Happy New Year 2025

Tag: case

Obama-appointed judge who became Trump rival during election interference case overseeing pivotal DOGE hearing

A federal judge President Donald Trump once described as “the most evil person” is now hearing a lawsuit brought by blue states to stop the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing government data.

First named to the bench in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia Court rose to notoriety in 2021, when she presided over the criminal investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Though, her role Monday centered on whether billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE should be blocked from accessing government data or firing federal employees.

Chutkan is a longtime legal foe of the current president – at least, if her actions from her more than 10 years on the bench are any indication.

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys, from left to right, Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and John Lauro depart federal court after a hearing on then-former President Donald Trump’s election interference case on Sept. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In 2021, Chutkan rejected Trump’s claims of presidential immunity in the 2020 election interference case. The decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court, whose ruling considerably expanded the notion of immunity for U.S. presidents.

The judge did little to remedy any strained tensions in the months that followed. Beyond boasting the harshest sentencing record for all criminal defendants that appeared before her for their roles in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, Chutkan has been outspoken about her view of the day. After Trump moved to pardon and grant clemency to the more than 1,500 convicted, she said the president’s actions “cannot whitewash the blood, feces and terror that the mob left in its wake.”

“And it cannot repair the jagged breach in America’s sacred tradition of peacefully transitioning power,” she continued.

Chutkan also denied Trump’s attempt to block the release of records requested by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, supplying them with some 1,800 pages of documents despite the staunch opposition from Trump’s legal counsel. Trump famously described her, in response, as the “most evil person.”

These actions and words have made her a target of Trump allies.

In 2024, Chutkan was the victim of a “swatting” attack in her Washington, D.C., home, where police responded to what was later determined to be a false shooting report.

DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after landing at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

While it seems unlikely she will side with the states to block DOGE access to federal government data, her record of opposition to Trump’s agenda is unlikely to reassure Trump and his supporters.

During the first Trump administration, Chutkan was criticized by administration officials for many actions they saw as harmful to their policy agenda. In 2018, she temporarily halted the U.S. from blocking the abortions of illegal teenage immigrants – a ruling that was later overturned.

The following year, she ruled then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos had illegally delayed implementing an Obama-era special education equity rule, which required states to identify and correct for racial disparities in special education programs across the country. She ordered the administration to begin implementing the program “immediately,” despite requests from Education Department officials who said they needed more time to do so.

‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’: DOGE’S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS

President Donald Trump, right, speaks as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

She has also not been shy about using her position on the bench to criticize Trump’s actions.

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Following Trump’s decision to grant a mass pardon of the 1,600 criminal dependents involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Chutkan reportedly had to reassure Capitol Police who were at the scene that the “rule of law still applies,” as Politico reported last month.

However, she added at the time, “I’m not sure I can do that very convincingly these days.”

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.

February 18, 2025
Justice Department moves to case against Eric Adams

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Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to drop the Justice Department’s case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, following the departure of several prosecutors who opted to resign rather than follow through with bringing the charges against Adams.

The news comes after a federal prosecutor, Hagan Scotten, resigned Friday in a scathing letter, accusing top DOJ officials of looking for a “fool.”

“Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way,” Scotten told acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Adams reacted to the news of his indictment being dropped Friday, clarifying that he had not made a deal to drop his case.

“I want to be crystal clear with New Yorkers: I never offered — nor did anyone offer on my behalf — any trade of my authority as your mayor for an end to my case. Never,” Adam’s said in a statement released.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle called the decision to dismiss Adam’s’ indictment as “yet another indication that this DOJ will return to its core function of prosecuting dangerous criminals, not pursuing politically motivated witch hunts.”

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“The fact that those who indicted and prosecuted the case refused to follow a direct command is further proof of the disordered and ulterior motives of the prosecutors, Such individuals have no place at DOJ,” Mizelle said in a statement released Friday.

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

February 15, 2025
Federal appeals court dismisses classified records case against former Trump co-defendants

A federal appeals court dismissed the appeal charges brought against President Donald Trump aides Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira by former Special Counsel Jack Smith in his classified documents case, Fox News Digital has learned.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case against Nauta and De Oliveira on Tuesday morning, two weeks after the Justice Department moved to drop the charges.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TEAM

Nauta, Trump’s valet, and De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, had pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging they conspired to obstruct the FBI investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department had filed a motion in January to drop all criminal proceedings against Nauta and De Oliveira, putting an end to Smith’s probe more than two years after it began.

Waltine Nauta, left, takes a phone from Former President Donald Trump at a golf event in Virginia. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022.

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.

Carlos De Oliveira, center, an employee of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, arrives for a court appearance with attorney John Irving, at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building, in July 2023, in Miami. (Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press)

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOVES TO DROP PROSECUTION OF MAR-A-LAGO STAFF IN TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE

Smith also was tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

A federal appeals court dismissed the appeal charges brought against Waltine Nauta, Donald Trump’s valet, and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, pictured here. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.

Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

Both cases were dismissed.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith led the investigation into Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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The Justice Department, in January, fired more than a dozen key officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team prosecuting the president, after then-Acting Attorney General James McHenry said they could not be trusted in “faithfully implementing the president’s agenda.”

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has also directed acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll to identify agents involved in Jan. 6 prosecutions for internal review.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

February 11, 2025
Sotomayor criticizes presidential immunity case as putting the high court’s legitimacy on the line

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the Court’s 2024 presidential immunity case in her first public appearance since the start of the second Trump term, saying it places the Court’s legitimacy on the line.

Sotomayor made the comments during an appearance in Louisville, Kentucky, during which she was asked a range of questions, including the public’s perception of the high court, according to the Associated Press. Sotomayor’s comments are her first in public since President Donald Trump took office last month.

“If we as a court go so much further ahead of people, our legitimacy is going to be questioned,” Sotomayor said during the Louisville event. “I think the immunity case is one of those situations. I don’t think that Americans have accepted that anyone should be above the law in America. Our equality as people was the foundation of our society and of our Constitution.”

‘INTEGRITY OF THE COURT’: CRUZ REINTRODUCES AMENDMENT TO COMBAT COURT EXPANSION EFFORTS

In a 6-3 decision in July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.

The case stemmed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case in which he charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the U.S.; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the Court’s 2024 presidential immunity case in her first public appearance since the start of the second Trump term, saying it places the Court’s legitimacy on the line. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Sotomayor notably wrote the dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, saying the decision “makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law.”

JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS SWEARING IN MULTIPLE TRUMP CABINET OFFICIALS RAISES EYEBROWS AT CNN

“Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law,” the dissent continued. “Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

In a 6-3 decision in July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts. (Donald Trump: Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | Supreme Court: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

During her Louisville appearance, Sotomayor shared that she “had a hard time with the immunity case,” saying the Constitution contains provisions “not exempting the president from criminal activity after an impeachment.”

Sotomayor warned that if the Court were to continue down the same path, the Court’s legitimacy would ultimately be at risk.

SUPREME COURT DENIES TRUMP ATTEMPT TO STOP SENTENCING IN NEW YORK V. TRUMP

“And if we continue going in directions that the public is going to find hard to understand, we’re placing the court at risk,” Sotomayor said.

When asked for comment, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “This historic 6-3 ruling speaks for itself.”

The justice suggested that one way to resolve the public’s distrust in the Court would be to slow down in overturning precedent. The Court has, in recent years, overturned various landmark decisions, including Roe v. Wade in 2022, and striking down affirmative action in college admissions in 2023 and the Chevron doctrine in 2024.

The case stemmed from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case in which he charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“I think that creates instability in the society, in people’s perception of law and people’s perception of whether we’re doing things because of legal analysis or because of partisan views,” Sotomayor said. “Whether those views are accurate or not, I don’t accuse my colleagues of being partisan.”

Sotomayor made similar comments in 2023, saying she had a “a sense of despair” about the Court’s direction following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe. Sotomayor did not name the case specifically.

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However, the justice said she did not have the luxury to dwell on those feelings.

“It’s not an option to fall into despair,” Sotomayor said. “I have to get up and keep fighting.”

Fox News Digital’s Ronn Blitzer and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

February 7, 2025
Coldplay 2025 India Concert Tickets Case: Mumbai Police Drop Charges Against BookMyShow, Cite No Evidence of Manipulation

The Mumbai Police have officially closed the case against ticketing platform BookMyShow regarding allegations of ticket manipulation for Coldplay’s 2025 India concert. According to a report by FPJ, a senior official confirmed that the investigation found no evidence of malpractice. The case stemmed from widespread frustration among fans who struggled to secure tickets for Coldplay’s highly anticipated concerts in Mumbai. Many alleged that tickets were sold out within minutes, only to resurface at significantly higher prices on resale platforms. The uproar led to accusations of potential manipulation, prompting the Mumbai Police to launch an inquiry into BookMyShow’s ticketing process. BookMyShow Crashes? Netizens Trying to Book Coldplay India 2025 Tickets for Mumbai Concert Claim Online Platform To Be Down, Share Screenshot Photos in Frustration!

Mumbai Police’s Findings

The official shared, “During the course of the probe we did not find any evidence to link that the ticket sales were manipulated. On the point that patrons paid different amounts for the tickets, the probe found that BookMyShow had sourced the ticket sale to certain third party vendors and those who bought the tickets through such platforms could have paid higher amounts but that too becomes a case of a civil liability. Additionally, this matter does not constitute a violation of your fundamental rights, nor was anyone forced to buy tickets through coercion. This does not suffice as an ingredient for a criminal complaint.”

Outrage Over Coldplay Ticket Sales

Coldplay performed at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21 as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour. The excitement for the British rock band’s India concerts was immense, with fans rushing to secure tickets as soon as sales went live. However, many fans were left disappointed as tickets on BookMyShow sold out within minutes. Soon after, fans noticed that many tickets had reappeared on resale platforms like Viagogo and Gigsberg at significantly inflated prices. BookMyShow Files Police Complaint Over Fake Ticket Sales for Coldplay’s Mumbai Concert.

Legal Complaint Against BookMyShow

Advocate Amit Vyas had filed a complaint against BookMyShow, accusing the platform of facilitating the black marketing of Coldplay tickets. He alleged that the company deceived the public and sought an FIR to be registered against it on fraud charges. Following the complaint, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police had summoned Ashish Hemrajani, CEO of Big Tree Entertainment (the parent company of BookMyShow), along with the company’s technical head, for questioning regarding the alleged black market sales. Coldplay Ticket Fraud: Mumbai Police Summons BookMyShow CEO and Technical Head for Investigation Over Alleged Black Marketing of Coldplay Concert Tickets.

BookMyShow’s Response to the Allegations & Case Closure

BookMyShow firmly denied any involvement in ticket reselling and issued a statement clarifying that it has no association with third-party resale platforms. The company also confirmed that it had filed its own complaint with the police and cooperated fully with the investigation. Now that the inquiry has been closed, Amit Vyas expressed his disappointment, stating that he had not been formally informed by the EOW about the closure of the preliminary investigation via email, phone, or message, reports FPJ. While the legal proceedings have come to an end, the controversy surrounding ticket reselling for high-demand concerts remains a hot topic among fans.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2025 09:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 7, 2025
Anti-Trump FBI agent responsible for opening Jack Smith elector case against president: Whistleblower

EXCLUSIVE: WASHINGTON—A previously identified anti-Trump FBI agent allegedly broke protocol and played a critical role in opening and advancing the bureau’s original investigation related to the 2020 election, tying President Donald Trump to the probe without sufficient predication, whistleblower disclosures obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley revealed.

That investigation into Trump was formally opened at the FBI on April 13, 2022, and was known inside the bureau as “Arctic Frost,” Fox News Digital has learned.

EX-FBI OFFICIAL WHO SHUT DOWN HUNTER BIDEN LINES OF INVESTIGATION VIOLATED HATCH ACT WITH ANTI-TRUMP POSTS

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson shared internal FBI emails and predicating documents — legally protected whistleblower disclosures — exclusively with Fox News Digital.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is seen in the U.S. Capitol after the senate luncheons on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The senators say the documents prove the genesis of the federal election interference case brought against Trump began at the hands of FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault.

Fox News Digital exclusively reported in 2024 that Thibault had been fired from the FBI after he violated the Hatch Act in his political posts on social media. Previous whistleblowers claimed that Thibault had shown a “pattern of active public partisanship,” which likely affected investigations involving Trump and Hunter Biden.

Grassley first publicly revealed the existence of the whistleblower disclosures during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee to serve as FBI director, Kash Patel, on Thursday.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) questions Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill, on July 30, 2024. (Umit Bektas)

One email, obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed Thibault communicating with a subordinate agent on Feb. 14, 2022.

Thibault said: “Here is draft opening language we discussed,” and attached material that would later become part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s elector case.

Another email, sent by Thibault on Feb. 24, 2022, to a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, John Crabb, states: “I had a discussion with the case team and we believe there to be predication to include former President of the United States Donald J. Trump as a predicated subject.”

Sources told Fox News Digital, though, that Thibault took the action to open the investigation and involve Trump, despite being unauthorized to open criminal investigations in his role — only special agents have the authority to open criminal investigations.

Another email, sent on the same day, notes that he would seek approval from Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray to open the case.

Next, an email on Feb. 25, 2022, sent by a subordinate agent, Michelle Ball, to Thibault states that they added Trump and others as a criminal subject to the case.

Thibault responded: “Perfect.”

The fifth email, reviewed by Fox News Digital, reveals Thibault emailing a version of an investigative opening for approval. However, this email did not include Trump as a criminal subject.

The sixth email, from April 11, 2022, shows Thibault approving the opening of Arctic Frost, and the next email, on April 13, 2022, was from an FBI agent to Thibault stating that the FBI deputy director approved its opening.

Another email reviewed by Fox News Digital shows Thibault emailing DOJ official John Crabb notifying him that the elector case was approved.

Crabb responded, “Thanks a lot. Let’s talk next week.”

“Between March 22 and April 13, other versions of the document opening the investigation existed, because a ninth email shows that the FBI General Counsel’s office made edits on March 25,” Grassley said during Patel’s confirmation hearing Thursday. “Was Trump still removed as an investigative subject? If so, which Justice Department and FBI officials – other than Jack Smith – later added him for prosecution?”

The email records appear to show that an official in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, Richard Pilger, reviewed and approved the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation, authorizing DOJ to move forward with a full field criminal and grand jury investigation that ultimately transformed into Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Trump-elector case.

Grassley, in 2021, published a report which raised concerns regarding Pilger’s record at DOJ.

Fox News Digital first reported in July 2022 that Grassley warned Attorney General Merrick Garland that Thibault and Pilger were “deeply involved in the decisions to open and pursue election-related investigations against President Trump.”

GRASSLEY PRESSES DOJ, FBI FOR TRANSPARENCY ON ‘PARTISAN’ POLITICIZATION OF AGENCIES, HUNTER BIDEN PROBE

At the time, whistleblowers told Grassley that the Thibault-Pilger investigation’s predicating document was based on information from “liberal nonprofit American Oversight.”

In the investigation’s opening memo sent to the upper levels of the DOJ for approval, however, whistleblowers claimed Thibault and Pilger “removed or watered-down material connected to the aforementioned left-wing entities that existed in previous versions and recommended that a full investigation — not a preliminary investigation — be approved.”

Based on Smith’s scope memo, Grassley and Johnson, in 2022, wrote that the Thibault-Pilger investigation was included in the special counsel’s jurisdiction.

They also pointed out that Smith had a prior relationship with Pilger. Smith was in charge of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Unit while Pilger was in charge of the Election Crimes Branch.

Grassley and Johnson, in 2022, began sounding the alarm that Special Counsel Jack Smith was “overseeing an investigation that was allegedly defective in its initial steps and an investigation which his former subordinate [Pilger] was involved in opening.”

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022.

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.

Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith appear in a side-by-side photograph. (Fox News Digital)

HOUSE WEAPONIZATION PANEL RELEASES 17,000-PAGE REPORT EXPOSING ‘TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT’

Smith also was tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.

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Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

Grassley, during the confirmation hearing on Thursday, said he is requesting “the production of all records on this matter to better understand the full fact pattern and whether other records exist.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

January 30, 2025
Disgraced ex-Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in bribery case

Judge Sidney Stein sentenced disgraced former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez to 11 years in prison on Wednesday, concluding his trial for a “long-running bribery and foreign influence scheme of rare gravity.”

Prosecutors had requested a 15-year sentence for Menendez, 71, after he was convicted on July 24 on 16 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He is the first U.S. Senator in American history to be convicted of working as a foreign agent. His co-defendents, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, were also sentenced to 8 years and 7 years respectively.

“As proven at trial, the defendants engaged, for years, in a corruption and foreign influence scheme of stunning brazenness, breadth, and duration, resulting in exceptionally grave abuses of power at the highest levels of the Legislative Branch of the United States Government,” prosecutors wrote.

Menendez’ conviction came after a nine-week-long trial. The former Democratic lawmaker was accused of accepting gifts totaling more than $100,000 in gold bars as well as cash.

DEMOCRATIC SEN. BOB MENENDEZ GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES IN FEDERAL CORRUPTION TRIAL

Sen. Bob Menendez resigned in disgrace and was convicted of working as a foreign agent. (Getty Images)

The disgraced Democrat was accused and convicted of participating in a yearslong bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who is set to go on trial on March 18, also allegedly participated in the scheme. She is accused of receiving paychecks for a job that did not exist.

BOB MENENDEZ TO RESIGN FROM SENATE AMID DEMOCRATIC PRESSURE AFTER GUILTY VERDICT

“Menendez, who swore an oath to represent the United States and the state of New Jersey, instead put his high office up for sale in exchange for this hoard of bribes,” prosecutors wrote ahead of the sentencing.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, left, and his wife Nadine Menendez arrive at the federal courthouse in New York, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)

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Menendez, who was charged in 2023, made history in July 2024 when he became the first US senator to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent. His conviction came after a nine-week-long trial. The former Democratic lawmaker was accused of accepting gifts totaling more than $100,000 in gold bars as well as cash.

Jamie Joseph, Rachel Wolf, and Maria Paronich contributed to this report

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

January 29, 2025
Justice Department moves to prosecution of Trump co-defendants, ending classified documents case

The Justice Department filed a motion Wednesday to drop all criminal proceedings against two former Trump co-defendants charged in the special counsel’s classified documents case, putting a final end to the probe more than two years after it began.

The request for the charges to be dropped was filed Wednesday by the acting U.S. attorney in Miami, Hayden O’Byrne, without explanation.

The co-defendants, Carlos De Oliveira, a Mar-a-Lago property manager, and Walt Nauta, a valet at the property, were charged alongside President Donald Trump in the classified documents case led by former Special Counsel Jack Smith.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

Special Counsel Jack Smith arrives to offer remarks on an indictment including four felony counts against former President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Smith was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate both the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as his keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Florida residence after leaving the White House.

Both investigations were halted shortly after Trump won election for the second time in 2024, in keeping with long-standing Justice Department policy against investigating a sitting president.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKING TO WIND DOWN TRUMP CRIMINAL CASES AHEAD OF INAUGURATION

Photos from Mar-a-Lago that were included in the special counsel indictment of former President Donald Trump. (U.S. Department of Justice)

But the charges against Nauta and De Oliveira still stood.

Attorneys for two of Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case filed an emergency motion to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to block the report’s publication earlier this year, alleging that their civilian clients would “irreparably suffer harm” as a result of its release.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols outside the Mar-a-Lago Club on Nov. 8, 2024, across from West Palm Beach, Florida. ( Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

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Both had been charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an investigation, and making false statements to the FBI.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

January 29, 2025
California ‘lawfare’ case against pro-lifers first brought by Kamala Harris ends after nine years

California authorities on Tuesday announced an end to their nearly decade-long criminal prosecution of an independent journalist and an anti-abortion activist who secretly recorded videos showing Planned Parenthood allegedly selling aborted fetal tissue.

The pair at the center of the legal fight, founder of the Center for Medical Progress David Daleiden and journalist Sandra Merritt, agreed to a “no-contest” plea deal on a single charge, resulting in no fines or prison sentences. California prosecutors had at one point pursued up to 15 felony counts in a case Daleiden said was politically motivated “lawfare.”

“My case is the first and only one that was ever criminally charged by the state attorney general’s office, and it was because of Planned Parenthood’s demand to cover up the information that was on those video recordings about how they’re using partial birth abortions to sell late-term aborted baby body parts at their taxpayer funded mega clinics across the state of California and across the country,” Daleiden told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday.

“I’m no expert, but I definitely think that the election has something to do with it,” Daleiden said when asked why he thinks prosecutors dropped the charges all these years later. Daleiden dubbed the litigation “lawfare,” in a post on X.

TRANS INMATE’S LAWSUIT CHALLENGES TRUMP ‘TWO-SEXES’ ORDER CUTTING OFF TAX MONEY FOR GENDER THERAPY

Founder of Center for Medical Progress, David Daleiden, and pro-life journalist Sandra Merritt had their California case dropped with no prison time or fines on Monday. The pair secretly recorded videos showing Planned Parenthood allegedly selling aborted fetal tissue. (Getty Images)

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, California State Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “While the Trump Administration is issuing pardons to individuals convicted of harming reproductive health clinics and providers, my office is securing criminal convictions to ensure that Californians can exercise their constitutional rights to reproductive healthcare.”

“We will not hesitate to continue taking action against those who threaten access to abortion care — whether by recording confidential conversations or other means,” he said.

Daleiden and Merritt’s plea agreement requires no contact with victims, no public identification of them, and compliance with all laws, including restrictions on recording, according to Bonta’s office.

“[T]his entire case was an exercise in grotesquely political weaponization of government.” – pro-life activist David Daleiden

As the then-California Attorney General, Kamala Harris initiated an investigation into Daleiden’s Center for Medical Progress, focusing on the legality of their undercover methods and a narrow application of the state’s eavesdropping law following the release of undercover footage. In 2016, a Texas grand jury indicted Daleiden and Merritt on felony charges related to the creation of fake IDs and offering to purchase fetal tissue. These charges, however, were later dismissed.

In April 2016, under then-AG Harris, California authorities raided Daleiden’s home for evidence, prompting questions about her relationship with Planned Parenthood, which has donated to her campaigns and many other Democrats.

Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate months later and resigned as state attorney general in January 2017.

In 2017, California prosecutors under Harris’ successor Xavier Becerra charged Daleiden and Merritt with 15 felony counts, including criminal conspiracy and invasion of privacy, for recording individuals without consent.

“They pursued this case viciously for nine years, because it was such a priority for national Planned Parenthood,” Daleiden said. “But ultimately, it’s a totally weaponized political prosecution. They’re totally wrong on the facts and the law of undercover video reporting in California, all the conversations that me and my team recorded were in public areas where other people could overhear.”

“For the Attorney General’s Office of California to come this far after nine years, and essentially walk away with nothing… just shows this entire case was an exercise in grotesquely political weaponization of government.”

STATE AGS WARN RETAIL GIANT COSTCO FOR DOUBLING DOWN ON ‘DISCRIMINATORY’ DEI

Planned Parenthood is sending a bus to the DNC. (Getty Images)

When the recordings were released, Planned Parenthood maintained it strictly donates the specimens, charging only for transportation and storage costs.

Some of the videos were recorded in 2015 during meetings between Daleiden’s operatives, posing as representatives of a fetal tissue procurement company, and various Planned Parenthood staff members. The hours-long footage published online showed conversations in which Planned Parenthood providers and executives appeared to negotiate prices for fetal tissue and discuss under-the-table procedures for obtaining it.

Merritt was involved in the undercover operation as one of the key figures behind the release of the footage alongside Daleiden.

“Sandra Merritt did nothing wrong,” Merritt’s attorneys at the Christian law firm Liberty Counsel said in a statement Monday. “She did the right thing by exposing the depravity of the abortion industry.”

According to a 2015 Guardian report, Planned Parenthood stopped accepting reimbursements for its fetal tissue donation program following state and federal probes after Daleiden’s undercover videos.

TRUMP’S ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER COMES ON HEELS OF SCOTUS ACCEPTING ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO LGBT AGENDA

North Dakota’s previous restrictions on abortion were challenged in court by what was formerly state’s only abortion clinic. Pictured is an abortion clinic in Idaho. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday, “to end the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion,” reinforcing the Hyde Amendment. As a result, organizations like Planned Parenthood, which provide abortion services, may face funding challenges depending on how the organization receives its funds for elective abortions.

According to a blog post by the organization’s political action fund, “60% of Planned Parenthood patients rely on public health programs like Medicaid and Title X.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Harris and Planned Parenthood for comment.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 28, 2025
Patriots’ Jabrill Peppers pleads guilty to cocaine possession as part of domestic incident case

New England Patriots veteran safety Jabrill Peppers pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in court on Thursday as part of an Oct. 5, 2024, domestic violence incident.

Peppers, who is facing more charges, should have the charge cleared as long as he finishes a four-month probationary stint without reoffending, per the New York Post.

However, the 29-year-old, who served as a captain this past season for the Patriots, is also being accused of strangulation and assault and battery after a woman told authorities that he pushed her head up against a wall, choked her and took her clothes off before forcing her outside.

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New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers appears in Quincy, Mass., District Court for his arraignment on Oct. 7, 2024. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Peppers has pleaded not guilty to those charges, saying that his reported girlfriend was acting “erratic” at the time while also being intoxicated. He alleges she got angry after he declined to have unprotected sex with her.

Marc Brofsky, Peppers’ attorney, said in October that there is “videotaped evidence” which “sheds real doubt on the allegations.”

PATRIOTS SAFETY JABRILL PEPPERS ARRESTED ON ASSAULT, DRUG POSSESSION CHARGES

Patriots owner Robert Kraft noted the team was looking into the incident after Peppers was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list at the time. He later returned to the Patriots in December, where he remained a captain under now-former head coach Jerod Mayo.

Peppers, who hails from East Orange, New Jersey, saw jury selection for his trial begin on Thursday.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers celebrates after a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8, 2024. (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)

A Cleveland Browns first-round pick in 2017, Peppers played two seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the New York Giants, who play not too far from where he grew up.

Peppers was part of the infamous 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade to the Browns.

He played three seasons for the Giants before joining the Patriots for the 2022 season. This past season was underwhelming for the whole franchise as they finished 4-13, leading to Kraft’s decision to remove Mayo as head coach after one season.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (IMAGN)

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Peppers finished the year with 40 combined tackles and one interception over six games.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025