Tompkins, who faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison for each count, will appear in Boston federal court at a later date.
Noem, in Illinois, calls out Gov. Pritzker, Chicago’s mayor over their handling of criminal illegal immigrants
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Illinois on Friday to call out Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing both Democrats of “being obstructionist” when it comes to getting criminal illegal immigrants off the streets. Noem, speaking in a Chicago suburb, highlighted the recent ICE arrests of a Mexican illegal immigrant convicted of predatory sexual criminal assault against a victim under the age of 13, a Polish national convicted of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery and an illegal immigrant from Micronesia with three DUI convictions. “These individuals would still be out on our streets today committing crimes and attacking people and harming them and hurting our children if Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson had their way. Because their choice has been routinely over and over and over again to release these criminals back on the streets,” Noem said. “The debate over so-called sanctuary policies has real consequences and has consequences for our law enforcement officers, but also for the families that live here and the businesses that are just trying to provide for their community,” she added. BONDI DOJ NAMES AND SHAMES 35 SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS THAT ‘PUT AMERICAN CITIZENS AT RISK’ Representatives for both Pritzker and Johnson did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. “I’m here today because the elected leaders in this state of Illinois are ignoring the law. In fact, they’re being obstructionist when it comes to getting dangerous criminals off of their streets,” Noem also said. “They are deciding the dangerous criminals that are murderers, rapists, money launderers, have committed assault, that are trafficking children are more important than the families that live in the communities here.” NOEM WARNS OF ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ THREAT LEVEL FOR ICE AGENTS, BLAMES ‘LIES’ FROM DEMOCRATS “That includes Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson and others who have worked so hard to protect these dangerous criminals. They’d rather be a sanctuary state and continue to put those individuals above American citizens, American citizens who built this country, who have raised their families here for generations,” Noem added. Noem also told reporters Friday that “In just the last seven months, ICE has issued over 1,664 detainers in Chicago alone,” marking a “106% increase” over what was issued during the Biden administration. “Unfortunately,” she said, “Chicago and its leadership has only honored 8% of those.”
Cuban-born congressman calls for Squad member’s removal over ‘Guatemalan before American’ remark
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Carlos Gimenez, the lawmaker who fled the Castros’ communist regime as a youth, put forward a resolution Friday to boot “Squad” member Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., from the Homeland Security committee for violating her Oath of Office. The resolution cites Ramirez’ comments in Spanish during an event in Mexico City earlier this week, in which she declared, “I am a proud Guatemalan before I am an American.” “I was born in Cuba and exiled from my homeland shortly after the communist takeover,” Gimenez, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital on Friday, just before he filed the bill during the House’s brief pro-forma session. “Everything I am, I owe to this exceptional country of limitless opportunities that paved the way for a Cuban refugee like me to become a firefighter, fire chief, city manager, county commissioner, county mayor, and yes, even a member of Congress.” LONE CUBAN-BORN REP ‘AMPED UP’ TO SEE NATION LIBERATED, AFTER EMOTIONAL RETURN 64 YEARS IN THE MAKING “Only in America,” said Gimenez, who is the only Cuban-born member of Congress. While an immigrant himself, Gimenez said that when a fellow lawmaker “openly declares allegiance to a foreign nation” over the U.S., they lose the right to be in certain positions in the federal government. “It is not only unacceptable, it is disqualifying for service on a committee tasked with securing our homeland,” he said. Gimenez also serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, chairing its maritime and transportation subcommittee. EXCLUSIVE: VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBA-BORN REP TO LAUD TRUMP AFTER BIDEN’S MADURO OIL DEAL CANCELED Blowback continued online throughout the week, with actor James Woods quipping, “Well, okay then, Hasta La Vista.” Conservative commentator Matt Walsh added that Ramirez should be arrested. Ramirez’ office directed Fox News Digital to a statement on the blowback the Chicagoan received after her comments south of the border. The statement said “Republican commentators” and the social media presence for the Department of Homeland Security wrongly attacked her for “showing pride in her multi-cultural, multi-ethnic heritage.” Ramirez said she is a U.S. citizen by birth and that the attacks over the past days were “a weak attempt to silence my dissent and invalidate my patriotic criticism of the nativist, White supremacist, authoritarians in government. It is the definition of hypocrisy that members of Congress, who betray their oath each day they enable Trump, are attacking me for celebrating my Guatemalan-American roots.” Ramirez added that “no one questions” her many colleagues who celebrate their Irish ancestry, or others of similar Caucasian descent. “I am the daughter of immigrants and the daughter of America. I am both Chapina and American. I am from both Guatemala and Chicago, Illinois.”
Georgia attorney general sues GOP opponent in governor’s race over campaign financing
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, one of the leading Republican contenders for governor, has filed a lawsuit against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, challenging the legality of his GOP rival’s campaign funding. Carr asked a federal judge to permanently block Jones’ ability to spend money from his leadership committee, a fundraising tool that allows the state’s governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. Both men are leading Republican candidates to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp after next year’s election. Carr argues that Jones’ leadership committee violates the attorney general’s First Amendment right to free speech and his 14th Amendment right to equal protection by setting up a campaign finance structure that boosts Jones and limits how much Carr can spend on his campaign. A 2021 state law that created leadership committees does not allow Carr or other declared candidates to have access to the fundraising vehicle. Carr’s regular campaign committee is limited to raising $8,400 from each donor for his primary campaign and $4,200 for a potential primary runoff. FORMER GEORGIA LT. GOV. GEOFF DUNCAN ABANDONS GOP TO JOIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY Carr campaign spokeswoman Julia Mazzone said in a statement that Jones “is using his position to sidestep contribution limits, raise six-figure checks during legislative sessions and funnel unlimited money into a competitive primary through a structure only he can access.” “Republicans cannot ignore the cloud of unethical, illegal and corrupt behavior that surrounds Burt Jones,” Mazzone said. “Leadership committees were never intended to be unregulated campaign machines,” the statement added. “The court has ruled on this before, and the Constitution prohibits exactly what’s happening here. We’re taking action to uphold transparency and accountability standards.” A Jones campaign spokesperson, meanwhile, has accused Carr of being hypocritical since his office previously defended the same law that he is now challenging in court. Carr has argued that the attorney general must defend challenged laws even if he personally disagrees with them. “Georgia’s lackluster Attorney General defended this law two years ago,” Kendyl Parker, Jones’ spokeswoman said. “Now, he’s running for governor and wants to challenge the same law he once defended. If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, he’d take gold.” Carr launched his gubernatorial bid last year, saying he needed more time to raise money because he is not personally wealthy. His campaign has expressed concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and family wealth to support his primary campaign. REPUBLICAN DOOLEY JUMPS INTO GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE TOUTING SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND TAKING AIM AT OSSOFF The Carr campaign has sought to have the state Ethics Commission probe the source of a $10 million loan Jones made to his leadership committee, although the commission declined to launch an investigation, noting that Carr failed to allege a legal violation. The attorney general’s campaign pointed to U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen’s 2022 ruling that a leadership committee for Kemp could not use money for Kemp’s re-election campaign during that year’s Republican primary. Cohen found that the “unequal campaign finance scheme” violated GOP primary challenger and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s First Amendment right to free speech. Cohen ruled that Kemp could continue raising money for the leadership committee but said the governor could not spend it against Perdue in the primary. “Despite full knowledge of this history, Mr. Jones and his leadership committee, WBJ Leadership Committee, Inc., are ignoring this Court’s prior rulings and using a leadership committee—that has no contribution or coordinated spending limits—in a primary election against a candidate without one,” Carr’s lawsuit reads. Carr is seeking additional restrictions on Jones’ leadership committee than in Cohen’s ruling. The attorney general is asking a judge to cut off both fundraising and spending from the lieutenant governor’s leadership committee until the primary race is over. He is also requesting that a federal magistrate judge be appointed to oversee all spending by the leadership committee and that Jones’ regular campaign committee repay any money already spent by the leadership committee to support Jones’ gubernatorial run. “The loan and its amount are significant because Mr. Jones is also able to raise unlimited funds into the leadership committee, then repay the loan from funds raised that then can be applied directly to his campaign account, effectively removing the contribution limits from those dollars,” the lawsuit says. Carr asks that the court block Jones from giving any cash to dark money groups or making any loans to his regular campaign committee during the primary. He also wants the magistrate judge to probe where Jones’ $10 million loan came from, citing a 2022 financial disclosure showing that Jones did not have enough liquid assets for a loan of that quantity. The attorney general’s campaign continues to express concern that Jones could raise unlimited money to repay his loan and then give the repaid money to his candidate committee for the primary, arguing that this would wreck campaign contribution restrictions. “Mr. Jones is raising and spending unlimited amounts of money in the primary—and Mr. Carr is limited in what he can raise by Georgia’s existing campaign contribution limits,” the lawsuit reads. “This Court should level this uneven playing field by preventing Mr. Jones from using his leadership committee during the primary election.” Carr’s campaign has also called on the Ethics Commission for an advisory legal opinion on whether Jones’ fundraising activity is legal. The Republican primary will be held in May, and the general election next year in the purple state is expected to be one of the most expensive governor’s races in the country. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US appeals court blocks Trump contempt proceedings ordered by Boasberg
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 Friday that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg cannot move forward with possible contempt proceedings against the Trump administration. The case involves the administration’s alleged violation of an emergency court order blocking the administration from using a 1798 law to summarily deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador — the latest in an evolving, high-stakes court clash that has played out for months in various courts. Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao, two Trump appointees on the majority-Democrat bench, sided with the Trump administration Friday in blocking Boasberg’s contempt motion from moving forward. Judge Nina Pillard, an Obama appointee, dissented. The 2-1 ruling is all but certain to be appealed to the full court to be heard en banc, where the Democrat-majority bench is seen as more favorable to the plaintiffs, or directly to the Supreme Court for review. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? “The district court here was placed in an enormously difficult position,” Katsas said Friday, writing for the majority. “Faced with an emergency situation, it had to digest and rule upon novel and complex issues within a matter of hours. In that context, the court quite understandably issued a written order that contained some ambiguity.” Katsas noted that the appellate court ruling does not center on the lawfulness of Trump’s Alien Enemies Act removals in March, when administration officials invoked the 1798 immigration law to send more than 250 Venezuelan nationals to CECOT, the maximum-security prison in El Salvador. “Nor may we decide whether the government’s aggressive implementation of the presidential proclamation warrants praise or criticism as a policy matter,” he added. “Perhaps it should warrant more careful judicial scrutiny in the future. Perhaps it already has.” “Regardless, the government’s initial implementation of the proclamation clearly and indisputably was not criminal.” The ruling comes months after Boasberg originally found grounds to move on potential contempt proceedings in the case. It comes as Boasberg has also ordered ongoing status updates on the location and custodial status of the 252 CECOT class migrants, after they were deported last month from El Salvador to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Venezuela. It is unclear how many of those migrants had pending asylum applications in the U.S. or had been granted a “withholding of removal” order blocking their return to their country of origin. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT The long-awaited ruling comes months after Boasberg ruled that the court had found probable cause to move on criminal contempt proceedings after he issued a late-night temporary restraining order on March 15 blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport certain migrants to El Salvador. Boasberg had also ordered all migrants to be “immediately returned” to U.S. soil, which did not happen. Despite the order, hundreds of migrants were deported to the Salvadorian prison, CECOT, in March, where they remained until late last month, when they were sent from the prison in El Salvador to Venezuela, as part of the prisoner exchange. Boasbeg ruled in April that there was “probable cause” to move on criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration for failing to return the planes to U.S. soil and said the court had determined that the Trump administration demonstrated a “willful disregard” for his order. The appeals court granted the Trump administration’s request for an emergency stay of the ruling months earlier, prompting questions as to why they did not move more quickly on the motion. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT Still, the decision is almost certain to be appealed either to the full circuit court to be heard en banc, or directly to the Supreme Court for review. The Trump administration for months has sparred with judges who have blocked the president’s executive orders from taking force. Boasberg, in particular, has emerged as one of Trump’s biggest public foes. Last month, the court attempted to have him removed from overseeing the case and have it reassigned to another case — a long-shot effort that legal experts and former judges suggested is unlikely to go far. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Republican leader shreds Tim Walz over Minnesota law that freed axe murderer
EXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is blasting Gov. Tim Walz after a man who murdered his family as a teenager was released from prison. “Once again, Tim Walz proves why he is one of the worst governors in the country,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. “Not only do his soft-on-crime policies rob victims of the justice they deserve, but they also put the safety of every Minnesotan at risk. Being a self-proclaimed knucklehead doesn’t excuse the chaos he has caused with his dangerous, far-left agenda.” GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS Emmer, as the GOP whip, is the No. 3 House Republican leader. He’s joining other Republicans from his state in criticizing the release of David Brom, a man who was convicted of killing his parents and two younger siblings with an axe in 1988. Brom was 16 years old at the time. “Allowing murderers like David Brom back onto our streets is a slap in the face to these victims and their families, undermines the rule of law, diminishes the public’s trust in our judicial system, and jeopardizes the safety of our communities,” Emmer said. Brom was granted supervised work release after Minnesota passed a new law in 2023 that limited life-long prison sentences for juvenile offenders. It began as a bill in the state legislature before being signed into law by Walz, thereby applying both to future offenders and retroactively to people like Brom. Emmer criticized Walz and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party’s policies as “soft-on-crime” and argued such law changes would “have serious consequences.” “They’re forcing law-abiding Minnesotans to pay the price,” Emmer said. Brom served 37 years behind bars after being convicted on four charges of first-degree murder, with a jury rejecting his plea of not guilty due to mental illness. He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences and one concurrent life sentence. GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE PUSHES REDISTRICTING TO OUST STATE’S LONE HOUSE DEM Without the new law, Brom would have been eligible for parole in 2037, after serving 52 years in prison. The law does not grant automatic release to juvenile offenders, but rather gives them the right to appear before a Supervised Release Board after serving a minimum of 15 years – but in some cases could be longer, depending on the nature of the crime – to present their arguments for early release. Brom was granted supervised release and was let out of prison early last week. Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Illinois gov JB Pritzker lambasted for new ‘disastrous policy’ requiring mental health screenings for kids
A new Illinois law requiring annual mental health screenings for public school students is drawing backlash from parents, policy experts and lawmakers who warn the policy may overstep boundaries and wrongly label children. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure on July 31, making Illinois the first state in the country to mandate mental health screenings for students in grades three through 12. The law, set to take effect in the 2027–2028 school year, directs schools to provide self-conducted screenings each year using digital or paper forms. Parents will have the ability to opt their children out. Supporters say the initiative will help schools identify early signs of depression, anxiety or trauma — before they develop into crises. But critics argue the plan could create more problems than it solves. “I want to be on-the-record and crystal clear. This is a disastrous policy that will do vastly more harm than good,” Abigail Shrier, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, wrote on X. “Watch as tens of thousands of Illinois kids get shoved into the mental health funnel and convinced they are sick. Many or most of which will be false positives.” Katherine Boyle, a partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, also raised concerns about government overreach and what she called the “mental health industrial complex.” OKLAHOMA REQUIRES ‘AMERICA FIRST’ CERTIFICATION TEST FOR TEACHERS FLEEING BLUE STATES “If a school nurse or a state-mandated mental health test tells you you’re sick, you’re going to believe them,” Boyle wrote. “This is why so many families are opting out of primary school completely — the overreach is astounding.” Illinois education officials say the screenings will not be diagnostic and are designed to flag students who may benefit from further evaluation. The Illinois State Board of Education will develop the screening tools and guidelines by September 2026, and school districts will be responsible for implementing them. “Mental health is essential to academic readiness and lifelong success,” State Superintendent Tony Sanders said in a statement. “Too often, we only recognize a student’s distress when it becomes a crisis. With universal screening, we shift from reaction to prevention.” DEM GOVERNOR EXPECTED TO DEFEND STATE’S CONTROVERSIAL SANCTUARY POLICIES DURING GOP-LED HEARING Dana Weiner, chief officer of the governor’s Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, said the screenings will be optional for families and conducted privately. State Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat and lead sponsor of the bill, said the effort aims to normalize mental health care for children and teens. “The screenings will be designed to catch the early signs of anxiety, depression or trauma before it becomes a crisis or, in some cases, sometimes too late,” she said. Republican lawmakers in the state have also voiced opposition. Rep. Steve Reick (R‑Woodstock) warned the law could have unintended consequences for families dealing with insurance companies. “Universal mental health screenings are going to get us nothing except possibly finding things, finding reasons for denial of coverage of insurance,” Reick said. Rep. Adam Niemerg (R‑Dieterich) called the law “a very dangerous piece of legislation that removes parental rights.” Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment and has not yet received a reply.
DOJ opens grand jury investigation into Letitia James tied to Trump civil case
The Department of Justice convened a grand jury to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James, marking an escalation in President Donald Trump’s fight with New York’s top prosecutor. The investigation is being run out of Albany, New York, and focused on possible deprivation of rights allegations, two well-placed sources familiar with the probe told Fox News Digital. The investigation is in an early stage, but Fox News Digital has learned that James’s office received subpoenas for documents this week, including for information related to her civil fraud lawsuit against Trump. James, a Democrat who was elected attorney general in 2018, has long been a target of Trump. James successfully brought civil charges against him for business fraud in 2022 and has had an instrumental role in challenging his current administration’s executive actions in court. NY AG’S OFFICE HIRES ATTORNEY THAT REPPED HUNTER BIDEN TO DEFEND LETITIA JAMES AGAINST FRAUD ACCUSATIONS A spokesperson for James suggested the action by the DOJ was a “weaponization” of its prosecutorial power. “Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American,” the spokesperson said. “We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.” A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment. James began investigating the Trump Organization soon after she took office, eventually securing a $454 million judgment against the then-former president and some of Trump’s company’s executives, including two of his sons. A New York judge found Trump and his business partners grossly overstated Trump’s wealth to obtain favorable loans and other financial benefits. James said at the time that financial fraud was not a “victimless crime.” “If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents,” James said. ‘DANGEROUS AND ILLEGAL’: DEMOCRAT AGS SUE TRUMP OVER EFFORT TO USE SNAP TO LOCATE MIGRANTS James also has been a leading figure in bringing litigation challenging the second Trump administration’s executive actions. James and other Democratic attorneys general have sued to fight spending freezes on federally funded social programs, mass firings of federal employees and restrictions on transgender care for minors, among other matters. Convening a grand jury is the first step in an investigation that could potentially lead to an indictment. The panel examines evidence, including documents and witness interviews, and determines if probable cause exists to bring charges against a person. The process can take weeks or longer, and it is historically much easier for a grand jury to secure an indictment than it is to obtain a subsequent conviction. News of the investigation comes as tensions have continued to build between Trump and James. In April, the Trump Federal Housing Finance Agency asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate James over mortgage fraud, and the DOJ opened a separate investigation into that matter. James received a subpoena as part of the in the inquiry, the Washington Post reported. James has denied the mortgage fraud allegations. Amid news of the mortgage inquiry, Trump called James a “wacky crook” on Truth Social. “Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote. Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this story.
Texas asks Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants for Democratic lawmakers
While Texas House Democrats hunker down in Illinois, breaking quorum to prevent their Republican colleagues from voting on redistricting during a special session, the Lone Star State is pursuing legal action, hoping to get the Prairie State to assist in apprehending the state legislators. A filing with the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court, Adams County, Illinois, names the Texas House of Representatives as the petitioner and various state House members as respondents. After the Democrats absconded, the state House sought to compel their attendance, voting in favor of a lawmaker’s motion for the sergeant-at-arms to send for lawmakers with unexcused absences “for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest if necessary.” GOV. GREG ABBOTT THREATENS TO REDISTRICT 8 SEATS FOR GOP IF DEM LAWMAKERS DON’T RETURN TO TEXAS “Accordingly, Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows issued civil warrants for the members who had deliberately and without excuse broken quorum,” the court filing states. The state wants Illinois to help. “The Texas House of Representatives seeks an order recognizing the Quorum Warrants as a public Act of the State of Texas that is entitled to full faith and credit in Illinois, and requests that this Court issue civil warrants directing the appropriate Illinois law enforcement officials to effectuate the civil arrest of Respondents and coordinate with the Sergeant of Arms of the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Department of Public Safety to return them to Texas,” the filing declares. OBAMA LABELS TEXAS REDISTRICTING PUSH ‘A POWER GRAB THAT UNDERMINES OUR DEMOCRACY’ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — who is running for U.S. Senate, hoping to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn — referred to the Democrats who fled the state as “rogue legislators.” “We are pursuing every legal remedy at our disposal to hold these rogue legislators accountable. Texas deserves representatives who do their jobs instead of running away at the behest of their billionaire handlers. If there’s one thing Texans can’t stand more than losers, it’s cowards,” Paxton noted, according to a press release. ‘ALL-OUT WAR’: FLEEING TEXAS DEMS SIDE WITH NEWSOM AS REDISTRICTING STANDOFF CONTINUES: ‘FIRE WITH FIRE’ “From day one, I have said that all options are on the table when it comes to making sure my colleagues who have fled the House return to fulfill their constitutional obligations,” Burrows said, according to the attorney general office’s press release. “The members who fled have been given ample time and opportunity to return on their own accord, and because they have continued to refuse their responsibilities to their constituents and return to Texas, the State has no choice but to pursue additional legal remedies to compel their return from other states.”
Biden-nominated judge slaps nationwide injunction on Trump birthright citizenship order
A Biden-appointed federal judge issued a nationwide injunction on President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order, arguing that the directive is likely to be found in violation of the Constitution. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued her opinion Thursday after agreeing to certify a class-action lawsuit from immigration rights group CASA. “The Court finds that the plaintiffs have shown they are entitled to a classwide preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs have established that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their constitutional claim because the Executive Order contradicts the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment and conflicts with binding Supreme Court precedent,” Boardman wrote in her ruling. “The plaintiffs also have shown that the class representatives and members will suffer irreparable harm — the denial of citizenship — without injunctive relief. Finally, the plaintiffs have established that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in favor of a preliminary injunction,” she added. “The government will not be harmed by an injunction that maintains the status quo of birthright citizenship, and the plaintiffs will be harmed if the Executive Order is not enjoined pending the outcome of this lawsuit.” TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BLOCKED BY ANOTHER FEDERAL APPEALS JUDGE Boardman is now the fourth judge to issue a block on the executive order since a ruling from the Supreme Court in June, according to The Washington Post. Trump’s order, signed on the first day of his second White House term, directed all U.S. government agencies to refuse to issue citizenship documents to children born to illegal immigrants, or who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen of lawful permanent resident. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER It was almost immediately blocked by lower courts, before eventually making its way to the Supreme Court, which reviewed the case in May. The high court’s 6-3 ruling narrowly focused on the authority of lower courts’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions and did not wade into the legality of Trump’s executive order, which served as the legal pretext for the case. In the ruling, the justices said plaintiffs seeking nationwide relief must file their cases as a class-action lawsuit — prompting a flurry of action from the ACLU, CASA and other immigrant advocacy groups who amended their filings.