Targeting critics with government power
Targeting critics with government power is the deployment of state instruments — audits, investigations, licensing actions, contracting decisions, security clearances — against individuals or organizations because they have publicly criticized the administration. Concrete forms include directed IRS audits of critics, security-clearance revocations as retaliation for public statements, agency contracting actions against firms whose owners contribute to opposition political activity, and investigations announced on political pretext but functionally retaliatory. The standard is the deployment of state power in response to speech.
2026 Events (90)
U.S. Treasury designated Palestine Action a terrorist group, criminalizing U.S. support for the UK protest group
On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Palestine Action -- a United Kingdom-based direct-action group that has damaged property at defense-contractor sites -- a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, alongside two other groups. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the action from Washington, D.C., framing it as combating "far-left terrorism"; the designation freezes Palestine Action's U.S. assets and makes it a federal crime for any U.S. person to provide funds, goods, or services to the group, reaching American donors and supporters even though the conduct Treasury cited occurred in the UK.
Air Force ordered Maj. Jason Watson into pretrial confinement after he criticized Trump on CNN, second detention since Capitol impeachment protest
U.S. Air Force Major Jason Watson was ordered into pretrial confinement on August 18, 2026, days after he publicly criticized President Trump in a CNN interview and renewed his call for Trump's impeachment. An Air Force spokesperson told CNN that Watson was confined based on "probable cause to support allegations of continued misconduct" after he informed his chain of command he would no longer wear his uniform, and he is being held at a county detention facility in Maryland on a military hold. Watson had previously been arrested by U.S. Capitol Police in July 2026 after publicly calling, in uniform, for the impeachment and removal of Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Kansas City security officers forcibly removed and handcuffed stadium-subsidy critic at public hearing
On August 18, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri City Hall security officers forcibly removed, pinned to the ground, and handcuffed Darrell Miller, a Kauffman Stadium worker and Missouri Workers Power member, during a City Council Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee hearing on a proposed $600 million public subsidy for a new Royals stadium, after he objected that stadium supporters were allowed to exceed the two-minute public comment limit while critics were held strictly to it. Minutes later the committee voted unanimously to advance the funding ordinances, and police later issued Miller a municipal summons for trespassing and assault.
Trump threatened to sue the Center for American Progress and floated naming its donors as co-defendants over a National Guard crime report
On the night of August 11, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to sue the Center for American Progress (CAP) over its July 13 report finding no evidence that National Guard deployments reduced violent crime and estimating the deployments would cost more than $1.7 billion. Trump said he was "strongly considering" adding some of CAP's donors — including George Soros, Bill and Melinda Gates, Google, Apple, and Goldman Sachs — as co-defendants, calling the report a "Radical Left SCAM." The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called the donor-naming threat "wholly incompatible with a free society."
Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's security clearance after his on-record criticism of Air Force One's replacement jet
The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding any sensitive position on August 7, 2026, alleging he disclosed classified details about the Qatari-donated Air Force One replacement's capabilities to a media outlet. The action followed New York Times reporting, in which Kendall was quoted on the record, that the new jet lacked its predecessor's advanced antimissile defenses. Kendall told the Associated Press he was "completely mystified" by the revocation and said no one had specified what he was accused of disclosing.
CFPB placed union organizing chair Stephen Wheeler on administrative leave without disclosing any cause
CFPB placed Stephen Wheeler, chair of the agency's National Treasury Employees Union organizing committee, on administrative leave on August 6, 2026, citing an investigation whose scope and allegations the agency has not disclosed. The union says the timing follows Wheeler's public advocacy — including a July congressional-hearing appearance in union apparel and an NPR interview about forced staff relocations — and calls the investigation retaliatory; Wheeler called it a "fishing expedition." He is the second CFPB union member placed on leave under the Trump administration, after Alexis Goldstein was fired in February 2026 following a leave that began in February 2025.
HSI agent covertly surveilled Rep. Ilhan Omar's town hall from vehicle with mismatched license plates
On the evening of August 6, 2026, an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent was found stationed outside Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-MN) monthly town hall at the Richfield Community Center in Richfield, Minnesota, monitoring the building from a Ford Explorer carrying mismatched license plates. Richfield police grew suspicious, ran the plates, and confronted the agent, who first identified herself as event security before admitting she worked for HSI and was conducting an unrelated undercover operation with no advance coordination with local police. Omar sent an oversight letter to HSI's St. Paul field office demanding an explanation, citing a pattern of the administration using ICE to surveil political opponents.
Senate committee chairman ruled Fauci's Fifth Amendment privilege invalid, moved to hold him in contempt of Congress
On August 4, 2026, Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a resolution to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege more than 100 times at a July 29, 2026 hearing. Paul had ruled during the hearing that Fauci's privilege did not apply because of a prior pardon and ordered him to answer, then treated his continued refusal as "obstruction of a congressional investigation" and scheduled a contempt vote for August 6, 2026.
Wall Street Journal investigation reveals ICE's internal-affairs office ran surveillance operation to unmask hundreds of online critics
A Wall Street Journal investigation published August 3, 2026 found that ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility, traditionally the agency's internal- affairs unit, has issued hundreds of administrative and grand jury subpoenas to social media companies to identify anonymous users critical of the agency, monitoring nearly 20 platforms and cross-referencing DMV records and police reports to map critics' identities and relationships. The investigation documented at least 131 doxxing or threat cases opened between January 2025 and March 2026, and found ICE spending on surveillance technology and contractors rose 57 percent year over year to $258 million; no charges have been filed in most of the identified cases.
State Department published a report naming 40-plus American activists and officials as Cuban front groups
On July 21, 2026, the State Department released a 100-page report claiming Cuba's government has recruited American activists and influenced domestic political movements, naming more than 40 U.S. organizations and public figures — including the Democratic Socialists of America, Code Pink, Black Lives Matter, and members of Congress — as "front groups" or "fellow travelers" without providing evidence of actual direction from Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's department cited McCarthyera blacklists approvingly and framed domestic left-wing political activity as a national security threat.
Federal agencies admitted using keyword filters to cancel nearly $2 billion in University of California research grants
In July 2026, federal agencies admitted in signed court stipulations that they terminated more than a thousand University of California research grants based on keyword searches for politically disfavored terms—including "health equity," "structural racism," and "vaccine hesitancy"—rather than merit-based review. The National Institutes of Health alone suspended or cancelled more than 1,000 UC grants flagged by an internal search tool, and the Department of Transportation terminated six grants worth $42 million for referencing terms like "transportation equity." Lawyers for the UC researchers cited the admissions as proof of First Amendment violations and moved for summary judgment against the Trump administration in federal court.
DOJ opened civil rights investigation into Harvard's China-linked financial aid programs, alleging discrimination against American students
On July 20, 2026, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division opened a Title VI compliance review to determine whether Harvard University's acceptance of approximately $630 million from China-based sources had produced financial aid programs that unlawfully exclude American students by preferentially directing funds to foreign nationals. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the probe, stating that schools cannot accept foreign money to fund aid that "deliberately excludes American citizens." Harvard denied unlawfully discriminating in financial aid allocation and said it would engage with the government.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used law enforcement database to secretly surveil at least 16 environmental advocates and critics
Beginning no later than 2023 and continuing through 2025, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers repeatedly accessed the state's Driver and Vehicle Information Database under false "criminal investigation" pretexts to pull the private records of environmental advocates who had publicly opposed the agency. At least 16 critics had their records accessed. FWC chair Rodney Barreto admitted the practice while framing it as a security measure, but some of the surveilled individuals had never attended an FWC meeting. The agency spokesperson later acknowledged no criminal investigations of the targets existed.
Rubio convened a State Department summit of 66 nations framing 'far-left' political dissent as a transnational terrorist threat
On July 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted delegations from 66 countries in Washington for a State Department summit on what the Trump administration calls a global resurgence of "far-left political terrorism." Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told the assembled diplomats that leftist and Antifa networks operate across borders and require an international counterterrorism response, with Miller characterizing leftists broadly as motivated by "envy" and "hatred," and the State Department separately announced new visa restrictions targeting "Far-Left Terrorist and other aligned groups" the same day. Civil-liberties groups warned the gathering internationalizes a domestic framework already used to bring terrorism-linked charges against protesters.
Gov. Jared Polis fired two Colorado clemency board members after they publicly criticized his commutation of Tina Peters
Colorado Governor Jared Polis fired two members of the state's Executive Clemency Advisory Board on July 1, 2026, after they publicly criticized his May 2026 commutation of convicted election denier Tina Peters. Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff had participated in the board's two unanimous votes against Peters's clemency application and subsequently co-wrote a Denver Post opinion piece revealing those votes and criticizing the governor's override. Polis stated in termination letters that the two members had "breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members' votes pertaining to a clemency application."
HHS Inspector General Bell suspended New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit funding, targeting Democratic AG Letitia James
On June 30, 2026, HHS Inspector General Thomas March Bell suspended federal funding for New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit through at least September 30, citing insufficient criminal indictments and convictions relative to similarly-sized state units. Bell's own letter acknowledged that New York deliberately focused on high-impact, complex fraud cases rather than volume — a strategy the same HHS-OIG office had previously recognized as yielding the highest civil recoveries among states. The freeze is the second suspension of a state Medicaid fraud unit this year and follows the administration's admission of a glaring error in figures used to justify an earlier fraud probe targeting New York.
DOJ used DEI investigation as leverage to force University of Virginia President Jim Ryan to resign
On June 27, 2026, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan announced his resignation, effective no later than August 15, under direct pressure from the Department of Justice. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, had sent Ryan letters in April and June accusing him of failing to dismantle UVA's DEI programs and warning that "the department's patience is wearing thin." PBS NewsHour and NBC News reported that DOJ officials demanded Ryan's resignation as the condition for resolving the investigation, marking the first documented case of the federal government forcing a public university president from office through an active federal probe.
Hegseth forced out Gen. Donahue, last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, amid Pentagon leadership purge
On June 24, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced out Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the last U.S. service member to board the final flight out of Afghanistan in 2021. The Pentagon announced Donahue would relinquish command on July 2, 2026, after just 18 months of a typical three-year tour, without providing a reason for the abrupt change. Donahue's removal is the latest in a series of senior military leadership purges under Hegseth, who has removed more than a dozen top generals and admirals since taking office.
DHS agents entered Syracuse polling place, threatened election worker over Instagram post naming officer who fatally shot protester Renée Good
On June 24, 2026, two DHS/ICE agents arrived at Syracuse Central Library — an active polling place during the city's primary election — and confronted elections inspector Paigelynne Gonyea over a January 2026 Instagram post in which she named the ICE officer who fatally shot anti-ICE protester Renée Good. Agents handed Gonyea a form letter warning her she "may be in violation of federal law" for the post, which was based on a published Minneapolis Star Tribune investigation, and pressured her to delete it. Gonyea refused.
DHS agents visited Rochester man's home and tracked him to NYC hotel over email criticizing ICE director
On June 23, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations agents visited the Rochester, New York home of David Streever while he was traveling in Finland, leaving his wife a warning notice that an email Streever had sent five months earlier to then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons constituted a "credible threat." Two days later, when Streever landed at JFK International Airport on his return, a Homeland Security Investigations agent tracked him to the airport hotel where he was staying and left a business card with the front desk. No criminal charges were filed; attorneys representing Streever called the federal visits unconstitutional government intimidation of protected political speech.
Acting DNI Pulte ordered ODNI offices to rank personnel for mass firings, targeting career intelligence professionals
On June 22, 2026, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte directed Office of the Director of National Intelligence offices to submit ranked lists of their personnel for cuts, beginning an expected mass purge of career intelligence professionals. The National Counterterrorism Center and National Counterintelligence and Security Center were identified as facing the deepest cuts. Pulte, who has no national-security background, assumed the acting DNI role on June 19 following Tulsi Gabbard's departure, and the firings proceed under a June 5 Trump directive to reduce the size of the intelligence community.
GWAR frontman said in a June 17 podcast interview that the Secret Service had contacted the band over a mock execution of a Trump effigy
In a June 2026 interview, GWAR frontman Mike "Blöthar" Bishop said the U.S. Secret Service contacted the veteran heavy-metal band after it staged a mock onstage execution of a Donald Trump effigy during a Warped Tour performance in Washington, D.C. Bishop said the band had performed identical faux executions of other figures — including Barack Obama and Joe Biden — for decades without ever drawing federal attention. Asked by Reason, a Secret Service spokesperson declined to confirm or deny an investigation, saying only that the agency "investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees."
U.S. Attorney charges 15 Minnesota anti-ICE protesters as 'antifa,' invoking Trump's domestic-terrorist executive order
On June 16, 2026, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and HSI Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy announced federal conspiracy charges against 15 members of Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), framing them as "antifa" and explicitly tying the case to President Trump's September 2025 executive order designating antifa a domestic-terrorist organization. The lead charge — conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer — rested substantially on protest-organizing conduct including Signal communications, training sessions, and surveillance of federal vehicles. The announcement came days after DOJ dropped more than a third of its earlier Metro Surge assault cases for prosecutorial misconduct, with one judge barring re-prosecution to prevent "prosecutorial harassment."
Rubio signed memo citing Colombian activist's criticism of Trump-backed candidate as deportation grounds; ICE arrested him same day
On June 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memorandum, under a rarely-used 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act provision, determining that Colombian activist Franklin Humberto "Beto" Coral Garrido's presence in the U.S. was harmful to U.S. foreign policy because he had criticized Trump-endorsed Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella and supported President Gustavo Petro. Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Coral at his Phoenix home that day and canceled a work permit tied to his pending asylum application.
Newsom says Trump's DOJ is investigating him and his wife, alleging political retaliation
On June 15, 2026, California Gov. Gavin Newsom disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and accused President Trump of personally directing the probe as political retaliation for his potential 2028 presidential run. The DOJ's Public Integrity Section, working with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, has been examining alleged tax fraud and misuse of nonprofit funds tied to Siebel Newsom, issuing subpoenas and interviewing associates. Justice Department officials have said the inquiry originated earlier from whistleblower information and was not ordered by the White House.
U.S. Attorney's Office charged two Cop City activists under Trump's NSPM-7 domestic-terrorism framework
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Katie Kloth, 39, and Tyler Norman, 42, on June 12, 2026, on arson and civil disorder charges related to a 2022 protest at the headquarters of the contractor building the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ("Cop City"). The Justice Department's own press release cited the case as part of Trump's nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, led by "Joint Task Force Vanguard," a task force created to pursue left-leaning political activists under a domestic-terrorism framework. The charges mark the second publicly documented use of NSPM-7 as a prosecutorial predicate against political protesters.
ICE deports Adelanto hunger-strike organizer Kyon Swaso to Belize after no-notice out-of-state transfers
On June 12, 2026, ICE deported Kyon Shakeel Swaso — a Belizean national and lead organizer of the hunger strike at California's GEO Group-run Adelanto ICE Processing Center — to Belize, following a series of no-notice transfers to facilities in Texas and Louisiana that his attorneys say violated Central District of California General Order 26-05's advance-notice requirement. The deportation proceeded despite a pending Stay of Removal and Motion to Reopen. The removal came eleven days after Swaso met with members of Congress to report inhumane conditions at Adelanto; DHS disputes that a hunger strike is occurring and characterizes the removal as routine.
Commerce Department forces Anthropic to disable two AI models for all foreign nationals in a first-of-its-kind export-control order
On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce — in a letter from Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei — issued an export-control directive citing national-security authorities that suspended all access to Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models by any foreign national, inside or outside the United States, including the company's own foreign-national employees. To comply, Anthropic abruptly disabled both models for all customers worldwide; its other models were unaffected. The government's stated basis was a belief that a method of "jailbreaking" Fable 5 existed, though the letter gave no details; Anthropic said the cited technique surfaced only minor, previously known vulnerabilities also found in other public models and disputed that it justified recalling a model used by hundreds of millions. Contemporaneous reporting described the order as the first time the U.S. government has forced a leading American AI company to take a publicly deployed model offline.
State Dept. opens investigation into deporting Trita Parsi, prominent critic of Trump's Iran war
The U.S. State Department has opened an investigation into Trita Parsi — an Iranian-born green-card holder of more than 25 years who co-founded the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the National Iranian American Council — reviewing whether to revoke his permanent residency and pursue deportation, according to The Free Press, which cited U.S. officials and documents it reviewed. Parsi has been among the most frequently quoted public critics of the Trump administration's military campaign against Iran. The State Department said it has "no plans to revoke the green card of Mr. Parsi at this time" but declined to rule out future action.
FBI raids Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a voter-registration group
On June 11, 2026, FBI agents raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a nonprofit that runs statewide voter-registration programs, and fanned out across Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati to question current and former staff, serve subpoenas, and seize electronic devices. A board member estimated that more than 100 agents were involved and said investigators alleged voter fraud while presenting no evidence of wrongdoing. The raids came roughly five months before the 2026 midterm elections and drew condemnation from Ohio Democrats and democracy advocates as an attempt to intimidate voter-registration work.
DOJ charged eight U-Michigan divestment activists with 20-year federal felonies a year after state charges against the movement were dropped
On June 10, 2026, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan unsealed a 63-page indictment charging eight pro-Palestinian activists tied to the University of Michigan divestment movement with conspiracy to transmit a threat, conspiracy to tamper with a witness, and destruction of property to prevent seizure — felonies carrying five to twenty years. The charges, announced alongside FBI raids in Ypsilanti, describe a 2024–2025 intimidation campaign: vandalism and graffiti at the homes of the U-M provost and regents, the placement of fake bloody corpses on a board member's lawn, and the defacing of the Jewish Federation of Detroit. The case followed the collapse of an earlier, separate state prosecution: charges Attorney General Dana Nessel brought against U-M encampment protesters in 2024 were all dropped by May 2025. Civil-rights groups say the federal charges treat political advocacy as terrorism and blur protected speech with criminal conduct.
ICE and HHS agents made unannounced, warrantless visits to three migrant-children legal-aid nonprofits
On June 10 and 11, 2026, agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General made unannounced visits, without a warrant or subpoena, to the Washington, D.C.-area offices of three nonprofit legal-aid organizations serving unaccompanied migrant children — Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Ayuda, and Kids in Need of Defense — demanding financial and billing records tied to their federal legal-services contracts. All three organizations declined to comply absent proper legal process, and their leaders said the visits were part of a broader campaign to intimidate legal-aid providers for immigrant children.
State Department blocked NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani's meeting with Colombia's President Petro
On June 10, 2026, the U.S. State Department intervened to block a planned meeting between New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Colombian President Gustavo Petro during Petro's visit to New York for U.N. events, warning Colombian officials in Bogotá that the meeting would violate the terms of the limited visa under which Petro had been admitted. Colombian delegates interpreted the U.S. statements as a threat that Petro could be arrested if he proceeded, and the meeting was cancelled. A senior State Department official said "a visa is a privilege, not a right"; Petro's U.S. visa had been revoked the previous fall after he criticized U.S. support for Israel and urged American soldiers to refuse President Trump's orders.
The Intercept investigation reveals FBI recruited informants from roughly half of Delaney Hall's ~90 protest arrestees
Following the May 29, 2026 mass arrest of approximately 90 protesters at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, the FBI contacted roughly half the arrestees in subsequent weeks to recruit them as informants on other demonstrators. Agents asked targeted protesters to report on "anybody planning to go to Delaney Hall with not the right intentions." Essex County Public Defender Benjamin Van Meter, representing multiple arrested protesters, filed a formal complaint alleging the FBI contacts violated attorney-client privilege.
Bloomberg investigation revealed DOJ subpoenaed X for an anonymous ICE critic's identity, address, and banking data
On May 28, 2026, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Department of Justice, under U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, had issued a federal grand jury subpoena to X seeking the name, address, and banking information of an anonymous user, represented by attorney Joshua Koltun, over a sarcastic post referencing the ICE officer who shot Minneapolis protester Renee Good. The subpoena followed DOJ's withdrawal of an earlier administrative summons for the same information after Koltun challenged it, and neither DOJ nor the user have been told what crime is under investigation. The user has moved to quash the subpoena in federal court, in a case pending before Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.
Southern Poverty Law Center moves to dismiss DOJ fraud indictment as vindictive prosecution
On May 26, 2026, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama asking a federal judge to dismiss as vindictive prosecution the 11-count indictment the Justice Department obtained against it in April 2026 on wire-fraud, false-statement, and money-laundering charges. The motion documents a sustained pattern of public hostility from President Trump and senior officials toward the civil-rights group — including Trump branding it "one of the greatest political scams in American History" — and notes the FBI and IRS reviewed the same conduct in 2019-2020 without seeking charges, only for the case to be reopened after SPLC became a frequent target of the administration. The court has not yet ruled on the motion.
DHS directs ICE to pursue immigration attorneys under asylum-fraud authority
On May 26, 2026, DHS General Counsel James Percival issued a memo directing ICE attorneys in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to develop "anti-fraud policies" for "robust enforcement" of the document-fraud statute (8 U.S.C. § 1324c), stating the effort should include enforcement against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims. The memo explicitly invoked President Trump's March 2026 directive seeking sanctions against lawyers who bring "frivolous" litigation against the government.
DOJ files its second 2026 antisemitism lawsuit against UCLA
On May 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the University of California for the second time in 2026, alleging UCLA was "deliberately indifferent" to Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian encampment protests in spring 2024, in violation of Title VI. The administration had earlier sought more than $1 billion in fines against the university before a federal judge intervened, and several DOJ attorneys have resigned from the underlying investigation, telling reporters the case was "fraudulent," a "sham," and driven by pressure to "find" evidence against UCLA.
Trump DOJ moves to release Biden's private ghostwriter recordings to Heritage Foundation
The Trump Justice Department reversed the prior administration's position and gave notice it will release audio recordings and transcripts of former President Joe Biden's interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer — material gathered during special counsel Robert Hur's classified-documents investigation — to the conservative Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2026 unless a court intervenes. Biden sued the Department on May 26, 2026 to block the release, arguing the recordings contain private conversations, including about his late son Beau's death.
Treasury's OFAC opened a Cuba-sanctions inquiry into Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin and dozens of other convoy participants
In late May 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) demanded records from prominent left-wing government critics — Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, and CodePink coordinator Olivia DiNucci among an estimated 40 Americans — over CodePink's March 2026 "Nuestra América Convoy," which delivered medical and humanitarian aid to Cuba. OFAC is probing whether the aid trip violated U.S. Cuba sanctions law. Benjamin publicly confirmed on May 29 that the organization received an OFAC query posing roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip.
Federal prosecutors drop all charges against Chicago 'Broadview Six' over grand jury misconduct
On May 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois moved in open court to dismiss with prejudice all remaining charges against the "Broadview Six" — protesters criminally charged over a September 2025 demonstration outside the Broadview ICE facility — after his office acknowledged misconduct in the grand jury proceedings that produced the indictment. Defense counsel said the transcripts showed prosecutors improperly vouched for evidence, concealed that an initial grand jury had refused to indict, re-presented the case after excluding grand jurors who disagreed, and redacted transcript pages without telling the court. U.S. District Judge April Perry, who reviewed the transcripts, said she had never in her career seen prosecutorial conduct as bad, and signaled a possible separate hearing on sanctions.
Fayette County schools Superintendent Liggins fabricated a legal threat to intimidate critic, state Rep. Camuel
On May 20, 2026, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins slid a legal-threat document he fabricated -- falsely attributed to a Louisville law firm -- under the office door of Kentucky state Rep. Adrielle Camuel, a district employee who had publicly criticized his leadership, and left additional copies at other district office locations in Lexington. The law firm named in the document confirmed it had never represented or communicated with Liggins, and an investigation the district later commissioned concluded Liggins acted in a "calculated effort" to intimidate Camuel. The Fayette County school board placed Liggins on paid leave in June 2026, and he submitted his retirement in August 2026, days before the investigation's findings were released.
HSI conducts pre-dawn home raids on volunteers of Ventura County ICE-watch group VC Defensa
Before dawn on May 13, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed search warrants at the homes of volunteers of VC Defensa, a Ventura County, California immigrant-rights coalition that patrols neighborhoods to alert residents to ICE operations. Agents searched multiple locations, seized electronic devices, and briefly detained at least two volunteers, who were released the same day. The group's attorney called the operation "completely unconstitutional" and an intimidation tactic against protected organizing and said VC Defensa will sue; DHS said the warrants were part of an "ongoing investigation" and cited prior arrests of unnamed members, though no charges have been filed in connection with the searches.
Alabama AG Marshall subpoenaed Southern Poverty Law Center's donor and hate-group records in civil probe
On May 11, 2026, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall opened a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center and issued a civil investigative subpoena demanding the group's donor records, its disbursements to informants, and payment records tied to organizations in its "extremist files" and "hate map," with documents due June 1. Marshall invoked Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the group's pending federal fraud indictment, saying the office had "always suspected that they were monetizing hate." The subpoena's reach into records connected to SPLC's hate-group designations extended state investigative power into the watchdog's advocacy work.
BIA fast-tracked Mahmoud Khalil's deportation case in 9-day 'unprecedented' turnaround
Internal Department of Justice case-tracking documents obtained by The New York Times and reported publicly on May 11, 2026 reveal that the Board of Immigration Appeals — an appellate body housed within the DOJ — fast-tracked the deportation case of Palestinian Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil along a procedural track that a former BIA member called "unprecedented." Per the internal documents, the case was flagged high-priority before the board officially received it; a staff note instructed handling Khalil's case as if he were still in detention even though he had been released several days earlier; the BIA's April 9, 2026 decision authorizing Khalil's deportation came just nine days after paperwork was submitted; and at least three judges recused themselves from the proceedings.
Hegseth calls for second Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly over weapons-stockpile remarks
On Sunday, May 10, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly called for a second Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) over Kelly's comments on CBS' "Face the Nation" about depleted U.S. munitions stockpiles amid the Iran war, posting that the Pentagon's legal counsel would review whether Kelly had "violate[d] his oath." Kelly, a retired Navy captain who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, responded that the substance of his remarks was not classified and pointed to Hegseth's own prior public testimony about the same stockpile-depletion timeline. The referral came days after a D.C. Circuit panel appeared poised to reject Hegseth's first effort to punish Kelly — an administrative action to reduce Kelly's retired military rank over a November video urging service members to refuse illegal orders.
CNN reveals DOJ shakeup of Brennan probe: career prosecutors warned case was too weak, told 'that's not good enough'
On May 8, 2026, CNN published an investigation detailing how the Justice Department restructured the criminal probe of former CIA Director John Brennan after career prosecutors told leadership the evidence did not support charges. At a Washington meeting earlier in 2026 attended by Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, lead prosecutor Maria Medetis Long told acting Deputy Attorney General Colin McDonald and his top deputy Trent McCotter the case against Brennan was too weak to bring; the reply, per two people briefed on the meeting, was "that's not good enough." Medetis Long was removed days later. CNN reports that with Trump ally Joe diGenova installed in Fort Pierce, Florida, the investigation has been "essentially reset" into a broader conspiracy probe, more than 150 subpoenas have been issued, and another round of subpoenas targeting officials close to Brennan is expected. CBS News corroborates that DOJ veterans fear the probe is being staffed with Trump loyalists.
The National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 UC Berkeley research grants over a disputed foreign-funding claim despite a court injunction
In early May 2026, the National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 active research grants held by University of California, Berkeley scientists, citing unspecified "foreign funding" concerns that affected researchers say do not apply to their projects. The suspensions were imposed despite a standing court injunction restricting such actions, and at least one grant had been canceled by NSF and restored by a court before being suspended again. Berkeley researchers, who have brought a class-action challenge, said they were given almost no information about what NSF considered problematic.
BIA reinstates deportation proceedings against Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi
The Board of Immigration Appeals reinstated removal proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian lawful permanent resident and Columbia University student activist, overturning an immigration judge's February dismissal of the case. The government had pursued Mahdawi's deportation under a rarely used foreign-policy provision invoked by the Secretary of State, after he was detained in 2025 over his pro-Palestinian advocacy and released by a federal court without being charged with any crime.
DOJ Civil Rights Division opened investigation into elected Fairfax prosecutor over immigrant-defendant policies
On May 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division opened a formal investigation into Fairfax County, Virginia, Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, an elected Democratic prosecutor, over his office's charging, plea-bargaining, and sentencing policies toward immigrant defendants. The Division said it would examine whether the office gave immigrant defendants preferential treatment in violation of federal civil-rights law. The probe was announced about a week before Descano's scheduled congressional testimony.
VA investigated employees who attended vigils for slain colleague Alex Pretti and spoke to the press
CNN reported on May 5, 2026 that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs opened internal investigations into employees who attended vigils for Alex Pretti — a VA nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January 2026 — and who spoke to the news media about him. Becky Halioua, a recreational therapist and union leader at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, was investigated for giving a media interview without prior approval; investigators emailed her news photographs of herself at the January 28 vigil with her face circled and labeled. At least three other VA employees were investigated over press contacts, and unions called the probes a "scare tactic" to silence outspoken staff.
EEOC sued The New York Times, alleging its DEI practices discriminated against a white male employee
On May 5, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against The New York Times, alleging the newspaper discriminated against a white male employee passed over for promotion as part of its diversity practices. EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas publicly framed the case as challenging DEI "on behalf of white workers" and as a reorientation of civil-rights enforcement. The action deployed federal legal power against a news organization the administration regularly criticizes.
State Department revokes U.S. visas of five La Nación board members in apparent retaliation
The U.S. State Department revoked the U.S. tourist visas of five of the seven board members of La Nación, Costa Rica's leading watchdog newspaper, in what the paper and press-freedom groups describe as retaliation for its critical editorial line. The board members received no formal notice or explanation — the department cited visa-record confidentiality — and reportedly first learned of the revocations through pro-government Costa Rican media. The move followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Costa Rica and the paper's scrutiny of President Rodrigo Chaves, a Trump ally.
Federal grand jury indicts ex-FBI Director James Comey a second time over '86 47' post
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted former FBI Director James Comey on April 28, 2026, on two counts arising from a May 2025 Instagram post of seashells arranged to read "86 47," which the Justice Department casts as a death threat against President Trump. The charges follow the 2025 collapse of an earlier DOJ case against Comey and the dismissal weeks earlier of Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump faulted for not pursuing his agenda aggressively enough.
DHS training tells USCIS officers to weigh flag-burning, criticism of Israel, and pro-Palestinian protest against green-card applicants
On April 25, 2026, The New York Times reported the existence of internal Department of Homeland Security training materials — not previously published by DHS or USCIS — instructing officers to treat protected political speech as a discretionary negative factor in green-card and other immigration-benefit adjudications. The training names flag-burning, criticism of the state of Israel, and pro-Palestinian campus protest activity as triggers, and directs officers to escalate cases involving "potential anti-American and/or antisemitic conduct or ideology" to USCIS managers and the agency's general counsel's office.
Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith after columns criticizing its restrictions on the newspaper
On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense notified Jacqueline Smith — the congressionally mandated ombudsman charged with protecting the editorial independence of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes — that she was being removed, effective April 28, without stated cause. Smith had spent months criticizing Pentagon moves to control the paper's content, including an April 8 column opposing the cancellation of comics and new editorial restrictions. She said the firing came six days after House members sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter defending the paper's independence.
FBI opened inquiry into NYT reporter Elizabeth Williamson over her story on Director Patel's girlfriend
The New York Times reported on April 22, 2026, that FBI agents searched bureau databases for information on Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson and recommended opening a preliminary investigation into whether her February 28 reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel's decision to provide his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins with round-the-clock SWAT-team security amounted to federal stalking. Justice Department officials ended the inquiry after determining there was no legal basis to proceed and over concerns it was retaliatory. The FBI denied that Williamson was "personally investigated" but confirmed agents had queried databases and interviewed Wilkins about her, framing the work as victim-interview activity tied to a separate death-threat case.
DOJ indicts Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 counts of fraud over $3M informant payments
On April 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama returned an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, charging the 55-year-old civil-rights organization with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering over a covert program in which the SPLC says it paid confidential sources to infiltrate violent extremist groups. The indictment came after the FBI under Director Kash Patel had severed its long-running relationship with the SPLC, and amid publicly expressed presidential pressure on the Justice Department to pursue prosecutions of political opponents. SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair said the organization was "targeted" by the administration and that its informant work "saved lives."
ICE detains Iranian Ph.D. student Yousof Azizi and moves to deport him after BBC Persian commentary on U.S.–Iran war
Federal immigration agents detained Yousof Azizi, a 40-year-old Iranian Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech, outside his Germantown, Maryland home on April 13, 2026, and the Trump administration is moving to deport him. ICE has transferred him through facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and Arizona; his wife, his lawyers, and CAIR say the action is retaliation for his Persian-language media commentary on the U.S. war on Iran, while DHS says he misstated prior involvement with Iran's Student Basij Organization on his visa application and that his student visa was terminated after he failed to re-enroll at Virginia Tech for Fall 2025.
Activist Malik Muhammad vanishes from Oregon custody records, transferred to South Carolina
Malik Muhammad — an Army veteran and activist serving the longest federal sentence of any 2020 Black Lives Matter protester — disappeared from Oregon's inmate-tracking system for weeks in spring 2026 before supporters learned they had been transferred roughly 3,000 miles to Kirkland Correctional Institution in South Carolina, a facility designated a "confidential location." In mid-May, South Carolina's prison system told The Intercept it had no record of anyone named Malik Muhammad in its custody, and Muhammad's Oregon-based attorney has been unable to communicate with them in a privileged manner since the transfer. Muhammad's attorney characterizes the interstate transfer as retaliation for helping other incarcerated people pursue a class-action suit over Oregon's use of solitary confinement; Oregon flatly denies the transfer was retaliatory.
U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed Reddit via secret D.C. grand jury to unmask anti-ICE critic
On March 31, 2026, the Department of Justice ordered Reddit to appear before a secret federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., by April 14 and hand over the name, address, phone number, IP address, and other identifying data of an anonymous user who had criticized ICE in posts. The subpoena came four days after DOJ withdrew a separate administrative summons seeking the same information, which the user's attorneys had moved to quash in federal court in California.
ICE detains Milwaukee Islamic Society president Salah Sarsour over decades-old West Bank record
Roughly a dozen ICE vehicles surrounded Salah Sarsour — a lawful permanent resident of more than 30 years and five-year board president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest Islamic organization — on Milwaukee's south side, where by his family's account a plainclothes officer pointed a gun at him before identifying the arrest as immigration custody. He was moved to the Broadview Detention Center in Illinois and then to a county jail in Indiana, and DHS publicly branded him a "terrorist" and an "illegal alien from Jordan," resting on an Israeli military-court conviction from his teenage years that his counsel says the government knew about when it admitted him in 1993. His attorneys say the government is also invoking the foreign-policy-threat ground used against Mahmoud Khalil and that the case is retaliation for his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
FCC Chair Carr boasts at CPAC that Trump is 'winning' against the 'fake news media'
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas on March 27, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr declared that President Trump "is winning" his fight against the "fake news media," citing the defunding of PBS and NPR, the departures of named journalists and hosts, and ownership changes at CBS and CNN as "results." Carr added the administration was "not at the point yet" of "raising the mission accomplished flag," a week after he had warned broadcasters they would "lose their licenses" over Iran War coverage he called "hoaxes and news distortions."
Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals against NY AG Letitia James after prior indictment was dismissed and two grand juries declined
On March 25, 2026, HUD Secretary and FHFA Director Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals to the DOJ targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging suspected homeowners insurance fraud tied to insurance applications in Florida and Illinois. The referrals were routed to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois — different venues from earlier referrals that produced an indictment a court dismissed and two successive grand jury declines. James's attorneys characterized the action as part of a continuing "revenge campaign" by officials "frustrated by repeated failures, where judges and grand juries have rejected their attempts."
Trump White House declassified closed FBI file on Rep. Swalwell during his gubernatorial campaign
On March 23, 2026, the Trump White House declassified a decade-old, closed FBI investigative file on then-Rep. Eric Swalwell's past association with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, months before California's June 2026 gubernatorial primary in which Swalwell was a leading Democratic candidate. FBI Director Kash Patel had pushed for the file's release even though the bureau's own 2017 review found no corruption violations by Swalwell. Swalwell's attorneys sent Patel a cease-and-desist letter warning the release would violate federal privacy law and the Justice Department's norm against election-season investigatory action targeting a candidate.
FCC Chair Carr threatens broadcasters' licenses over Iran war coverage
On Saturday, March 14, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly warned that television broadcasters "running hoaxes and news distortions" about the war in Iran could "lose their licenses," telling them to "correct course before their license renewals come up." Carr issued the threat while amplifying a Truth Social post by President Trump attacking war coverage by outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Media-law experts and lawmakers called the threat from the nation's chief broadcast regulator "authoritarian" and "unconstitutional."
Loudermilk and Jordan referred Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson to DOJ for potential prosecution over her testimony against Trump
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, joined by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, filed a criminal referral of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson with the Justice Department, CNN reported on March 6, 2026, accusing her of lying to Congress in her June 2022 testimony about President Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021. Hutchinson had testified as the January 6 select committee's star witness that Trump knew of the potential for violence that day and pressed ahead with urging supporters toward the Capitol anyway, and separately described hearing secondhand that he tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle after being told he could not join the crowd. The referral asks DOJ to consider criminal charges against her over that testimony.
Pentagon brands Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' in retaliation for refusing unrestricted military use of its AI models
On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense formally notified Anthropic that the company and its products were designated a "supply chain risk," effective immediately — a label normally reserved for firms tied to foreign adversaries and reportedly the first publicly applied to an American company. The designation, which bars defense contractors from using Anthropic's technology, followed the breakdown of contract talks: the Pentagon demanded access to Anthropic's Claude models "for all lawful purposes," while the company's acceptable-use policy barred their use for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance of Americans. After Anthropic refused to drop those limits, President Trump on February 27 ordered agencies and contractors to halt business with the company and called its stance a "disastrous mistake," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tied the designation directly to the firm's refusal to comply — even as the military continued using Claude to support intelligence and targeting work.
Pentagon formally designated Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after AI-guardrails dispute
On March 5, 2026, the Department of Defense formally notified Anthropic that the company and its products were designated a "supply chain risk," a label normally reserved for foreign adversaries, after Anthropic refused to drop acceptable-use limits barring its Claude models from mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The Pentagon, which gave the military up to six months to phase out the technology, framed the move as ensuring it could use the tools "for all lawful purposes"; Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called the action "retaliatory and punitive" and said the company would challenge it in court. The designation came even as the U.S. military was reportedly using Claude to support its operations in the Iran campaign.
ICE conducts targeted, warrantless arrest of Nashville journalist Estefany Rodríguez
On March 4, 2026, ICE agents carried out a targeted, warrantless arrest of Estefany Rodríguez, the lead immigration reporter for Nashville's Spanish-language outlet Nashville Noticias, one day after she published a widely viewed video showing the identifiable faces of agents conducting a Middle Tennessee operation. Officers were found to have a photo of her logo-marked car and repeatedly identified her in custody as "the journalist"; she was held in isolation, transferred out of state to Alabama and Louisiana, and kept from her attorney from March 4 to March 14 before her release on $10,000 bond on March 19. A federal court ordered ICE to justify the arrest, and government attorneys argued that First Amendment protections "may not even be applicable to an illegal alien."
Trump orders federal agencies and contractors to cut off Anthropic over its AI-use limits
On February 27, 2026, President Trump ordered federal agencies and military contractors to halt business with the AI company Anthropic, giving the government roughly six months to phase out its products. The order followed the breakdown of Pentagon contract talks: the department sought access to Anthropic's Claude models "for all lawful purposes," while the company's acceptable-use policy barred their use for fully autonomous weapons and the mass domestic surveillance of Americans. Announcing the move on Truth Social, Trump called the company's refusal a "disastrous mistake," opening a retaliation campaign that culminated in the March 5 "supply chain risk" designation.
DOJ charges 30 more over anti-ICE Minnesota church protest, bringing total to 39 defendants
On February 27, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota charging 30 additional people — bringing the total to 39 — over the January 18 anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul. All 39 are charged under place-of-worship civil-rights statutes, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, with conspiring to interfere with and interfering with the free exercise of religion; the defendants include independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who say they were covering the protest as reporters. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 25 of the 30 newly charged had been arrested, even though a magistrate judge had earlier found no probable cause to arrest several defendants, including the journalists.
Miami prosecutor expands 'grand conspiracy' probe of Trump's investigators to 2016 Russia inquiry
On February 26, 2026, The New York Times reported that Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, had expanded a criminal "grand conspiracy" inquiry into former law-enforcement and intelligence officials who investigated Donald Trump, with subpoenas issued in recent weeks now reaching the FBI's 2016 investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia and FBI interviews probing the 2020 false-electors case. The expansion built on subpoenas the Miami office issued in November 2025 — which went to figures including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page — and a broadened late-January 2026 round seeking documents about the January 2017 intelligence-community assessment on Russian election interference. The Times noted there is no evidence the separate inquiries were a single plot, and that tying the Washington-based Russia and false-electors matters to the Florida classified-documents case lets prosecutors use a Miami grand jury drawn from a less Democratic jury pool.
Trump administration halts $259.5M in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota
On February 25, 2026, Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration would temporarily halt $259.5 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud in the state's social programs and giving the state 60 days to overhaul its systems. Vance said Minnesota — where roughly 1.3 million residents rely on Medicaid — was the first of several states the administration expected to target this way. Minnesota sued, with Attorney General Keith Ellison arguing the withholding violates Fifth Amendment due process and the Administrative Procedure Act's bar on arbitrary and capricious agency action.
DOJ sues UCLA over antisemitism, escalating a pressure campaign nine of its own career attorneys resigned over
On February 24, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sued the University of California under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, alleging UCLA maintained an antisemitic "hostile work environment" for Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff. The suit was the latest step in a federal pressure campaign rooted in UCLA's tolerance of a 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment: the administration had already suspended $584 million in UC research grants and sought a $1.2 billion fine, which a federal judge blocked in November 2025 as unconstitutional. Nine career Justice Department attorneys assigned to the underlying antisemitism investigation had resigned, describing pressure to reach a preordained conclusion on a 30-day timetable. It was the first of two 2026 DOJ antisemitism suits against the university.
Trump threatened Netflix with "consequences" unless it fired board member Susan Rice amid pending Warner Bros. deal
On February 21, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Netflix should immediately fire board member Susan Rice or "pay the consequences," after Rice said on a podcast that corporations that acquiesce to Trump would be "held accountable" once Democrats regain power. Trump did not specify the consequences, but the threat came while Netflix's proposed $82 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery awaited Justice Department antitrust review — leverage Trump had referenced before regarding the deal.
UT Knoxville Chancellor fired assistant professor Tamar Shirinian for Facebook post criticizing Charlie Kirk
On February 11, 2026, University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman terminated anthropology assistant professor Tamar Shirinian, citing "misconduct" over Facebook comments she made about Charlie Kirk following his assassination in September 2025. Shirinian had written on a friend's private Facebook page that Kirk's children were "better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him." Despite Shirinian's subsequent apology, Chancellor Plowman signed the termination letter in February after a months-long administrative investigation launched by UT System President Randy Boyd.
DOJ sought grand jury indictment of six lawmakers over anti-illegal-orders video; grand jury rejected the case
On February 10, 2026, attorneys from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, presented a criminal case to a federal grand jury seeking to indict six Democratic members of Congress — Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan — over a November 2025 social media video reminding military and intelligence personnel of their duty to refuse illegal orders. The grand jury declined to find probable cause, rejecting the indictment; no career federal prosecutors were involved in bringing the case. The attempt followed President Trump's public accusations that the lawmakers had committed "seditious" acts "punishable by death," and came about two months after an FBI counterterrorism inquiry into the same six lawmakers over the same video.
Pentagon cuts ties with Harvard, ending military training and fellowships
On February 6, 2026, the Department of War (Pentagon) announced it would sever academic ties with Harvard University, ending Pentagon-funded graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs connected to the school beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department," faulting officers who returned "looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies," and a Pentagon account posted on X that "Harvard is woke; The War Department is not." The Pentagon described the cut as the first in a broader review of elite universities, with officers already enrolled allowed to finish their coursework.
FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force visited former Extinction Rebellion NYC member's upstate New York home under NSPM-7 directive
On February 6, 2026, two special agents from the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force visited the upstate New York home of a former Extinction Rebellion NYC member to question him about the group, following a phone contact the prior month. The visit came after President Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 directed federal Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate groups and individuals linked to "anti-fascism," "anti-capitalism," and similar political activity. The FBI's New York field office would not confirm or deny an investigation, citing standing Justice Department policy.
Washington Post investigation revealed DHS subpoenaed Google to unmask a critic hours after his email to a DHS official
A Washington Post investigation published February 3, 2026, revealed that the Department of Homeland Security has used administrative subpoenas -- issued without a judge's or grand jury's order -- to identify private citizens who criticize the agency, centering on a Philadelphia-area retiree who emailed a DHS attorney urging leniency for an Afghan asylum seeker. Four hours after the email, DHS subpoenaed Google for the man's account information, and DHS agents later visited his home to question him about it. The ACLU moved to quash the subpoena, and DHS withdrew it in early February 2026.
UT Austin's presidential committee denied tenure to border-surveillance scholar Iván Chaar López despite unanimous faculty approval
In February 2026, the University of Texas at Austin's presidential Promotion and Tenure Committee denied tenure to historian Iván Chaar López despite a unanimous recommendation from his department (7-0), external reviewers (8-0), and his college's tenure committee (19-2), offering no stated academic reason. The denial followed the UT System Board of Regents' adoption of a "controversial topics" classroom-speech policy and the elimination of several interdisciplinary departments, including ethnic and gender studies. No source discloses the exact day of the February decision; the date recorded here is a placeholder for the month.
Intercept investigation revealed ICE database marked protest observers as domestic terrorists; DHS revoked travel credentials in retaliation
A January 23, 2026 video captured an ICE agent recording a protest observer and stating, "we have a nice little database, and now you're considered a domestic terrorist," the first documented evidence of a DHS/ICE/CBP database labeling lawful protest observers as terrorists and revoking their TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and passport access. The Intercept filed a FOIA lawsuit against DHS on June 24, 2026 after the agency refused to produce documents about the program, with court exhibits from a Minnesota immigration case corroborating the database's use and at least one civilian losing travel credentials within three days of photographing an ICE operation.
DOJ and FBI arrest anti-ICE church-protest organizers under FACE Act and conspiracy statute
On January 22, 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced federal charges against Minneapolis civil-rights organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong, St. Paul school-board member Chauntyll Allen, and others over a January 18 anti-ICE demonstration inside Cities Church in St. Paul, where one pastor also directs the local ICE field office. The activists were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and 18 U.S.C. § 241 (conspiracy against rights); Levy Armstrong was processed and released the same day after a federal magistrate found insufficient evidence to detain her. These were the first arrests in a prosecution that a February 27 superseding indictment would expand to 39 defendants.
Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to compile detailed federal-funding data on 14 Democratic-led states and D.C.
On January 20, 2026, the White House Office of Management and Budget, led by Director Russell Vought, directed nearly every federal agency to compile detailed spending data — grants, loans, contracts, subcontracts, and other awards — for 13 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., later expanded to include a 14th state. OMB's memo described the review as a "data-gathering exercise" that "does not involve withholding funds," framing NOTUS reported was written specifically to avoid conflicting with a federal judge's ruling days earlier that targeting Democratic states for funding cuts violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Top DOJ prosecutor in LA urged the public to feed false information to immigrant-rights hotlines
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California posted on X on January 18, 2026 that the public has a "First Amendment right" to call immigrant-rights hotlines and "provide inaccurate information," then shared a screenshot identifying specific rapid-response hotlines run by CHIRLA, ÓRALE, and Immigrant Defenders Law Center. The post came in response to Rep. Jimmy Gomez alerting constituents to federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles's Fashion District, and one of the named organizations told reporters it was already experiencing an increase in "crank calls."
DOJ opens criminal investigation into Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey over their anti-ICE statements
On January 16, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge, the roughly 3,000-agent ICE and Border Patrol deployment to the Twin Cities. Sources told CBS News the inquiry rests on 18 U.S.C. Section 372 and stems from the officials' public criticism of the operation, which had intensified after an ICE agent killed Minnesota resident Renee Good on January 7. Subpoenas to Walz, Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison, the St. Paul mayor's office, and two counties followed the next week.
Slotkin revealed Pirro's office sought interviews with Democratic lawmakers over anti-illegal-orders video
Sen. Elissa Slotkin revealed on January 14, 2026 that Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, had asked to interview her the previous week about a November 2025 video in which she and five other Democratic members of Congress reminded U.S. troops of their duty to refuse illegal orders. Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan confirmed to reporters that they received similar interview requests from Pirro's office. The requests followed a November 2025 FBI counterterrorism interview request over the same video and preceded a February 2026 attempt by Pirro's office to indict the same six lawmakers before a grand jury.
HHS froze $10 billion in child-care funding naming only five Democratic-led states
On January 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze roughly $10 billion in Child Care and Development Fund, TANF, and Social Services Block Grant money to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, citing unspecified fraud concerns and demanding the states turn over extensive records within two weeks. HHS provided no evidence for the fraud claim, and a department spokesperson said the freeze responded to "Democrat-led states and Governors" having been "complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud" — language the five states' attorneys general cited in a lawsuit alleging the freeze was politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian granted the states a temporary restraining order on January 9, 2026, blocking the freeze while the case proceeds.
Hegseth censured Sen. Mark Kelly and moved to cut his military retirement pay over 'illegal orders' video
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a formal censure letter against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy captain, on January 5, 2026, accusing him of "seditious statements" and initiating administrative proceedings to reduce Kelly's military retirement rank and pension. The action punished Kelly for a November 2025 video in which he and five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds reminded U.S. servicemembers they may lawfully refuse illegal orders. Kelly sued Hegseth, the Pentagon, the Navy, and Navy Secretary John Phelan on January 12, 2026, arguing the censure and rank-reduction proceedings violate his First Amendment rights and the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause.
2025 Events (45)
Kennedy Center President Grenell threatened musician Chuck Redd with $1 million in damages over Christmas Eve protest cancellation
On December 26, 2025, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell sent musician Chuck Redd a letter threatening to seek $1 million in damages after Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve concert in protest of the Trump-appointed board's renaming of the institution to the "Trump-Kennedy Center." The Kennedy Center followed through by suing Redd for breach of contract in March 2026.
The State Department moved to exclude or deport five noncitizen researchers under a visa policy targeting online 'censorship'
On December 23, 2025, the State Department announced it would exclude or deport five individuals — including two leaders of Coalition for Independent Technology Research member organizations — under a visa-restriction policy that Secretary of State Marco Rubio first announced in May 2025 to target foreign "censorship" of Americans' speech. Initially framed as aimed at foreign officials, the policy had by then expanded into a broader campaign against noncitizen researchers, fact-checkers, and trust-and-safety workers who study social media platforms and online harms. Rubio said the Department "stands ready and willing to expand" the list if others did not "reverse course."
University of Arkansas dean removed tenured Middle East studies director over Israel posts, later fired her
On December 5, 2025, University of Arkansas Fulbright College Dean Brian Raines removed tenured political science professor Shirin Saeidi as director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies and recommended her termination, citing her social media posts and reposts about Israel, Gaza, and Iran. A UA faculty committee unanimously recommended against her dismissal in February 2026, but UA System President Jay Silveria overrode that finding in March, citing risk of funding loss under an Arkansas antisemitism-reporting law, and the UA System Board of Trustees voted to uphold her termination and revoke her tenure in May 2026.
AG Bondi ordered FBI to compile list of Americans by political viewpoint
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo ordering the FBI to compile a list of Americans and groups engaged in acts constituting "domestic terrorism." The memo targeted individuals expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration and open borders, and adherence to radical gender ideology. Bondi directed the FBI to establish a cash reward system for informants and retroactively investigate conduct from the past five years.
AG Bondi directed FBI to target Americans expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-capitalism
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo on December 4, 2025 directing the FBI to identify and investigate Americans engaging in "domestic terrorism," a term redefined to encompass lawful political speech: opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration, gender identity ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christian sentiment. The memo establishes cash rewards for informants, enhanced tipline capabilities, and retroactive investigation of conduct from the prior five years, creating infrastructure for mass surveillance and selective prosecution based on political viewpoint.
FBI probes Democratic lawmakers for First Amendment-protected video on military constitutional duties
The FBI's counterterrorism division contacted six Democratic members of Congress on November 25, 2025 to request interviews following President Trump's public accusations that they committed "seditious" acts. The six—Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan—had released a video reminding U.S. military personnel of their constitutional obligation to refuse unlawful orders, protected First Amendment speech in response to the Trump administration's strikes on Latin American targets. The inquiry came one day after the Pentagon threatened to recall Sen. Kelly to active duty for potential military charges.
Reuters investigation reveals Trump administration operating secret 'Weaponization Working Group' targeting political critics
Reuters published an exclusive investigation on October 20, 2025, revealing an interagency "Weaponization Working Group" operating biweekly since at least April 2025. The group comprised approximately 39 officials drawn from the White House, DOJ, FBI, CIA, ODNI, Defense Department, DHS, IRS, and FCC. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the group's existence, describing it as "interagency coordination under President Trump's leadership to deliver accountability." Identified targets included former FBI Director James Comey, Anthony Fauci, and senior military officers who implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
DOJ pressured Meta into removing 80,000-member Chicago ICE-sightings Facebook group; court later found it unconstitutional coercion
On October 14, 2025, Meta removed "ICE Sighting-Chicagoland," an approximately 80,000-member Facebook group where users reported ICE agent sightings, hours after Attorney General Pamela Bondi publicly credited "outreach from the DOJ" for the takedown and said the department would keep pressing tech companies on similar groups. On April 18, 2026, a federal judge found the administration had "demanded, rather than requested" that Facebook and Apple censor this category of speech, granting a preliminary injunction against the practice as a likely First Amendment violation.
DOJ pressured Apple to remove ICE-accountability archive app Eyes Up from the App Store
On October 3, 2025, Apple removed Eyes Up — an app built by Indiana resident Mark Hodges through the Kreisau Group that archived publicly posted videos and news reports documenting ICE enforcement activity — from the App Store, one day after Apple pulled ICEBlock under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's public takedown demand. Apple had reviewed and approved Eyes Up in August 2025 without objection and gave no legal basis for the removal beyond contact from law enforcement. Hodges said the administration was "embarrassed by how many incriminating videos we have."
Attorney General Bondi demanded Apple remove ICE-tracking app ICEBlock; Apple complied same day
On October 2, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly demanded that Apple remove ICEBlock, a free app that let users anonymously report ICE agent sightings within roughly a five-mile radius, from the App Store, and Apple complied the same day. Apple had previously approved the app and, in response to inquiries, cited safety concerns relayed by law enforcement rather than identifying any legal violation. Developer Joshua Aaron later sued the Trump administration, alleging the DOJ's demand constituted unconstitutional government coercion.
Clay County school board fired teacher Kelly Brock-Sanchez over off-duty Charlie Kirk posts as Florida sought to revoke her license
On October 2, 2025, the Clay County, Florida school board terminated Exceptional Student Education teacher Kelly Brock-Sanchez, acting on Superintendent David Broskie's September 25 recommendation, over posts she had made about activist Charlie Kirk's death on a private, pseudonymous Facebook account while off duty. Days earlier, on September 22, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced he had found probable cause to seek permanent revocation of her teaching certificate, part of a statewide campaign to discipline educators whose Kirk-related posts he deemed sanctionable.
Florida Department of Financial Services sent armed investigators to question Largo veteran over postcard critical of CFO Ingoglia
The Florida Department of Financial Services' Criminal Investigations Division opened a threat assessment in September 2025 after 77-year-old Army veteran James O'Gara mailed a postcard reading "You lack values" to the office of Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. On October 1, 2025, armed state agents in bullet-resistant vests arrived at the O'Garas' Largo home and questioned Cathy O'Gara about her husband before the investigation closed with a finding of "no credible threat." Records later obtained by Reason showed then-division director Simon Blank had ordered the assessment on September 15 and Lt. Col. James Evangelina directed staff to verify O'Gara's identity.
Oglethorpe County school district threatened to fire teacher Michelle Mickens unless she resigned over Charlie Kirk Facebook post
On September 29, 2025, the Oglethorpe County School System in Georgia informed English teacher Michelle Mickens, through her union representative, that she would be terminated unless she voluntarily resigned, after placing her on administrative leave over a personal Facebook post that quoted assassinated activist Charlie Kirk and explicitly condemned political violence. The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators sued the district in federal court on First Amendment grounds; the parties reached a confidential settlement paying Mickens roughly $270,420 plus $17,080 in attorney fees, announced July 3, 2026.
FBI Director Patel fires about 15 agents for kneeling during 2020 George Floyd protests, reversing predecessor's no-violation finding
On September 26, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired approximately 15–20 career FBI agents for being photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., in June 2020 following George Floyd's killing. Then-Director Christopher Wray had reviewed the incident at the time and found no policy violation. Under Patel, the FBI reopened the matter earlier in 2025, initially demoting the agents before proceeding to terminations.
Trump signs NSPM-7 directing DOJ and FBI to investigate political beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators
On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and disrupt individuals based on political speech and ideology—designating "anti-Christian," "anti-American," and "anti-capitalist" beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators. The directive authorized pre-crime investigation of citizens before any violent act occurs and directed the IRS and Treasury to trace funding of target organizations. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly pledged to pursue political targets "like the domestic terrorists that they are."
Arkansas AG Griffin pressured university into firing Black law professor Felicia Branch over Charlie Kirk posts
On September 24, 2025, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen School of Law fired assistant professor Felicia Branch over Facebook posts about Charlie Kirk's killing, days after Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a press release demanding her immediate termination. Branch, who is Black, had been suspended with pay since September 16; Dean Colin Crawford's termination letter cited "disruption" caused in part by complaints from Griffin, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.
Tempe Police Department obtained 10 search warrants to unmask anonymous Facebook critics, arrested one over protected GIF comment
On September 24, 2025, Tempe, Arizona police arrested Tucson political consultant Kathleen Tierney and recommended felony computer-tampering and misdemeanor charges over a Game of Thrones GIF she posted to a city councilman's Facebook page, capping a monthlong investigation that treated the post as a potential bomb threat and shut down an August 28 City Council meeting. During that investigation, Tempe Police Department detectives obtained ten search warrants covering Facebook accounts, email, texts and call logs to identify Tierney and separately unmask pseudonymous city-hall critic "Konner Culver," publicly naming him in a released police report despite finding he had no connection to the post or any threat. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office later declined to prosecute Tierney, citing insufficient evidence.
Attorney General Bondi fired Miami prosecutor Rosenzweig over years-old anti-Trump blog posts, part of DOJ purge of critics
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired federal prosecutor Will Rosenzweig from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami on September 23, 2025, less than three hours after conservative commentator Natalie Winters publicized years-old blog posts Rosenzweig had written as a private citizen criticizing Donald Trump. Rosenzweig, a five-year veteran of the office, was two weeks from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case at the time; his firing was part of what reporting described as a broader personnel purge inside the Justice Department of prosecutors and agents seen as insufficiently loyal to the administration.
Trump designates Antifa a domestic terrorist organization by executive order, directing all federal agencies to investigate and disrupt the movement
President Trump signed a presidential order on September 22, 2025, formally designating "Antifa" as a domestic terrorist organization and directing all executive departments and agencies to use all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle operations by anyone claiming to act on behalf of Antifa. The order describes Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization engaged in political violence to suppress lawful political activity, despite Antifa being a decentralized political stance rather than a formal membership organization. The U.S. has no statute authorizing domestic terrorist organization designations equivalent to the foreign terrorist organization framework, making the order a purely executive — and constitutionally contested — designation.
Trump publicly demands removal of EDVA U.S. attorney Siebert, who refused to indict Letitia James; Siebert resigns
President Trump publicly stated on September 19, 2025 that he wanted Erik Siebert, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, removed from his post; Siebert confirmed his resignation the same day. Siebert had reportedly informed senior Justice Department officials that he found insufficient evidence to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James — a Democrat who had successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud — with mortgage fraud. His top deputy, First Assistant Maya Song, also departed, and James was subsequently indicted on October 9, 2025, after new leadership took over.
Iowa licensing board solicited complaints against teachers over their Charlie Kirk social-media posts
On September 19, 2025, Michael Cavin, executive director of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, sent a letter on board letterhead to superintendents across Iowa referencing educators' "comments regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk" and stating that "administrators are encouraged to file a complaint with the board," specifying the licensing violations to cite. Following the letter, superintendents filed licensing complaints against teachers Katherine Mejia (West Delaware Community School District) and Jennifer Smith (Johnston Community School District) over their personal Facebook posts about Kirk. Mejia and Smith sued the board and Cavin in federal court, alleging the solicitation amounted to viewpoint discrimination and a First Amendment violation.
EPA fired at least 8 probationary employees who signed dissent letter, overriding internal First Amendment warning
Beginning August 29, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fired at least eight probationary employees who had signed a June 2025 "declaration of dissent" criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin's policies as reversing scientific progress and endangering public health. An EPA assistant general counsel warned in writing beforehand that the firings would "present significant legal risk" because the letter was "likely protected speech under the First Amendment," but the agency proceeded. Targeted employees were still in probationary periods, stripping them of Merit Systems Protection Board appeal rights.
Trump signed EO 14343 stripping collective bargaining from NASA, National Weather Service and Patent Office workers
President Trump signed Executive Order 14343 on August 28, 2025, extending his earlier March 2025 order to remove collective bargaining rights from employees at NASA, the National Weather Service, the Patent and Trademark Office, and several other agencies under a "national security" rationale. The order targeted agencies with no primary national security mission, and union leaders said it was explicit retaliation against organizations — including IFPTE and NWSEO — that had filed lawsuits challenging Trump's March executive order.
Trump directed DOJ to investigate federal grantees for lobbying and partisan activity, targeting advocacy organizations
President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on August 28, 2025, directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used for lobbying or partisan political activity, with a report due in 180 days. The memo, titled "Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees," cited the Byrd Amendment but framed the investigation scope to include political and advocacy activity broader than what the statute covers. Legal observers noted the memo's "partisan political activity" language creates a chilling effect on civil society organizations that receive federal funding while engaging in policy advocacy.
FBI searched home and office of former national security adviser Bolton; Trump privately directed investigation toward vocal critic
On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched the Maryland home and Washington office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified-information investigation. Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since leaving the administration in 2019, was not detained and no charges were filed at the time. The Washington Post reported that Trump had privately pointed a finger at Bolton in the days immediately preceding the raids, while the Biden-era Justice Department had reviewed the same underlying materials and declined to prosecute.
U.S. Border Patrol staged politically motivated show of force at Gov. Newsom's press conference
On August 14, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents led by Sector Chief Gregory Bovino massed outside a Los Angeles press conference where Gov. Gavin Newsom was announcing California's response to federal redistricting efforts, deploying agents in tactical gear as the event got underway. A Homeland Security Investigations agent later testified under oath, and texted a colleague, that the operation was purely political and a stunt targeting Newsom rather than genuine immigration enforcement, contradicting DHS's contemporaneous denial that agents were focused on Newsom. Court filings unsealed in July 2026, reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by Gov. Newsom's office, corroborated the political motive behind the operation.
AG Bondi opened DOJ investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff and NY AG Letitia James, appointing Trump ally Ed Martin as special attorney for both probes
On August 8, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally opened Department of Justice investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both prominent Trump critics — appointing conservative activist and former interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as special attorney to lead both probes. The referrals came exclusively from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no prosecutorial background, who alleged mortgage fraud by each official. Prosecutors subsequently found insufficient evidence to bring charges and the Schiff probe stalled.
National Park Service fired Yosemite ranger Shannon Joslin over transgender flag protest, referred them for prosecution
On July 30, 2025, the National Park Service fired Yosemite wildlife biologist and park ranger Shannon Joslin, citing a flag-size rule enacted the day after Joslin and fellow activists hung a transgender pride flag on El Capitan on their day off. Days later, NPS referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, which began evaluating Joslin for criminal prosecution over the same flag display.
Rubio opened State Department investigation into Harvard's J-1 visa program with no stated misconduct
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber on July 23, 2025, opening a formal State Department investigation into Harvard's participation in the Exchange Visitor Program, which sponsors J-1 visas for international researchers, instructors, and students. The letter alleged no specific misconduct, stating only that programs must not run "contrary to our nation's interests," and gave Harvard one week to produce a broad set of records. Harvard called the probe retaliatory and a violation of its First Amendment rights.
EPA placed 144 employees on administrative leave for signing a dissent letter criticizing Zeldin's policies
On July 3, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed approximately 144 employees on administrative leave, pending an "administrative investigation," after they signed a June 30, 2025 "Declaration of Dissent" accusing Administrator Lee Zeldin of dismantling the agency's research office, canceling environmental-justice programs, and ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters. EPA said the leave — initially set to run through July 17 — was warranted because the signatories had listed their official titles in the letter, and described a "zero-tolerance policy" for staff who "undermine" the administration's agenda.
DHS Secretary Noem told her advisory council she was seeking a way to fire employees who 'don't like us' or oppose administration policy
At the inaugural meeting of the Department of Homeland Security's reconstituted Homeland Security Advisory Council on July 2, 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem told members she was looking for advice on "how to fire people who don't like us," saying "there's people here in this department that don't support what we're doing." Noem said she did not feel supported by some of the roughly 250,000 DHS employees and asked the advisers to help identify a legal mechanism to remove career civil servants on that basis. As of the reporting, no specific legal mechanism had been confirmed and no employee had been removed under the stated rationale.
Trump signed Proclamation 10948 banning new Harvard international student visas, directing State to revoke existing ones
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed Proclamation 10948, suspending entry of all new Harvard-bound international students on F, M, and J visas and directing the Secretary of State to consider revoking existing visas for current Harvard students on a case-by-case basis. The proclamation, issued under INA § 212(f), accused Harvard of jeopardizing the student visa system's integrity by refusing to surrender student records demanded by DHS and defying April 2025 demands to alter curriculum, admissions, and diversity programs. At the time of signing, Harvard enrolled approximately 6,800 international students.
DHS Secretary Noem revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, threatening enrollment of ~6,000 international students
On May 22, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem summarily revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, the administrative authorization that allows universities to enroll international students on F-1, J-1, and M-1 visas. Citing alleged 'pro-terrorist conduct' and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party — with no independent factual finding or adjudicatory process — the action threatened immediate displacement of more than 6,000 international students and scholars. Harvard filed for a Temporary Restraining Order the following day; District Judge Allison Burroughs granted the TRO, and a preliminary injunction issued June 20 extended the block pending full litigation.
FTC issued sweeping records demand to media-rating firm NewsGuard following chairman's public criticism
The Federal Trade Commission under Chairman Andrew Ferguson issued a 21-page, 31-item Civil Investigative Demand to NewsGuard, which publishes journalist-produced credibility ratings for news outlets, on May 20, 2025, seeking internal memos, methodology documents, subscriber lists, and communications dating back to the company's 2018 founding. The demand followed months of public criticism from Ferguson, who as an FTC commissioner in November 2024 accused NewsGuard of running "collusive ad boycotts" against conservative and independent media.
Trump administration pressured Secret Service to warrantlessly surveil Comey after 'seashells' post
On the night of May 15, 2025, President Trump and administration officials pressured U.S. Secret Service agents to warrantlessly access former FBI Director James Comey's phone location data after Comey posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell "86 47." Secret Service personnel warned internally that they lacked a warrant or a reasonable basis to believe Comey posed an imminent threat, but the agency issued an emergency request to Verizon and tracked Comey's phone as he drove from North Carolina toward Virginia. The pressure and warrantless tracking were disclosed in July 2026 through internal Secret Service records filed in Comey's separate federal criminal case.
Trump signs EO 14263 targeting Susman Godfrey, suspending clearances and barring building access
On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14263, directing the suspension of security clearances for Susman Godfrey LLP employees, termination of all federal contracts with the firm, and restriction of firm employees from accessing federal buildings. The order cited the firm's diversity fellowship and its representation of clients in election-related and civil rights cases as justification, framing Susman's legal work as a national-security threat. Susman Godfrey, which had represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News over 2020 election coverage, filed suit to block the order within two days.
Trump signs EO 14250 suspending WilmerHale employees' security clearances, directing federal contractors to sever ties with firm
President Trump signed Executive Order 14250 on March 27, 2025, directing federal agencies to suspend the security clearances of all WilmerHale employees and instructing federal contractors to terminate their relationships with the firm. The order cited WilmerHale's prior association with Special Counsel Robert Mueller — a former WilmerHale partner — and the firm's DEI policies as justification. It was the third in a series of retaliatory executive orders targeting law firms whose attorneys had represented parties adverse to the president or participated in legal investigations of him.
Trump signed EO 14246 suspending Jenner & Block security clearances, pressuring contractors to cut ties with firm
On March 25, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14246, "Addressing Risks From Jenner & Block," directing the immediate suspension of security clearances for all firm employees and requiring federal contractors to certify no business relationships with the firm under threat of contract termination. The order cited the firm's prior employment of Andrew Weissmann—who participated in the Mueller investigation—and its representation of transgender and immigrant clients as justification. A federal court permanently enjoined the order in May 2025, finding it violated the First Amendment through viewpoint discrimination.
ICE arrested Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri over pro-Palestinian speech and associations, without filing charges
On March 17, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral research fellow at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, as he walked toward his Virginia home. ICE moved Suri to a federal detention facility in Texas without filing any criminal charges; the Trump administration cited his pro-Palestinian social media posts and his wife's family connection to a former Hamas adviser as justification, without presenting evidence to the court. A federal judge found his release was in the public interest to prevent the chilling of constitutionally protected speech.
Trump signed EO 14237 suspending security clearances and barring federal contracts for Paul Weiss law firm
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14237, "Addressing Risks From Paul Weiss," targeting the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm. The order suspended security clearances for Paul Weiss employees, directed agencies to terminate existing federal contracts with the firm, and barred its lawyers from accessing federal buildings. The administration cited the firm's past employment of lawyers who had participated in prosecutions of Trump's allies and its representation of clients in litigation adverse to Trump.
ICE detains Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil over pro-Palestinian activism; no criminal charges filed
On March 8, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Mahmoud Khalil — a lawful permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student who had been a prominent organizer of pro-Palestinian campus protests — with no criminal charges filed against him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(4)(C), a rarely-used statute permitting deportation on foreign-policy grounds, as the basis for removal. Khalil was transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, where he was held for approximately three months while his attorneys argued the government was retaliating against him for constitutionally protected political speech.
Trump signed EO 14230 suspending security clearances and barring federal contracts for Perkins Coie over its 2016 Clinton campaign work
On March 6, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14230, "Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP," suspending security clearances for all firm employees, directing agencies to bar its attorneys from federal buildings, and ordering termination of all federal contracts with the firm or entities doing business with it. The order explicitly cited Perkins Coie's 2016 representation of Hillary Clinton's campaign and its hiring of Fusion GPS as justification. On May 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell permanently struck down the order, calling it an "unprecedented attack" on the legal system.
Trump directed suspension of Covington & Burling security clearances and contract terminations over Jack Smith representation
President Trump issued a presidential memorandum on February 25, 2025, directing the Attorney General and all agency heads to immediately suspend security clearances held by partners, members, and employees of Covington & Burling LLP who had assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and to terminate all federal agency contracts with the firm. The memorandum cited the firm's representation of Smith as "involvement in government weaponization." It was the first in a sequence of retaliatory executive actions targeting major law firms whose attorneys had represented parties adverse to Trump or participated in investigations of him.
CBP agents denied Samuel Tunick a lawyer during a warrantless, pretextual border search targeting his Stop Cop City activism
On January 24, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents pulled Atlanta activist Samuel Tunick into secondary inspection at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, denied him access to a lawyer despite his requests, and told him no warrant was required because he had not yet formally entered the country. When Tunick entered his phone's passcode, a GrapheneOS duress feature wiped the device; agents seized it regardless. Tunick's attorneys allege the stated child-exploitation-imagery pretext for the stop was fabricated and that CBP was actually investigating his ties to the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement. Federal prosecutors later indicted Tunick under a statute against destroying property to prevent government seizure — the first known federal case charging use of a duress password — and he pleaded not guilty and moved to suppress the evidence, arguing the underlying search was unlawful.
Trump signed EO 14152 revoking security clearances of 50 former intelligence officials who signed Hunter Biden laptop letter
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14152, "Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information," immediately revoking the security clearances of approximately 50 former intelligence officials who in October 2020 signed a public letter asserting that the Hunter Biden laptop story bore hallmarks of a Russian information operation. The order also revoked the clearance of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, citing his 2020 memoir's treatment of sensitive national security information. The Director of National Intelligence was directed to submit a 90-day report recommending further disciplinary actions against the signatories.
2024 Events (1)
Pima County Sheriff Nanos placed election rival on administrative leave weeks before reelection race
On October 14, 2024, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos placed his Republican election opponent, Lt. Heather Lappin, on paid administrative leave weeks before a tight reelection race, citing an unrelated internal matter involving a subordinate's off-duty campaigning. A subsequent county administrative investigation found Nanos used his authority and department resources for political gain against Lappin, who lost the election to Nanos by 481 votes.