The Reign of Trump

[bilateralrope]

Workers taken to hospital after FBI uses furnace to burn seized meth

2 days ago

Sakshi Venkatraman
BBC News

Fourteen staff members at a US animal shelter have been taken to hospital after the FBI used an incinerator at the facility to burn two pounds of seized methamphetamine.

Staff and some 75 cats and dogs were evacuated from the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana, when the building filled with smoke on Wednesday.

The incinerator is usually used by animal control officers to dispose of euthanised animals, but local authorities said it can also be used by law enforcement to burn seized narcotics.

The cats and dogs have been relocated, and the animals which experienced the most smoke exposure are now under supervision.

The incident was caused when smoke was pushed in the wrong direction because of negative pressure, according to Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland.

Shelter executive director Triniti Halverson said she was unaware that a drug burn was happening.

"I can firmly and confidently say that, as the Executive Director, I did not know that they were disposing of extremely dangerous narcotics onsite," she wrote in a statement.

"My team and my animals had been confirmed to have been exposed to meth," she said.

Before evacuating themselves, many employees put on masks and helped get the animals out.

Some staff were exposed to the smoke for more than an hour, and several began to feel sick. All 14 went to the emergency room, where they spent about three hours in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to combat the effects of smoke inhalation.

FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker told CBS News that the agency routinely uses outside facilities for controlled drug evidence burns.

The impacted animals were given veterinary care and placed in temporary housing, including four litters of kittens who are being closely monitored because they were closed in a room with the smoke, Ms Halverson told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

A restoration team has also begun decontaminating the building, she said, but the process will take at least two weeks to a month.

Calling the incident "heartbreaking", Halverson is asking the public for donations to source supplies like dog and cat food, blankets and bottles.

"We are displaced, lost, and homeless. For many of us — staff, volunteers, and fosters — YVAS is our safe space," she said.

Under Trump, the FBI have forgotten how to safely dispose of meth.

[bilateralrope]

‘We can’t delay any longer’: Trump urges Bondi to prosecute his rivals

In a Truth Social post Saturday, the president specifically called out Sen. Adam Schiff, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James for prosecution.

By Kyle Cheney
09/20/2025 07:44 PM EDT
Updated: 09/20/2025 09:18 PM EDT

President Donald Trump publicly vented at Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday, saying the lack of criminal charges against top adversaries was “killing our reputation and credibility.”

“We can’t delay any longer,” Trump posted on Truth Social in a message directed to “Pam.” “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” He specifically lamented the lack of criminal charges against Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, three of his most prominent political antagonists.

Trump spent much of the post venting about Erik Siebert, the former U.S. attorney from the Eastern District of Virginia, who he forced out Friday amid reports that Siebert did not believe there was enough evidence to charge James with mortgage fraud.

Trump appeared to confirm those reports, accusing Siebert of saying “that we had no case.”

“There is a GREAT CASE,” Trump said.

Trump also appeared to float his onetime personal attorney Lindsey Halligan — now a White House aide who has been reviewing materials in the Smithsonian museums to ensure they align with Trump’s agenda — to take on a role in the probes of his adversaries.

“Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot,” Trump wrote. He later posted that he intended to nominate Halligan to the post, though it’s still unclear if he wants Bondi to immediately install her in the job on an interim basis.

It was a remarkable public message to the nation’s top law enforcement officer, linking his personal grievances over his own criminal prosecutions and congressional impeachments to a potential decision by federal prosecutors to level criminal charges against his adversaries. Trump’s frustration stemmed in part, he said, from “30 statements and posts” from allies that complained “nothing is being done” to punish his longtime rivals.

Trump amplified his post in a brief gaggle with reporters on Saturday night, saying the post was not meant as a criticism of Bondi but that “we have to act fast.”

“One way or the other. They’re guilty, they’re not guilty. We have to act fast,” Trump said. “If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty, or if they should be judged, they should be judged. And we have to do it now.”

Trump has long accused Comey, Schiff and James, without evidence, of criminal conduct. Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017 amid frustrations over the investigation of his campaign’s contacts with Russia. Schiff led Trump’s first impeachment trial over his decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine over a demand that the Ukrainian government investigate his political rivals. And Trump has railed against James for her sprawling lawsuit against his business empire that led to a massive civil judgment against him.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The message came after POLITICO reported that Bondi had elevated little-known prosecutor Mary “Maggie” Cleary to succeed Siebert, taking on the job as acting U.S. attorney amid questions about the investigation into James.

Trump capped his message to Bondi by accusing Democrats of impeaching him twice and indicting him five times “over nothing.” In 2023, Trump was charged in criminal cases that accused him of seeking to subvert the 2020 presidential election, corrupt Georgia’s election process, hoard classified information at Mar-a-Lago after his first term and cover up a hush money payment scheme.

Only the hush money case, brought by Manhattan prosecutors, reached a jury, which found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts. Two of the cases, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, were dropped after Trump won the 2024 election. And the Georgia case remains mired in pretrial dysfunction, with lead prosecutor Fani Willis recently disqualified over a conflict of interest.

I wonder how long it will take before Trump's people manage to blow up a high profile case that they should have been able to win.

Like the Charlie Kirk shooter.

[Solauren]

I wonder if anyone has explained to them that "those people have actually commited nothing they that could be charged or go to jail over, and taking them to court is what would ruin our credibility." and it would be better to say "we investigated them, and shockingly, they didn't break any crimes. They're scumbags, but they're at least not lawbreakers."

Probably haven't, for fear of Trumps reaction.

[bilateralrope]

I wonder if anyone has explained to them that "those people have actually commited nothing they that could be charged or go to jail over, and taking them to court is what would ruin our credibility." and it would be better to say "we investigated them, and shockingly, they didn't break any crimes. They're scumbags, but they're at least not lawbreakers."

Probably haven't, for fear of Trumps reaction.

That credibility is already gone with judges. Except for SCOTUS. Also the DOJ keeps failing to get indictments from grand juries.

In Trump's administration, competence seems to be a fireable offense.

[Solauren]

I wonder if anyone has explained to them that "those people have actually commited nothing they that could be charged or go to jail over, and taking them to court is what would ruin our credibility." and it would be better to say "we investigated them, and shockingly, they didn't break any crimes. They're scumbags, but they're at least not lawbreakers."

Probably haven't, for fear of Trumps reaction.

That credibility is already gone with judges. Except for SCOTUS. Also the DOJ keeps failing to get indictments from grand juries.

In Trump's administration, competence seems to be a fireable offense.

The competent ones are just staying out of the limelight/off Trumps radar.

[bilateralrope]

Luigi Mangione's lawyers slam Charlie Kirk comparisons made by Trump administration

Some have compared Kirk's slaying to other recent acts of political violence, including the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.

Sept. 25, 2025, 2:15 AM GMT+12 / Updated Sept. 25, 2025, 10:28 AM GMT+12
By Matt Lavietes

A federal judge said Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other administration officials may have violated the law with their recent public statements about Luigi Mangione.

In a court filing, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett ordered the Justice Department to respond to a letter Mangione's lawyers sent Tuesday.

The letter accused the Trump administration of violating their client's right to a fair trial in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Mangione's lawyers referred to several comments administration officials made about Mangione in the days after Kirk's killing, some by Trump.

"The Government has indelibly prejudiced Mr. Mangione by baselessly linking him to unrelated violent events, and left-wing extremist groups, despite there being no connection or affiliation," the letter reads. "A recent, tragic, high-profile murder has only increased this prejudicial rhetoric."

Kirk, a popular conservative activist and podcaster, was assassinated as he was speaking at an event on a college campus in Utah on Sept. 10. Commenters have compared the killing to other recent acts of political violence, including the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel in December.

Mangione, 26, is charged with state and federal crimes in connection with Thompson's death. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. State prosecutors have presented diary entries they say belong to Mangione that include references to killing a health insurance CEO to make a statement about the broader health care industry.

Mangione's lawyers pointed to Trump's interview with Fox News on Sept. 18, a little over a week after Kirk was killed, in which he said Mangione "shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me. ... He shot him right in the middle of the back — instantly dead. ... This is a sickness. This really has to be studied and investigated."

The letter notes that an X account affiliated with the White House, Rapid Response 47, posted a video with Trump's comment about Mangione to its millions of followers a day later.

It adds that Chad Gilmartin, the deputy director of the Justice Department's Public Affairs Office, reposted the video and wrote that Trump "is absolutely right."

Mangione's lawyers also pointed to comments White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made on Sept. 22, when she referred to Mangione as a "left-wing assassin [who] shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson right in the back in New York City."

Last, the attorneys pointed to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller's comment in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. Miller, referring to Mangione, said that "of course the health care CEO was brutally gunned down by another self-described so-called anti-fascist that was then celebrated by other self-described anti-fascists, so, of course, really communist revolutionaries."

Mangione’s lawyers wrote: "The attempts to connect Mr. Mangione with these incidents and paint him as a 'left wing' violent extremist are false, prejudicial, and part of a greater political narrative that has no place in any criminal case, especially one where the death penalty is at stake."

In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Mangione’s federal case.

Mangione’s lawyers also argued that the administration was violating an April court order by making such comments publicly.

In her order Wednesday, Garnett directed the government to give a sworn declaration of “how these violations occurred."

Mangione's lawyers declined to comment. The White House referred NBC News to the Justice Department, which did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, declined to comment.

A New York state judge dismissed state terrorism charges against Mangione last week, arguing that the crime he is accused of does not fit "within the definition of terrorism."

Days later, Mangione's attorneys filed a 114-page motion in his federal case, arguing that federal prosecutors should be precluded from treating it as a death penalty case and that the indictment should be dismissed.

Federal judge warns Trump DOJ of sanctions, contempt for rule violations in Mangione case

Trump officials have already broken the rules in a high-profile death penalty case. Will it matter?

Sept. 26, 2025, 3:57 AM GMT+12
By Jordan Rubin

Is the Trump administration trying to mess up its prosecution of Luigi Mangione? How it responds to a federal judge’s new order will show its priorities.

The order came Wednesday in Mangione’s federal case (he has a state case, too), after his lawyers wrote to the judge to complain of what they said was illegal Justice Department conduct. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett seemed to agree, writing that actions by high-ranking DOJ staff members “appear to be in direct violation” of a court rule and prior court order.

Mangione’s lawyers wrote to the Biden appointee Tuesday that the government “has continued to prejudice his right to a fair trial in a death penalty case.” They pointed to officials promoting on social media, in a since-deleted post, President Donald Trump’s statement in a Fox News interview that Mangione “shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me . . . he shot him right in the middle of the back — instantly dead.”

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murdering health care executive Brian Thompson in one of the most high-profile cases of Trump’s second term. The defense letter comes amid Mangione’s broader attack on the government’s attempt to use the death penalty against him, which Garnett has yet to rule on.

In her order on this narrower issue Wednesday, Garnett highlighted the court rule in question, which instructs lawyers and nonlawyer personnel in their offices not to release or authorize the release of any opinion “if there is a substantial likelihood that the dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the due administration of justice.” She noted that the rule gives as an example of such a prohibited statement any “opinion as to the accused’s guilt or innocence or as to the merits of the case or the evidence in the case.”

In her order, the judge gave the DOJ until Oct. 3 to explain “how these violations occurred” and “what steps are being taken to ensure that no future violations occur.” She also warned that “future violations may result in sanctions, which could include personal financial penalties, contempt of court findings, or relief specific to the prosecution of this matter.”

It’s that last, vague phrase — “relief specific to the prosecution of this matter” — that suggests the DOJ’s actions could hurt the case itself. I use that flimsier wording like “suggest” and “could” because that’s the tenor of the order, which implies that no judicial discipline will be carried out against officials for violations the judge said have already occurred; but there may be some as-yet unspecified discipline for future violations.

Perhaps the judge is mindful that any consequence she imposes could be upended on appeal, as happened in a different case in August, when a Trump-appointed appellate panel majority tossed a judge’s probable cause order that raised the prospect of contempt proceedings against Trump officials.

To be sure, it might be annoying for the DOJ to have to come up with an explanation for why government officials violated a court rule and order. Beyond that, it’s unclear what, if any, consequence the government will suffer here. As ever, it seems that Trump officials will have to try to mess up the case — and even then, it remains unclear what consequence would come should officials keep breaking the rules.

Looks like this could be the first case Trump's regime blows up because they can't keep their mouths shut.

[bilateralrope]

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted

Updated 2 hr ago

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury, an extraordinary escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies.

Comey, a longtime adversary of the president, is now the first senior government official to face federal charges in one of Trump’s largest grievances: the 2016 investigation into whether his first presidential campaign colluded with Russia.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Comey has been charged with giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, and he could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Both charges are connected to his September 30, 2020, testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. A source told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the indictment for lying to Congress is related to the FBI’s “Arctic haze” leak investigation, related to classified information that ended up in four different newspaper articles.

Appearing by Zoom, Comey testified that “he had not authorized someone else to be an anonymous source in news reports,” the indictment said. “That statement was false.”

Comey responded to the indictment in an Instagram video, saying, “Let’s have a trial. And keep the faith.”

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I’m innocent,” he added.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X, “No one is above the law.”

“Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people,” Bondi wrote. “We will follow the facts in this case.”

Inside the courthouse

The charges were presented by Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney and the new top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia. She was not accompanied by any career prosecutor and is the only Justice Department official who signed the charging documents.

During a brief hearing, a judge announced the new case against Comey and said publicly that 14 jurors agreed to indict on the counts of false statements in the jurisdiction of a congressional proceeding and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.

Halligan, who had never presented to a grand jury, did a crash course to prepare with DOJ attorneys and FBI officials ahead of Thursday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Halligan participated in a number of “practice runs” and spent hours going through the material in preparation.

Comey’s answers about leaks to media in 2020 testimony key to indictment

Comey was charged for an alleged false statement he made to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 30, 2020, though he had been asked the same question years earlier under oath.

Prosecutors say Comey authorized a leak to the media about an FBI investigation via an anonymous source, but he then told the Senate he had not.

In his 2020 Senate hearing, appearing by Zoom, Sen. Ted Cruz read to Comey an exchange he had with a different senator, Chuck Grassley, during congressional testimony three years prior.

Cruz said to Comey in 2020:

“On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman Grassley asked you point blank, ‘Have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?’ You responded under oath, ‘Never.’ He then asked you, ‘Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?’ You responded again under oath, ‘No.’”

Comey then said to Cruz: “I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”

Grand jury rejected third charge against Comey

A court record made public on Thursday certified that the grand jury voted “no” on indicting Comey on another alleged false statement to Congress — a very unusual occurrence in the federal court system.

That other false statement allegation, which is not part of the indictment of Comey, according to this record, appears to pinpoint Comey’s answer when he was asked about an alleged plan from Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

“That doesn’t ring any bells with me,” Comey testified in 2020 in response to a question from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

In the Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, Graham told Comey about an alleged plan in 2016 where Clinton wanted to distract the public from her use of a private email server and fuel the 2016 Russia investigation around Trump and Russian hackers hurting the US elections.

That question and answer has long fed conservative theories about Comey wanting to hurt Trump and assist Clinton during the campaign and into Trump’s first presidency.

The grand jury did not have a majority of 12 yes votes, out of a possible 23, to indict Comey for that exchange with Graham, according to the court record.

Comey’s son-in-law resigns

Comey’s son-in-law, Troy A. Edwards, Jr., resigned Thursday from his position as a senior national security prosecutor shortly after the former FBI director was indicted, according to a letter obtained by CNN.

In a one-sentence letter to Halligan, Edwards wrote: “To uphold my oath to the Constitution and country, I hereby resign as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in the Department of Justice effective immediately.”

Previous concerns about charges

The indictment Thursday evening comes as CNN previously reported concerns Bondi and prosecutors have had about the case.

Bondi is facing pressure from Trump, who is demanding his political enemies face criminal charges as he once did. But attorneys inside the Eastern District of Virginia recently wrote a memo detailing their reservations over seeking the indictment, ABC News first reported.

Bondi had concerns about the case, which focuses on whether Comey made false statements during congressional testimony involving the 2016 investigation into Russian interference in the US presidential election, according to a person familiar with her thinking, though she believes it would be possible to bring an indictment.

Late Thursday, Bondi replied to CNN’s reporting, stating, “That is a flat out lie.”

The attorney general had dinner at the White House Rose Garden with Trump and others Wednesday evening.

‘I just want people to act’

Publicly and privately, Trump has complained that prosecutors were willing to bring numerous criminal cases against him while he was out of office, noting that in those instances he was charged with whatever they had at the time, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The person added that Trump has repeatedly said that the Justice Department should bring the best case it can when it comes to his political opponents and let the court decide the rest.

“I just want people to act. And we want to act fast,” Trump told reporters Saturday as he departed the White House. “If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty, or if they should be charged, they should be charged, and we have to do it now.”

Some inside the White House view Halligan’s willingness to bring the case as her jumping on a grenade to please Trump – though that is why she was picked to take on the role of leading the Eastern District of Virginia. While several Justice Department officials are worried about the strength of any case against Comey, multiple political aides share a different view: they prosecuted Trump, so people like Comey deserve to be prosecuted, too.

Comey is expected to be arraigned in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 9, according to the court record.

The evidence is so weak that the previous prosecutor resigned, and Trump got someone who used to be his personal attorney. Someone who Trump didn't fire for telling him he was wrong. Someone who took the job knowing she would only have a few days to get the indictment before the statute of limitations expired. Someone who had never presented before a grand jury before.

I wonder how Halligan is going to lose this.