DHS Chief Calls Omar Probe a ‘Large Case’ Involving Multiple People, Not a One-Woman Vendetta

A happy couple (AI generated)

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin spent part of his day explaining, again, that federal investigators are not staging a personal drama against Rep. Ilhan Nur Said Elmi [aka Ilhan Omar]. The matter, he said, is bigger than one member of Congress and has already been handed to the Justice Department.

“This is a large case that we have presented to the DOJ,” Mullin told Fox News. “We’re enforcing our nation’s laws, and we’re going to do that. We’re not weaponizing. We’re not using political theater on this.”

He added that the same rules apply to everyone else: “And if Congress doesn’t like those laws, they can change it, and we’ll also enforce those laws. But if somebody committed a crime, we don’t look at that any different. I don’t care where you’re seated. I don’t care how you’re registered to vote. I don’t care what your job title is. We use it equally.”

The renewed interest centers on Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. The New York Times reported that authorities examined the marriage in 2016 under the Obama administration. Prosecutors at the time declined a felony marriage-fraud charge because the five-year statute of limitations had run. Omar, listed by the Department of Justice under the name “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” married Elmi that year; the couple divorced in December 2017. She has denied claims that Elmi, described in reporting as gay, is her brother.

Mullin stressed that the file is not limited to the congresswoman. “This isn’t just a case that’s targeting one individual. This is a large case that we have presented to the DOJ, and the DOJ is leading the investigations,” he said.

Federal law bars marriages entered solely for immigration benefits. Every state bars marriage between siblings. According to The Daily Wire, Elmi received a provisional two-year green card after the 2009 wedding, then tried to convert it to permanent status. He stopped the process once officials asked for more evidence about the marriage and later left for the United Kingdom.

More than 100 House Democrats responded by signing a letter that treats the inquiry as an election-year weapon aimed at Omar for her opposition to President Trump. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signed. Roughly 40 Democrats did not, among them Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Nancy Pelosi, Tom Suozzi, Laura Gillen, and Josh Gottheimer.

Mullin answered the letter by recalling the previous administration’s handling of Trump. “We’re not the Democrat Party that came after their political enemies like President Trump, and they know they weaponized our DOJ and FBI. And it’s shameful, absolutely shameful, that they did that,” he said.

Whether investigators can prove the underlying facts is still open. Democrats have already announced what they believe the motives must be. That conclusion does not establish what occurred in 2009.

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BREAKING: Bessent and Kash Patel Announce Major Fraud Bust in Minnesota, Four Arrested In $41 Million Scheme

The Trump administration is turning up the heat on Minnesota's sprawling fraud problem, and federal investigators are making it clear that the days of treating taxpayer-funded programs like personal ATMs may finally be coming to an end.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that federal agents executed 17 search warrants across the Minneapolis area this week, resulting in four arrests tied to a 26-count indictment alleging massive Medicaid and social-services fraud, according to KSMP-TV.

Prosecutors allege the defendants attempted to siphon more than $41 million from programs established to help vulnerable Americans. Investigators estimate the actual losses at approximately $21.65 million.

The raids targeted child care centers, health care providers, and the homes of several business owners, as federal authorities began pulling back the curtain on another alleged multimillion-dollar fraud operation.

Patel identified the four individuals charged:

Feisal Elmi, of Aspen Associates, faces 11 counts of health care fraud and an alleged intended loss of approximately $8 million.

Jama Mohamod, of American Home Health Care, faces six counts of health care fraud involving an alleged $3.27 million intended loss.

Faiza Ahmed, of Home Sweet Home, faces eight counts of health care fraud with an alleged intended loss of $10 million.

Habiba Mohamed, of Smart Therapy, faces one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States involving nearly $20 million in “intended fraud and loss.”

Patel made clear that federal investigators are nowhere near finished. Rumor has it that Ilhan Omar [whatever he real name is] is shaking in her hijab.

“We’re going to continue manhunting fraudsters in every corner of the earth,” Patel declared.

“The FBI is following the money,” he added. “If you steal from the government or American taxpayers, justice will find you.”

Bessent, speaking at the announcement in St. Cloud, took aim at former Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose administration has faced mounting scrutiny over the state's fraud scandals.

Bessent said industrial-scale fraud “shamefully, and perhaps knowingly,” was allowed to flourish under Walz's watch.

The Treasury secretary also highlighted the administration's broader efforts to root out fraud nationwide. Since January 2025, the administration has identified more than $260 billion in suspected fraud and blocked tens of billions of dollars annually from reaching improper recipients.

The Minnesota prosecutions, Bessent explained, are part of a broader “War on Fraud.”

Federal officials also pointed to findings from FinCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which identified more than $8 billion in suspicious foreign-directed wire transfers flowing through U.S. money-services businesses between 2021 and 2025.

In other words, investigators are increasingly finding that money supposedly earmarked for Americans in need was instead allegedly finding its way into private pockets or being shipped overseas.

Minnesota taxpayers have spent years watching one fraud scandal after another emerge from programs designed to help the most vulnerable. Now, with the FBI and Treasury Department pursuing the money trail, the question is how much more remains hidden and who else may eventually be held accountable.

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Utah Anti-Semite With Fantasies of Blowing Up Synagogue Found With Homemade Bombs

Skyler AJ Rose did not exactly hide what he wanted to do. The 22-year-old dolt from Ogden, Utah, posted on social media that he wanted to bomb a synagogue and hunt Jews. A federal grand jury has now indicted him.

On December 23, 2025, the mouth-breather allegedly wrote, “I wanna blow up a synagogue.” That post, along with others, put him in the crosshairs of federal authorities. 

He now faces charges for possessing an unregistered destructive device, threatening to kill or injure people and destroy a building with an explosive, and attempting to commit a hate crime.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said, “Today’s indictment stops in its tracks an alleged plan to carry out a violent attack on a synagogue.” She added, “The Department of Justice will take decisive action to protect American worshippers from violent threats, no matter where they occur.”

U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak laid it out plainly: “there is no place for hate‑motivated violence — attempts or otherwise — in our communities.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said, “no one should have to fear for their safety because of their faith.”

After the December post, the FBI contacted Ogden police. A search of Rose’s place turned up six improvised explosive pipe bombs, one inert device, and parts to build more. His phone showed he had searched for a nearby synagogue back in November. 

The search also revealed that it contained images of child sexual abuse, which is much like a reflection of what some adult Muslim males do by marrying children because Mohammed did it first.

Rose was already on state probation when this happened. He had been charged in May 2025 with disorderly conduct after firing a homemade shotgun in public. That probation was revoked after the December arrest, and he faces additional state charges, according to KSL-TV.

Prosecutors noted the obvious problem in a court motion: “Despite having already been under state supervision for his previous dangerous conduct, [Rose] engaged in even more risky and dangerous criminal behavior.” They continued, “This recent history demonstrates that [Rose] does not respect court conditions and will not follow them, even if it is to his benefit to do so… [his] conduct is serious and inherently dangerous to the community and his history evidences no desire to act differently.”

But liberal courts being what they are, let him go free to do the devil's work.

The anti-Semitic posts went further. Rose allegedly wrote, “When the power goes out I must hunt the Jews,” and “Death be upon you Jews for I bring fire and brimstone.” Another post, reported by KSL, said, “Death to all Jews I will devote my life to killing you! heil hitler,” [sic and sick].

Prosecutors summed up what investigators found: “[Rose’s] troubling searches, combined with threatening social media posts and six functional improvised explosive pipe bombs are exacerbated by even more illegal material found on his phone. Specifically, law enforcement found hundreds of cached images and screenshots depicting [child sexual abuse material] when searching that device.”

The combination of explicit threats, functional bombs, and prior supervision that did not stop him is what landed him in federal court.

One has to wonder whether the cretin had help with the bomb making as he appears as bright as a black hole.

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Virginia Democrat Indicted In Alleged Marijuana Empire, Proving Public Service Can Be A Surprisingly Profitable Business

Virginia State Sen. Louise Lucas, one of the Commonwealth’s most powerful Democrats, has been indicted on federal racketeering, marijuana distribution, and money laundering conspiracy charges. Prosecutors allege that Lucas used her political influence to protect and enrich a cannabis business she co-owns, turning public office into a potentially lucrative side hustle.

Lucas, 82, surrendered to authorities Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. Six others, including family members and close associates, were also taken into custody in connection with the alleged scheme. Apparently, the family business may have had a few more departments than the average operation.

The eight-count indictment accuses Lucas of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, money laundering conspiracy, honest services fraud conspiracy, and maintaining drug-involved premises. Additional defendants face firearms and wire fraud charges.

Lucas responded with the sort of defiant statement politicians typically reserve for moments when they would prefer the public to discuss anything other than the indictment.

“I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them,” she wrote. “I spent my life fighting back, and I’m not stopping now. I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down.”

The timing is politically awkward, to put it mildly. The charges were unsealed just 12 days before the midterm elections, although Lucas herself is not on the ballot this year. The investigation reportedly began before the Trump administration, but that has done little to discourage Democrats from portraying the case as a politically motivated assault.

Blanche, however, insisted that the indictment was the product of evidence rather than partisan theater.

“We’re here today because of facts and evidence, which led to this investigation to begin many years ago, and facts and evidence that led to the grand jury to indict Senator Lucas and her alleged co-conspirators,” he said.

According to prosecutors, Lucas allegedly directed an organization dubbed the “Lucas Enterprise,” arranging the acquisition and distribution of at least 100 kilograms of marijuana while overseeing the laundering of its proceeds.

FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators believe the operation generated nearly $5 million over almost five years. That is an impressive return for an enterprise whose alleged business model supposedly involved cannabis rather than government-approved fiscal responsibility.

“The purpose of her enterprise included trafficking large quantities of illegal marijuana, creating generational wealth for members and associates of her criminal enterprise,” Patel said.

Prosecutors further allege that Lucas used her position as chair of Virginia’s Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to shield the operation from criminal scrutiny and influence legislation that would benefit its business interests.

The arrangement, if proven, would represent an unusually direct relationship between writing the rules and profiting from the business those rules govern.

Virginia permits recreational marijuana possession and use, but commercial sales remain illegal outside the state’s authorized framework. Lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year establishing a regulated recreational marketplace scheduled to launch next summer. Prosecutors allege that Lucas and her associates were pursuing profits through an operation that went well beyond simply waiting for the legal market to open.

Blanche accused the senator of putting her own interests ahead of those of the people who elected her.

“Her first duty should have been looking out for her constituents before herself,” he said. “But the charges listed in the indictment reflect the alleged behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve.”
An Alleged Family Business With Political Connections

According to Blanche, the alleged operation involved Lucas’ daughters, Lisa Lucas-Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, and her grandson, Ryan Eichelberger, along with Carlton Upton Jr., Prince Albert William Hudson III, and Tamika Johnson.

Lucas and Lucas-Burke opened The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth in 2021. Prosecutors allege that Lucas-Lamb and Eichelberger acquired marijuana, supervised distribution, and managed the store as part of the enterprise.

Upton was Lucas’ business partner in VA Freedom Life, a company that served as an umbrella for The CBD Shoppe and The Cannabis Outlet beginning in 2019. Prosecutors allege that Upton managed The CBD Shoppe and worked with Lucas to obtain a recreational marijuana license that would benefit the enterprise.

The indictment also alleges that Upton made materially false statements on an April 2020 application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for Virginia Freedom Life. The government ultimately provided the business with $11,800.

That is a comparatively modest sum in a case involving millions of dollars in alleged proceeds, but apparently even a small federal loan can become an unwelcome detail when investigators start examining the paperwork.

Another allegation involves a $750,000 payment Lucas allegedly made in August 2022 to acquire full ownership of a business serving as a shell holding company for a co-conspirator’s anticipated Virginia recreational marijuana license.

Prosecutors say Lucas failed to disclose that financial interest on required forms. They further allege that she met with the co-conspirator in her Capitol complex office to receive a partial repayment and discussed the individual’s eligibility for a marijuana license with officials, including legislators, in connection with an alleged bribery arrangement.

In a November text message to the unnamed co-conspirator, Lucas allegedly wrote:

“Yes, we can make a lot of money but, before we start down that road again; how about we begin with you sending at least a good faith payment of the money you owe me with arrangements for the balance. Then we can talk about future business plans,”

Lucas had identified herself as president and CEO of VA Freedom Life on a February 2022 Statement of Economic Interests, according to prosecutors.

Patel described the alleged operation as one involving “recycling drug proceeds to expand the operation that she launched and created, and steering marijuana licenses to entities in which members held financial interest.”

The indictment also quotes Lucas discussing the possibility of an unnamed co-conspirator obtaining a recreational marijuana license and sharing the proceeds with her during a February 9, 2026, phone call about pending legislation.

Prosecutors allege that she described the opportunity as “our last chance at generational wealth” and said, “I’ve got too old to not be greedy.”

If the allegations are substantiated, the comments could prove more damaging than the usual campaign-trail promises about economic opportunity. Generational wealth is a popular political talking point. Prosecutors allege that Lucas was attempting to secure a particularly personal version of it.
Federal Agents Search Offices And Cannabis Businesses

The case became public on May 6, when federal agents searched Lucas’ Portsmouth legislative office and cannabis businesses. The Justice Department said agents recovered marijuana and firearms at The Cannabis Outlet and The CBD Shoppe.

FBI spokeswoman Cassandra Temple offered little detail at the scene, telling the Mercury: “We are conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity today.”

Fox News, which first reported the operation, said staff members were ordered out of Lucas’ office while agents conducted the search. Witnesses saw agents carrying boxes from the building. The network also reported that armed SWAT officers ordered people out of the neighboring Cannabis Outlet and that at least three people were handcuffed.

Lucas arrived after the operation had begun and told a reporter she did not know what it concerned.

Following the searches, Lucas accused federal authorities of political intimidation, arguing that the investigation was “about far more than one state senator” and reflected “a clear pattern from this administration.”

She also linked the raid to a redistricting referendum approved by Virginia voters in April, claiming the investigation was connected to efforts to “stop Trump’s scheme to manipulate the 2026 midterm elections.” The Supreme Court of Virginia later overturned the referendum.

“I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the commonwealth of Virginia,” she said.

Lucas has served in the Virginia Senate since 1992 and has been president pro tempore since 2020. As chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, she wields substantial influence over the state budget, taxes, and spending.

Earlier this year, she pushed to eliminate or reduce sales and use tax exemptions for data centers, arguing that the incentives had become too expensive and were straining Virginia’s electricity grid and infrastructure. Opposition from House Democrats and Gov. Abigail Spanberger contributed to a months-long budget impasse.

The senator has spent decades exercising influence over how Virginia spends its money. Prosecutors now allege that she also used that influence to advance her own business interests.
Democrats Cry Foul Over Timing

The indictment has placed Virginia Democrats in the familiar position of defending a colleague’s right to due process while questioning the motives of the authorities bringing the charges.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat from Fairfax, urged restraint.

“The federal indictment unsealed this week contains serious allegations, and Senator Lucas is entitled to the same presumption of innocence that every American receives,” Surovell said.

“She is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I will not comment on the evidence in this case, and I urge others to show the same restraint.”

Spanberger also emphasized Lucas’ presumption of innocence but argued that the timing of the indictment was troubling.

“She and her family deserve the opportunity to present their defense and speak to the allegations presented,” Spanberger said Thursday.

“The timing of this indictment undermines the U.S. Department of Justice’s previously longstanding policy of not taking legal actions — to include indictments or significant investigative steps — close to an election and sadly, this timing further erodes the trust the American people deserve to have in the Department of Justice.”

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, another Democrat, likewise criticized the Trump administration while acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations.

“The Trump administration’s weaponization of the justice system is deeply troubling — as are the allegations made in this indictment,” Scott said. “Today we have heard only from the Trump administration, and Senator Lucas will have her chance to respond to these charges in court.”

Republican House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore took a more straightforward approach, arguing that the courts should settle the matter.

“The charges against Senator Lucas are serious, and go beyond the world of politics. They will be resolved via our judicial system, as they should,” Kilgore said.

The federal investigation is not the first time Lucas’ cannabis business has attracted scrutiny.

Lucas co-sponsored legislation legalizing simple marijuana possession in 2021. That measure did not, however, establish a regulated recreational retail market.

A 2022 Mercury investigation found labeling discrepancies and quantities of delta-9 THC that made two tested products from The Cannabis Outlet illegal to sell under Virginia law at the time. One cereal bar contained substantially less total THC than its packaging advertised. The reporting raised broader questions about unregulated cannabis products following the legalization of possession.

The latest indictment goes considerably further, alleging that Lucas used her political position to protect a business operation, facilitate marijuana distribution, and pursue financial arrangements tied to anticipated state licenses.

The allegations remain unproven, and Lucas is entitled to defend herself in court. But the case presents Virginia Democrats with an inconvenient problem: a powerful member of their own party is accused of using public office to benefit a private enterprise in an industry that lawmakers themselves have been working to regulate.

As for Lucas’ future role in the Senate and the upcoming legislative session, those questions remained unresolved following Thursday’s indictment.

For now, the courts will determine whether prosecutors can substantiate their claims. If they do, Virginia may have a case study in the dangers of allowing politicians to regulate an industry in which they have substantial personal financial interests.

The phrase “conflict of interest” may soon require a much larger definition in Richmond.

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Is Dr. Oz a wizard or what, in his crackdown on NYC daycare center directors?

FLUSHING, N.Y. — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz showed up in a surprise visit at two New York City senior care centers suspected of treating Medicaid like an open bar tab, and the staff responses landed somewhere between "the computer did it" and "please come back after lunch when the room looks fuller." 

Fox News Digital tagged along as federal officials delivered the kind of warning letters that tend to make billing departments check the exits.

Oz and senior federal health officials handed the notices to Kent Senior Care and Evergreen Adult Day Care in Flushing, Queens, causing several severe cases of loose stools, and not the kind you sit in unless you're very weird.

The visits formed part of a wider sweep that put the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the NYPD and other agencies on the same Tuesday itinerary. More than 80 stops and warning letters went out across the city that day. 

Taxpayers who fund the programs received no such courtesy tour.

"The whole experience was suspicious," Oz told Fox News Digital afterward.

Authorities described a broader effort that included arrests, search warrants and moves to halt certain operators from billing Medicaid, although these steps at the two Queens, NY sites were not observed directly by Fox News Digital.

Oz questions senior center director: 'We don't believe you'

The first stop, around 8:30 a.m. at Kent Senior Care, when residents were likely in the throes of being cleaned up, began with Oz walking in and personally delivering the federal letter. The posted maximum occupancy was 70. The room did not appear to be testing that number.

"The bills are much higher than they should be," Oz told the director. "The billing is for more people. It doesn't look very crowded here."

The director claimed that more seniors would arrive later. Oz noted the paperwork suggested something closer to this being the perpetual capacity.

"The bills we're getting are as though it's completely full all the time," Oz said. So something stank, much like these places at 8:30 in the morning.

The director insisted the center billed only for actual attendance and required sign-in sheets. Oz was unmoved.

"You're getting this letter from the U.S. Government because we don't believe you," he told the director.

Billing records indicated five-day-a-week participation. The director said many seniors came only two or three days. When the conversation turned to specialized wheelchair transportation charges, Oz looked around the room.

"I don't see any wheelchairs here," Oz told the director.

Fox News Digital saw seniors using walking aids but no wheelchairs during the visit. Another official noted the billing for specialized transport. The director said some participants had mobility issues after strokes, that wheelchairs were available, and that staff might have reused old codes.

"Probably he just copy and pasted," the director said, lying like an abandoned sofa by Coney Islamd Creek.

Oz then walked over to the mahjong tables set up for the Medicaid-funded program.

"Should the American taxpayers be paying so folks can play mahjong?" Oz asked the director.

The director said the game helped with finger exercise, socialization and memory. Oz answered that the benefit was not free.

"It's free for them, not free for the taxpayers," Oz responded. "Is that what our federal tax dollars for Medicaid is supposed to go to? Or is it life-saving heart surgery? Or, you know, new therapies for cancer?"

Oz also watched seniors walk in without signing anything, despite the stated requirement. He later described the timing.

"People were just walking in there without signing anything," Oz said. "And then after I showed up and he saw what we were doing with my team, he started collecting these documents to be signed." You know, closing the barn door after the chickens made a run for it.

Social adult day care programs can supply activities, supervision, meals and support. Medicaid payment hinges on eligibility and documentation of what was actually provided. The gap between that rule and the observed room proved difficult to close on the spot.

At Evergreen Adult Day Care the pattern repeated. 

A floor manager said roughly 200 seniors attended on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and about 150 on the other days. Oz walked the space and offered a different count.

"So I look at maybe 25 people in the whole space now," Oz said, perhaps forgetting to multiply by 10. 

The manager claimed that some were in classes and others had left for shopping, the pharmacy or appointments.

"The numbers don't seem to add up," Oz responded.

On wheelchairs the manager first said none were in use, then acknowledged a small number.

"But you said there weren't any, didn't you?" Oz pressed. He compared notes with the other federal officials present.

"I'm struck by how few people are here as well," Oz said. "This makes me wonder how they sustain these billing levels."

The attendance books supplied the next discrepancy. Fox News Digital saw sign-in sheets with names already entered for Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, dates that had not yet arrived. Whether the pages were finished records or advance schedules remained unclear. Let's hope he took photos of the fraudulent-sounding evidence,

Oz alleges organized crime ties to NYC Medicaid fraud. He said federal authorities believed organized criminal networks were paying seniors to appear at facilities so operators could bill for services never delivered. He described individuals he linked to the "Chinese mafia" offering some seniors between $1,000 and $1,200 to participate. 

He did not name a specific group or present supporting evidence in the interview. He said billing spikes across the sector had pushed annual spending toward $1 billion. 

Sounds a lot like a Minnesota Learing Center, doesn't it?

"We know from the billing here that there's no way this business is running in the way that they claim to be running without something being wrong," Oz told the media outlet.

"Is it an innocent mistake? A hundred times in a row, I don't think so."

He added that proceeds from the schemes were financing other crimes, including money laundering and human trafficking. 

"It's really a clubhouse for crime," Oz said.

He said the fraud grew during the COVID-19 period and faulted the previous administration for letting the spending and the suspicious patterns continue. 

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Democratic New York Gov. comrade Kathy Hochul called the Tuesday actions part of a "massive effort to combat fraud and abuse" and noted that state health officials joined the federal and local effort. While Oz delivered the letters in Queens, searches continued at other sites across the city. Details on the remaining targets, the people involved and any evidence recovered were not available while the investigations continued.

Imagine if the Democrats were in power in the federal government. They would look the other way while holding out their hands for a little greasing. 

Change my mind.

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Feds Raid Ilhan Omar’s D.C. Home as Immigration Fraud Investigation Takes Unexpected Turn

Federal agents showed up at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home early Monday morning, bringing an immigration fraud investigation into the Minnesota Democrat’s personal affairs and giving her another opportunity to accuse President Donald Trump of political persecution.

The Minnesota Democrat says the search is political intimidation, while federal investigators appear interested in paperwork that may be considerably less entertaining than her latest accusations against Trump.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents began the search around 6 a.m., with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice involved in the operation. According to two sources familiar with the investigation, the probe concerns Omar’s immigration paperwork, which was completed by her late father when she was a child.

The Department of Justice confirmed that federal investigators had obtained legal authorization for the search.

"Today in the Washington, D.C., area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation," a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The department subsequently confirmed that the investigation was "criminal" in nature.

Omar responded to the raid on X with the predictable enthusiasm of a politician who has just discovered that federal law enforcement can investigate members of Congress, too.

"I’m ok," she wrote.

"Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement." [Make no mistake, Ilhan Omar hates the United States and Israel.]

"For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," she continued. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced."

Omar apparently believes the appropriate response to a federal investigation is to declare herself the victim of a political conspiracy before the public knows what investigators have found. Whether the evidence supports her interpretation remains to be seen.

The congresswoman has faced scrutiny over various controversies during her time in Washington, but the current investigation is reportedly focused on her immigration paperwork. President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, disclosed in mid-September that Omar was the subject of an ongoing "criminal" investigation, although he did not reveal its precise nature.

HSI, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, handles cases involving cross-border crime, human trafficking, drug smuggling, cybercrime and other international threats. Its investigators generally have more pressing concerns than providing political theater for cable news, making the DOJ's confirmation of a criminal investigation worth watching.

Omar’s financial disclosures have also attracted attention, producing figures that invite questions of their own.

In 2024, the congresswoman reported that her husband held assets valued between $6 million and $30 million. In her 2025 disclosure, however, the maximum reported value of their shared assets fell to $125,000.

That represents a staggering reduction of nearly $30 million from the previous year's upper estimate. The lower estimate of $20,000 in assets, combined with reported debt estimates ranging from $30,000 to $100,000, could suggest a negative net worth, depending on the actual figures involved.

The disclosures also listed separate debts for Omar and her husband, each reportedly ranging from $15,000 to $50,000. Her obligations included student loans, while her husband’s included credit card debt.

Omar has repeatedly declined to clarify the discrepancies in her financial disclosures, not to mention her alleged marriage to her brother.

To be clear, the financial reporting and the immigration investigation are separate matters, and the reported discrepancies do not establish criminal wrongdoing. The current investigation has not, based on the information publicly available in these reports, resulted in any announced charges.

Still, a congresswoman who has spent years denouncing political opponents, accusing the president of authoritarianism and portraying herself as a target of persecution now finds herself under federal scrutiny. She insists the investigation is an act of political intimidation. Federal authorities say they are conducting a criminal investigation.

The public will have to wait to learn what, if anything, investigators uncover.

For now, Omar is sticking to her familiar defense: Trump is the problem, the investigation is political, and she will not be silenced.

Federal investigators, meanwhile, appear interested in examining the paperwork rather than debating the congresswoman’s social media commentary. That may be the most consequential difference between the two sides of this developing story.

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American Citizen Busted Spying for China on U.S. Gets a Deuce

An American citizen has been sentenced to merely two years in prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States, a development that will surely come as a complete shock to anyone who assumed that was still frowned upon.

Thomas Weir Pauken II, 51, an American citizen who lived and worked in the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced earlier this week to two years in prison and 36 months of supervised release with no overseas travel for acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States. The no-overseas-travel part is expected to be especially inconvenient for a man whose entire business model depended on flying back and forth like a patriotic courier service for Beijing.

Court documents say that from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken, a total scumcrumpet, worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC, including a person he met in 2017 identified as “Cathy.” 

Cathy, in the grand tradition of international intrigue, was apparently not just a friendly networking contact who happened to work for Chinese intelligence. 

“Pauken exploited his U.S. citizenship and corresponding ability to travel to the U.S. without restriction in order to support Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) operations, recruiting, and gathering of sensitive information from potential assets,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Pauken betrayed his country for money. The National Security Division is committed to holding accountable anyone who aids or abets Chinese espionage efforts.”

Cathy provided Pauken with taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets, providing them with devices such as a laptop and cellphone to communicate with Cathy, providing taskings for the assets on what information was required, and providing Cathy with reports from the assets. In other words, he was the guy who showed up with the complimentary hardware and a list of homework assignments from the Ministry of State Security.

“Thomas Pauken knowingly assisted a foreign adversary in actively subverting the government of the United States for his own financial gain,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This was not an isolated act; Pauken continued his course of conduct to aid China for seven years. It is unconscionable that an American citizen would not only undermine the interests of the United States, but also facilitate others in doing so.”

Pauken received at least $100,000 for his work with Cathy. Cathy also paid for Pauken to travel several times between 2019 and 2025 from China to meet with individuals in the United States who could provide Pauken, and ultimately Cathy and the MSS, with information. 

Seven years of service, multiple recruitment trips, and a six-figure payout: the going rate for selling out the country appears to have been roughly the cost of a nice suburban kitchen remodel. And all he got was two years and some hand-holding when he gets out.

“Thomas Pauken admitted to working at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security to attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles while also providing new recruitment targets for his Chinese handlers,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “This case illustrates the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions, and it also demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to defend the homeland from threats to our national security. 

The sentencing provides a clear warning: anyone operating as an agent of a foreign government against the U.S. will be found by the FBI and held accountable.” At least for a little bit.

Pauken worked for two other people in China whom he met in 2017 and knew as “Richard” and “William.” They told Pauken that reports he wrote for them went to Japan, but Pauken believed they worked for the PRC government. 

Nothing says “plausible deniability” quite like two guys named Richard and William insisting the intel is definitely headed to Tokyo. 

Pauken also sold reports to a group of Chinese individuals from Wuhan who sought information about technology and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Wuhan clients wanted Pauken to find an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage. Because when you already have a guy with a U.S. passport and a side hustle, the natural next step is shopping around for a cyber specialist.

The FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office investigated the case with the assistance of the FBI Washington Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Eli Ross of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence & Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. 

Currently, Pauken was reportedly reviewing the supervised-release terms and wondering whether “no overseas travel” includes a strongly worded exception for one last debrief with Cathy, who I doubt is a blond.

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ICE Bags Visa Overstayer Milo Yiannopoulos, Prepares to Send Him Home

The law finally caught up with Milo Yiannopoulos. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the 41-year-old British citizen Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and the Department of Homeland Security says he will stay in custody until he is removed from the country.

Yiannopoulos entered the United States legally through New York City on May 14, 2019. Then he stayed. 

An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on July 22 after he failed to show up for his hearing. That is not a paperwork mix-up. That is a man who decided the rules did not apply to him.

“On August 27, ICE arrested Milo Yiannopoulos, an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” DHS said. “He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.” DHS added that he will remain in ICE custody pending removal and used the arrest to advertise the administration’s self-deportation program. 

In other words, the government is doing what voters asked it to do: enforce immigration law, even when the offender used to be a conservative media celebrity. 

TMZ first reported that officers grabbed him at the airport ahead of a Kanye West concert Friday night in New Orleans. Yiannopoulos once served as West’s chief of staff and political director. He also did an unpaid summer internship in 2022 for former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. None of that is a visa.

His public unraveling began in 2017, when video surfaced of him arguing that relationships between older men and younger boys could be a positive “coming-of-age” experience. He stated that such relationships could “help those young boys discover who they are and give them security and safety and provide them with love and a reliable sort of rock, where they can’t speak to their parents.”

That same year, footage emerged of Yiannopoulos in 2016 singing at a Dallas bar while people in the crowd threw Nazi salutes. The owner said staff started ejecting the group once the “Neo-Nazi type stuff” started and that the bar did not condone it. He also waved away statutory rape laws, saying people can “get quite hung up on this child abuse thing” and that sexual relationships between 13-year-olds and adults could be “perfectly consensual” and beneficial under certain circumstances. 

Conservatives who once treated him as a free-speech mascot had every reason to show him the door. In recent years, prominent right-wing voices have said Yiannopoulos was not building the coalition. He was picking it apart. They accuse him of working with the Left to slander MAGA figures, including the late Charlie Kirk.

“Milo is not ‘Far-Right.’ Milo was working for the Left to divide, slander and lie about Trump’s coalition to break it apart,” conservative podcaster Benny Johnson said on X. “Days after Charlie Kirk was murdered, he accused Charlie of being gay and cheating on Erika. Evil, sick lie. Zero remorse. Zero evidence. Pure sewage and slander. It happened systematically to nearly everyone of prominence in the America First movement.”

Laura Loomer, who has been waving the immigration-status flag for years, celebrated the arrest and repeated her claim that he arranged a “sham marriage” with a man to stay in the United States.

“When Milo called for me to be assassinated, I reported him to ICE and the FBI,” Loomer said, accusing him of overstaying his visa. “I told you all that Milo was an illegal alien. Milo is going to be deported back to the UK where he can live among the Muslims he has recently chosen to embrace.”

Last year, talking to Tucker Carlson, Yiannopoulos called “mainstreaming homosexuality in the Republican Party” one of his biggest regrets.

“It has given rise to horrors I never imagined,” he told Carlson. “Well, the gay horrors I’ve given birth to — Lady MAGA and Nick Fuentes — they keep me up at night.” 

The conservative movement does not owe a visa overstayer a farewell tour. ICE made an arrest. A judge already ordered him removed. The United Kingdom can have him back. America First starts with American law.

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CBC Orders Reporters to Stop Calling 9/11 Terrorism, Says “Some Very Unfortunate Aviation-Related Things Happened”

Canadian public broadcaster unveils new journalistic standard requiring typists to avoid words that might accidentally describe reality.

TORONTO, Canada — The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has issued a stern warning to its typists: under no circumstances should they refer to the September 11, 2001 attacks as “terrorist attacks,” because that would risk introducing dangerous quantities of meaning, politics, emotion and, worst of all, facts into the story.

Instead, CBC typists have been instructed to describe 9/11 as “a situation where some folks did stuff in America as a prescient sign that one day Donald Trump would be President.”

The memo, authored by CBC News senior director of journalistic standards and public trust Basem Boshra, was considerably less colorful but no less bewildering.

“Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks,” the memo said.

The directive instead recommends describing the attacks as hijackings that led to passenger jets crashing in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Manhattan.

The World Trade Center was also destroyed, apparently by forces that CBC typists are not at liberty to characterize.

CBC officials defended the policy by explaining that the word “terrorist” is simply too emotionally loaded.

“It is the practice of the CBC to exercise extreme caution before using the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’” CBC Public Affairs Director Kerry Kelly said.

This is understandable.

After all, imagine the emotional trauma a CBC reporter might experience by typing the words “19 al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes and deliberately murdered nearly 3,000 people.”

That is an awful lot of adjectives.

Much safer to write:

“Nineteen individuals participated in an aviation-related disagreement that unfortunately resulted in several buildings becoming unavailable for future occupancy.”

CBC editors reportedly rejected the phrase “mass murder” because it was considered “judgmental.”

“Death,” meanwhile, is apparently acceptable because it can happen naturally.

“Premeditated murder” remains under review.

“Islamist terrorism” has been referred to the CBC’s Department of Extremely Careful Feelings.
CBC: We Don’t Call Terrorists Terrorists Because That Would Be Taking Sides

CBC News general manager and editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon previously explained that the organization prefers to “bear witness” rather than independently determine whether acts are terrorism.

“We bear witness. But CBC News does not itself designate specific groups as terrorists, or specific acts as terrorism, regardless of the region or the events, because these words are so loaded with meaning, politics and emotion that they can end up being impediments to our journalism,” Fenlon said.

Which is an impressive position for a news organization.

It is roughly equivalent to a weather forecaster saying:

“We don't independently designate rain as wet because ‘wet’ is such a loaded term.”

Or a hockey announcer saying:

“We cannot characterize the puck as having entered the net because the phrase ‘goal’ carries political and emotional implications.”

Or a coroner saying:

“We can confirm that the individual is no longer participating in the ongoing experiment known as life.”

The CBC is simply committed to maintaining neutrality.

Even when neutrality requires pretending everyone else hasn't already figured out what happened.
New CBC Style Guide Released

Sources say CBC editors are now considering a comprehensive update to their style guide.

Under the proposed rules:

Terrorist attack: “An event involving unexpected violence.”

Suicide bomber: “A person experiencing a severe disagreement with mortality.”

Hostage-taking: “An involuntary relocation experience.”

Murder: “An unauthorized termination of another person's biological processes.”

Massacre: “A gathering that ended with an unusually high number of people no longer gathering.”

Hamas: “A group whose designation as a terrorist organization should be attributed to Canada, Israel, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and approximately half the planet.”

9/11: “The Sept. 11 attacks.”

Actual terrorism: “Please consult Legal.”

The CBC is particularly sensitive about the word “terrorist” because it might imply that someone who deliberately murders civilians for political purposes is, in fact, a terrorist. And once journalists start making those kinds of obvious connections, there is simply no telling where it could lead.

Soon they might start saying that criminals commit crimes.

Or that people who intentionally kill innocent civilians are responsible for killing innocent civilians.

Then civilization itself could collapse.

There is, admittedly, one small problem with the CBC's position. The FBI describes 9/11 as the most lethal terrorist attack in history.

Nineteen al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes, killed nearly 3,000 people and triggered the largest investigation in FBI history.

Canada itself lists al Qaeda as a terrorist entity and states that the organization perpetrated the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. But CBC journalists remain bravely unwilling to reach the same conclusion without first consulting someone who has already reached it.

This creates the fascinating possibility that a CBC reporter could stand outside the wreckage of a terrorist attack and say:

“According to witnesses, the FBI, the Canadian government, the American government, the Israeli government, the British government and virtually everyone who has ever looked at this event, this may have been terrorism.”

“But I wouldn't want to speculate.”

New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino condemned the guidance, accusing the broadcaster of disregarding the victims and deliberately undermining the historical record.

“The CBC guidance is frankly outrageous and insulting, but it stands as a stark warning for what happens when you allow institutions of public trust to be taken over by leftists and foreign interests,” Paladino said.

“This is not merely a callous disregard for the memory of those who perished on 9/11, it is a deliberate effort to undermine the fundamental truth of what happened that day in direct service to Islamism, as Europe, Canada, and the United States become increasingly overwhelmed by Islamist politics. We must not tolerate it any longer and dedicate ourselves to fighting this poison with every tool we have available before it’s too late,” she continued.

Conservative Canadian MP Rachael Thomas called the guidance “absolutely shameful.”

“The CBC is choosing to redefine terrorism in a way that downplays the atrocity of 9/11. Refusing to call it an act of terrorism dishonors the victims, their families, the survivors, and the first responders who witnessed the horrors of that day. 9/11 was an act of terrorism. Full stop,” Thomas said.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs likewise accused the CBC of “sanitizing” history and presiding over a “collapse of journalistic standards.”

CBC responded that it was merely following its longstanding policy.

Because apparently the collapse of a building is tragic, but the collapse of a journalistic standard is merely a longstanding practice.

The policy is not limited to 9/11. CBC faced similar criticism following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, when journalists were instructed not to independently call militants or soldiers “terrorists” and instead treat the designation as an attributed opinion.

Which raises an obvious question:

If Hamas murders civilians, kidnaps children, takes hostages and deliberately attacks Israeli communities, when exactly does CBC believe the word “terrorist” becomes appropriate?

Apparently, after the reporter has obtained a notarized affidavit from someone willing to accept responsibility for the adjective.

Perhaps the CBC could establish a new editorial hotline.

CALL 1: “Was someone intentionally trying to terrorize civilians?”

CALL 2: “Did they kill people?”

CALL 3: “Does Canada officially designate the organization as terrorist?”

CALL 4: “Is the answer to all three yes?”

CALL 5: “Sorry, we can't make that determination. Please hold for 45 minutes while we locate a sufficiently neutral adjective.”
CBC's New Definition of Journalism

The CBC's position ultimately leaves Canadians with a remarkable picture of modern journalism.

The journalist sees the plane.

The journalist sees the building.

The journalist sees the fire.

The journalist sees the bodies.

The journalist sees the terrorist organization that planned the attack.

The journalist sees the government's official designation.

The journalist sees the FBI's determination.

And then the journalist looks directly into the camera and says:

“Some things happened.”

This is apparently what “bearing witness” means in Canada.

Not telling people what happened.

Not describing what happened.

Certainly not using words that might help people understand what happened.

Just standing there solemnly while history happens nearby.

And if anyone asks whether 9/11 was terrorism, the answer is simple:

According to the FBI, yes.

According to the Canadian government, yes.

According to the historical record, yes.

According to the victims, their families and the first responders, obviously yes.

According to the CBC?

“The Sept. 11 attacks.”

Because apparently after 25 years, nearly 3,000 deaths, four hijacked aircraft and the destruction of the World Trade Center, the most dangerous thing about 9/11 is still the possibility that a CBC reporter might accidentally call a terrorist a terrorist.

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FBI evidently confronted Eric "Boom Boom" Swalwell over the weekend and hoo boy

It has been a rough stretch for former Rep. Eric "Boom Boom" Swalwell. You know, the guy who's known for the fart heard round the world.

First, the sexual misconduct claims torpedoed his time in Congress and his dreams of running California.

Then came word that he allegedly scooped up illegal donations from a suspected Chinese spy. Now the FBI has decided to stop by for a chat. 

Sources report that federal agents met Swalwell at San Francisco Airport on Saturday armed with search warrants. They confiscated his electronics, including his cell phone, as part of an ongoing federal criminal probe into the sexual misconduct allegations. Agents later used additional warrants to search his Washington residence on Sunday and carted off more potential evidence.

Swalwell began Saturday in Washington, where he still keeps a home with his wife and three kids. He flew west to California later that day, only to find the feds waiting when he got off the plane. According to sources, he played nice and cooperated.

Authorities have not said exactly what they grabbed from the D.C. house, per news outlet The Daily Mail. 

But on the not so bright side, at least four women have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including a former staffer. One woman claimed he drugged and raped her in 2018. Two others said he sent them unsolicited pictures of his private parts. Incredibly, his wife stands with him for some inexplicable reason.

Swalwell has stayed mostly out of sight since quitting the California governor's race and resigning from Congress. He continues to deny any wrongdoing tied to the sexual assault and misconduct claims.

In related news, the same guy who once lectured the nation about democracy and foreign influence is now watching agents dig through his devices over claims that range from creepy texts to far more serious allegations. The Chinese spy donation story just adds a nice layer of extra flavor to an already eventful week.
 

I wonder what Fang Fang thinks.

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Nancy "Hands-a-Flying" Pelosi kept Swalwell on Intel Committee after FBI warnings

There are bad ideas, there are terrible ideas, and then there is allowing a congressman who admitted having an intimate relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative to remain on the House Intelligence Committee.

Apparently, Washington Democrats were determined to explore that third category.

When allegations involving Rep. Eric Swalwell and Fang Fang, a woman suspected of ties to Chinese intelligence, surfaced in 2020, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on the FBI’s findings. We now know the bureau had evidence that Fang may have compromised Swalwell through sex, foreign interns and allegedly illicit campaign donations.

And yet somehow the Democratic leadership concluded that the appropriate response was not, “Perhaps we should move this guy away from the classified information.”

Instead, Swalwell stayed.

Because apparently “House Intelligence Committee” was being interpreted as more of a suggestion than a job description.

The FBI briefings were serious enough to alarm then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who called for Swalwell to be removed from the committee. McCarthy was concerned that a congressman with access to highly sensitive intelligence might not be the ideal person to have around highly sensitive intelligence.

Crazy, right?

Sex, Interns and Campaign Cash

The newly released FBI files provide considerably more detail about the relationship between Swalwell and Fang.

According to the files, Swalwell admitted having sex with Fang, acknowledged that his staff had placed Fang’s interns in congressional offices, and admitted that his campaign finance operation was not sophisticated enough to detect the alleged straw donations she funneled through U.S. citizens.

So, to recap, the FBI was dealing with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative who allegedly cultivated American politicians through networking, campaign donations, internships and romantic relationships.

And one of those politicians was sitting on the House Intelligence Committee.

This sounds less like counterintelligence and more like the plot of a spy movie written by people who thought the protagonist should be named “Congressman Completely Unconcerned.”

The FBI also knew Fang had ties to China’s Ministry of State Security, Beijing’s intelligence service. Investigators identified her parents as MSS agents.

Fang’s activities had previously been reported by Axios, which described her efforts to cultivate politicians in California through fundraising, networking, charm and romantic or sexual relationships.

Swalwell was reportedly one of her most significant targets.

Swalwell has consistently maintained that he did nothing wrong, fully cooperated with the FBI investigation, and stopped communicating with Fang after receiving a defensive briefing about her activities.

Swalwell’s Lawyer Says This Is All Political

After the files were released, Swalwell’s attorney, Sara Azari, argued that there was nothing new to see.

“There is nothing new here. The government’s own memorandum confirms what Congressman Swalwell has said for more than a decade: he did nothing wrong, and there was no basis to charge him with any offense,” said Sara Azari, legal counsel for Swalwell, on Monday after the files were released. “What is new and deeply concerning is the apparent use of federal law enforcement information to punish or embarrass an outspoken critic of the current administration. An investigation that produced no charges and no finding of wrongdoing should not be resurrected years later as a vehicle for political retaliation.”

That is certainly one way to describe the situation.

Another would be: “The FBI investigated a congressman who admitted sleeping with a woman the bureau believed was connected to Chinese intelligence, and now everyone is upset that people are talking about it.”

Both descriptions are technically available.

After the original allegations surfaced, McCarthy said they “disqualified” Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence Committee.

“Swalwell is a national security liability,” the Republican leader said.

McCarthy then requested a full FBI briefing. After receiving it, he became even more convinced Swalwell should be removed.

“One thing I know for sure — I had questions about whether he should. That’s the one question that was answered, he should not be on Intel,” McCarthy told reporters.

That seems fairly definitive.

Pelosi: Nothing to See Here

Pelosi later confirmed that Democratic leadership had first been briefed about Swalwell’s relationship with Fang in the spring of 2015, shortly after Democrats nominated him to the Intelligence Committee.

Pelosi said congressional Democrats cut off communication with Fang once they learned about the situation.

“When that was made known to the members of Congress, it was over. That was the end of any communication with those people,” Pelosi said.

The Speaker also said Republicans had been briefed at the same time.

“We knew when they knew,” explained Pelosi.

And then came the part that has aged particularly well.

Summing up her assessment of Swalwell, Pelosi told reporters that she did not “have any concerns about Mr. Swalwell.”

Naturally.

Nothing inspires confidence in congressional counterintelligence quite like a suspected Chinese spy sleeping with a member of the Intelligence Committee while party leadership says there are “no concerns.”

McCarthy tried to remove Swalwell from the committee in early 2021 after Pelosi reappointed him.

The House voted largely along party lines to reject the measure, with 200 members voting for removal and 218 voting against it.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff also defended Swalwell, calling him a “trusted member of our committee” who had “acted fully in accordance with his responsibilities” after the 2015 briefing.

Apparently those responsibilities included continuing to sit on the committee.

McCarthy: Democrats “Jeopardized” Congress

When Republicans regained control of the House in 2023, McCarthy blocked Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence Committee.

“If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn’t have Swalwell on any committee,” McCarthy said.

“One thing I know for sure – I had questions about whether he should. That’s the one question that was answered, he should not be on Intel.”

McCarthy said Democratic leadership had “jeopardized” Congress by allowing Swalwell to remain on a committee handling sensitive intelligence for years.

“The only way that they even knew it came forward is when they went to nominate him to the Intel Committee. And then the FBI came and told the leadership then, he’s got a problem,” McCarthy explained. “And they kept him on. That jeopardized all of us.”

That is the sort of sentence that tends to make people wonder why national security was apparently being handled with the same urgency as deciding where to hold the congressional Christmas party.

Then Came the New Details

The newly released files reveal even more about what the FBI knew.

According to the documents, the FBI initially considered investigating Swalwell for a bribery scheme involving campaign donations and internships. Investigators ultimately narrowed the criminal case to Fang and allegations that she made illegal donations through U.S.-citizen conduits.

Swalwell admitted that he had sex with Fang, that his staff placed her interns in congressional offices, and that his campaign finance system was not strong enough to detect the alleged straw donations.

The Justice Department ultimately declined to prosecute Fang after she fled the country as investigators began interviewing associates and raiding her home.

The FBI had also been trying to recruit Fang as a confidential informant.

Her code name?

“Rusty Thumbs.”

Yes, “Rusty Thumbs.”

Apparently the FBI's counterintelligence operation had a naming committee that was having a particularly creative afternoon.

The bureau was considering hiring Fang through a cutout company and was still evaluating her suitability as a confidential human source when investigators discovered her alleged criminal activity.

The FBI also knew early in the recruitment process that Fang had suspected ties to the MSS. One memo identified her parents as “known MSS intelligence officers.”

Agents also suspected Fang herself had ties to Chinese intelligence and knew she was raising money for California Democrats and allegedly willing to use sex to advance her political influence.

The investigation was opened on March 17, 2014, under the remarkably appropriate codename “Freshman Fifteen.”

The probe examined allegations that Swalwell awarded congressional internships in exchange for campaign contributions, with Fang allegedly serving as the facilitator.

According to an FBI summary of Swalwell’s 2015 interview, Swalwell admitted that he had “physical relations with Fang” on multiple occasions.

During another interview in 2016, Swalwell described an incident in which Fang showed up at his home. Swalwell said they “hooked up,” according to the FBI summary.

And all of this was known before Democrats repeatedly decided that Swalwell belonged on the House Intelligence Committee.

At some point, the question stops being whether Eric Swalwell had a questionable relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative.

The more interesting question is why the people who had been briefed about it decided that the appropriate response was to give him access to some of the most sensitive intelligence in the United States government.

Then again, Washington has always had an interesting definition of “intelligence.” Sometimes it apparently means classified information.

Sometimes it means figuring out that the guy sleeping with a suspected Chinese spy probably shouldn't be sitting on the Intelligence Committee.

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