The ICE CBP Problem is Insane
PDS Published 02/04/2026
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What we just witnessed on Capitol Hill … I think it’s going to give me nightmares.
Because with multiple people now shot dead by federal agents in the streets, dozens more dead in detention centers, and who knows how many others beaten or abused, there’s still no indication that Trump’s secret police are slowing down.
So Democrats were like, alright, we’ve gotta make people see what’s going on here; clearly the point hasn’t gotten across yet.
So they organized a forum with three people who were brutalized by immigration agents while driving in their cars, all of whom are U.S. citizens, not that it should matter.
Now y’all, I just wanna warn you, because these are some of the most gutwrenching testimonies I’ve heard in a very long time, so if you don’t have the stomach for it right now, maybe skip ahead or come back later.
But with that, let’s hear from the first witness, Aliya Rahman [Pronounce 01:00:40], who experienced what she’s about to describe just three weeks ago. [Lead B roll into clip]
For context, she has autism and a traumatic brain injury, and while she was on her way to an appointment at a TBI treatment center, she says she came upon a traffic jam with ICE vehicles. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:01:50 - 01:02:04, 01:02:08 - 01:02:30, 01:02:54 - 01:03:12, 01:03:33 - 01:03:36] Caption: “I had not wanted to pull into a blocked, chaotic intersection but verbally agreed to do so and rolled down my window after an agent yelled, ‘Move, I will break your F-ing window!’ … Agents on all sides of my vehicle yelled conflicting threats and instructions that I could not process while watching for pedestrians. Then the glass, the passenger side window flew across my face. I yelled, ‘I’m disabled!’ at the hands grabbing at me, and an agent said, ‘Too late!’ … An agent pulled a large combat knife in front of my face, which I thought was for cutting me and later learned was used to cut off my seatbelt. Shooting pain went through my head, neck, and wrists when I hit the ground face-first and people leaned on my back. … I now cannot lift my arms normally.” [B roll, 00:41]
With her saying that as they dragged her away, she was never asked for ID, never told she was under arrest, never read her rights, and never even charged with a crime.
Then, adding that when she was taken into detention, she got no medical screening, no phone call, and no lawyer.
[Clip, 01:04:49 - 01:05:11] Caption: “I was denied a communication navigator when my speech began to slur. Agents laughed as I tried to immobilize my own neck. I asked for my cane and was told no, pulled up my arms and prodded forward in leg irons by agents laughing and saying, ‘Walk, you can do it! Walk!’”
Then, when she asked for a wheelchair, agents told her they didn’t know whether they even had one.
[Clip, 01:05:17 - 01:05:24, 01:05:27 - 01:05:38] Caption: “When I was finally placed in one to be taken to interrogation an agent taunted, ‘You were driving, right? So your legs do work.’ … I pleaded for emergency medical care for over an hour after my vision had become blurry, my heart rate went through the roof, and the pain in my neck and head became unbearable. It was denied.” 4:47-5:08, 5:13-5:25
Next, she says she lost her ability to speak, so her cellmate began pleading the guards on her behalf.
[Clip, 01:05:44 - 01:05:56] Caption: “The last sounds I remember before I blacked out on the cell floor were my cellmate banging on the door, pleading for a medic, and a voice outside saying, ‘We don’t want to step on ICE’s toes.’”
Then, she says next thing she knew she was in a hospital, where doctors told her she had suffered a concussion.
Which is bad enough for anyone, but fucking terrible to hear if you already have a traumatic brain injury.
Anyway, let’s hear from the second witness, Daniel Rascon [Pronounce 01:07:23].
Because last August, he says he was running an errand with his future father in law Francisco, and his future brother in law Johnathan, when ll of a sudden, two unmarked trucks boxed in their car. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:08:28 - 01:08:44] Caption: “I looked up, thinking we must be at a red light or in a traffic jam. But to my surprise, I was instead met with four men in face masks, sunglasses, and baseball caps, and guns drawn pointing straight at us.”
So these men, whom he says weren’t wearing uniforms, tried pulling open the car doors, all the while refusing to identify themselves.
Then, he says they smashed the driver-side window, punched Francisco in the face, then broke the passenger-side window and reached inside.
[Clip, 01:09:56 - 01:10:13, 01:10:15 - 01:10:23, 01:10:36 - 01:10:40] Caption: “Terrified for our lives, excuse me, Francisco bravely drove straight through the only open pathway down the street, hoping to be driving toward safety. We were instead met with gunfire. … one of the four men attempted to murder us after we passed by, as he fired and made contact with the passenger-side of our car multiple times. … We narrowly escaped as pieces of glass fell on our heads.”
Saying finally, they made it home in a car riddled with bullet holes, then called 911, but when local police came they handcuffed Francisco and questioned everyone else. [Image]
[Clip, 01:11:43 - 01:11:55] Caption: “The officers then allowed the same four men who had just attacked us to come to our home. Those four men were asked to identify who they were looking for, but they had zero idea as to who they were even targeting.”
Then, two weeks later, at four in the morning, he says he woke up to law enforcement surrounding the home with assault rifles and an armored truck.
With everyone inside panicking, then the men breached the front door and began yelling at them to come out with their hands up.
[Clip, 01:14:45 - 01:14:54] Caption: “The agents pointed the bright lasers attached to their rifles at each of us inside the home. They even pointed their weapon at my fiance, who was pregnant at the time.”
With agents eventually taking Francisco, who was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer, before a judge finally released him and dismissed the charges a month later. [Headline]
And then lastly, let’s hear from the third witness, Marimar Martinez [Pronounce 39:19].
With her recalling how last November, she packed a bag of clothing to donate to her local church, then started driving there, but eventually came upon a border patrol vehicle. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 41:40 - 41:55]
With her saying her neighbors joined in, deliberately setting off their car alarms to alert everyone else, but a little later on …
[Clip, 42:33 - 42:44] Caption: “I made eye contact with the driver of the Border Patrol vehicle and watched as he turned the steering wheel once again to his left and sideswiped my vehicle.”
With her saying she immediately hit the brakes, as did the Border Patrol just ahead of her, so she tried to escape for her own safety.
[Clip, 43:20 - 43:26] Caption: “I drove forward and went around the Border Patrol agents, who jumped out of his car and pointed his gun at me.”
Saying she drove into the far-left lane, striking the curb, and then …
[Clip, 43:32 - 43:39, 43:49 - 43:56, 44:01 - 44:08] Caption: “The next thing I knew, I felt a burning sensation in my arms, legs, and that I had been shot by pepper balls. … I could hear my back passenger window shatter, and I felt bullets continue to pierce my body. … I looked down and I noticed blood gushing out of my arms and legs, and I realized I had been shot multiple times.”
Yet despite all of that, somehow she says she drove another mile, then pulled over and called 911, but the horror only continued from there.
[Clip, 44:57 - 45:02, 45:12 - 45:18] Caption: “At the hospital, I remember seeing multiple agents standing around. … I remember the agents rushing the nurses to finish up so they could take me with them.”
So after less than three hours there, she says she was discharged and delivered into the hands of Border Patrol.
[Clip, 45:44 - 45:49, 45:59 - 46:02, 46:11 - 46:15] Caption: “One of the agents came up to me with his cellphone and took a photograph of me. … I told him I did not consent. … Was this the agent that shot me? Was this a trophy for him?”
Also, on that note, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia read aloud text messages he says were written by the agent who shot Martinez. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:26:31 - 01:26:49] Caption: “The agent linked an article about your shooting and texted, ‘Read it. Five shots, seven holes. I fired five rounds and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys. Oh well, it is what it is. Shit happens.’”
But getting back to her story, Martinez says she started bleeding through her bandages, so an FBI agent had to redress her wounds and bring her to a second hospital before taking her into custody again.
Meanwhile, federal agents took the Border Patrol vehicle that allegedly hit Martinez’s car out of the FBI’s secure evidence garage, drove it to Maine, and had a Border Patrol mechanic repair it.
Now Martinez argues that amounted to the destruction of evidence, especially since her lawyers hadn’t been able to inspect the vehicle yet.
But the agent who shot her testified that he believed the vehicle had no remaining evidentiary value after it was processed and released by the FBI, adding, “I was told to pick it up, [so] I picked it up.” [Quote]
Then, the government accused her of trying to ram federal agents with her car, charged her for assault with a deadly weapon, and labelled her a domestic terrorist. [Headline]
And although the charges were dropped back in November, the government still refers to her as a domestic terrorist on its website. [Headline]
Now if her story sounds oddly familiar, you’re not alone; Martinez herself made the connection.
[Clip, 58:07 - 58:16]
Now speaking of Good and Pretti, we’re learning more about the men who killed them, with Wired reporting that two agents belonged to highly militarized and notoriously aggressive special response teams, or SRTs. [Headline/image]
Right, Jonathan Ross, who shot Renee Good, was an ICE SRT agent, and Raymundo [Ray-moondo] Gutierrez, one of the guys who shot Alex Pretti, was a CBP SRT agent.
And as their names suggest, these units are meant for special, high-risk missions, so they’re patterned off the US military’s special forces teams, not regular police. [Quote, find “patterned”]
Which is why they behave not like regular police, but like soldiers, with the outlet writing:
“They use explosives to breach the doors of homes. Team members are equipped with full tactical gear, military-style helmets, assault rifles, and heavy-duty crowd-control weapons like pepper balls, foam launchers, and flash-bang grenades. They have deployed less lethal munitions and chemical dispersants with little or no warning. Federal agents have charged into crowds without dispersal orders, dogpiling people who often are doing nothing more than observing or yelling their disapproval at the feds.” [Quote same link]
And it’s not just the SRTs; we’re also seeing the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, on city streets, which a former CBP commissioner likened to “using a chain saw to mow your lawn.” [Quote same link]
Right, because they’re an offensive tactical team traditionally used for drug raids, counterterrorism missions, and other operations on the border.
So when you’ve got these guys facing off against middle-aged moms blowing whistles and yelling “shame!”, you can imagine the outcome.
But now, the outlet notes that the brutal tactics of these special units seem to have spread into ICE and CBP as a whole. [Quote same link, find “as a whole”]
Which may explain a lot of what we’ve been seeing over the past year, and why judges are so fed up with the outrageous cases piling up on their dockets.
Speaking of which — this is just nuts — one judge summoned the Justice Department’s lawyers for the district of Minnesota to explain why DHS had ignored so many court orders, including not releasing several immigrant detainees he had ordered them to release.
But when one DHS attorney entered the courtroom, she gave an answer nobody was expecting.
With her reportedly telling the judge: “The system sucks. This job sucks. I wish you could hold me in contempt so that I could get 24 hours of sleep.” [Quote]
Then describing how it’s like “pulling teeth” to get DHS, ICE and the DoJ to follow court orders. [Quote same link]
Explaining: “it takes 10 emails from me for a release condition to be corrected. It takes me threatening to walk out for something else to be corrected.” [Quote same link]
And as for herself, NBC reports that she picked up 88 cases in less than a month, so that may also explain her exhaustion. [Quote same link, find “88”]
But she’s not alone; right, we’ve seen numerous attorneys quitting the DoJ’s Minnesota office recently because of just how political it’s become there.
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[But then, getting back into the news] Nick Shirley, the pro-Trump influencer whose viral claims about fraud involving Somali-run daycares have fueled weeks of chaos in Minnesota, has now set his sights on California.
And he’s just one of several right-wing content creators and even administration officials who have descended on the state with similar allegations – possibly setting the stage for another Minnesota-style crackdown.
Right, because before you had an army of federal agents wreaking havoc in the Twin Cities, you had Democratic Governor Tim Walz at the helm while fraudsters made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in state money meant to help people in need during the pandemic.
Which was something that happened in many states – although the scale was particularly shocking in Minnesota.
And the Trump administration zeroed in on a years-old case that federal prosecutors had started charging people for way back in 2022 under Joe Biden.
And it emphasized the involvement of dozens of Somali Americans – even though there are tens of thousands of them in the state.
And the fact that a handful of them were engaged in fraud is no reason to believe others have been.
And, either way, the case would most likely be a matter for criminal investigators not immigration enforcement – especially since 87 percent of Minnesota’s foreign-born Somali population are already American citizens.
But you still had Trump calling Somalis “garbage” and “low IQ" and suggesting that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar should be deported.
And allegations of widespread fraud among Somali and other immigrant communities became part of the implied justification for the massive surge of immigration agents to the state in early December.
And that was especially true after Nick Shirley claimed to uncover a $100 million fraud scheme involving Somali child care centers in Minnesota – although he did so without providing any real, or at least conclusive, evidence.
And the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families reported carrying out checks on nine child care centers accused of fraud in Shirely’s video and found that all were “operating as expected.”
Though, notably, you also had the agency revealing ongoing investigations at four of the centers on the list – and, in total, it has 55 open investigations involving providers that are getting government funding. []
And so the point isn’t to say that there aren’t any issues or there isn’t any fraud at all.
In fact, going back years, news outlets have published multiple stories covering child care fraud – and several people have been prosecuted.
But Shirley implied this had never been discussed and he manufactured outrage on unsubstantiated and overblow allegations.
And it was after his video that the Trump administration moved to send another roughly 2,000 federal agents to the city – with it being just two more days until ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good.
And since then, of course, we’ve seen an absolute flood of videos appearing to show federal agents violently arresting immigrants and citizens, brutally cracking down on protesters, and shooting and killing a second American citizen: Alex Pretti.
And, in addition to the chaos on the ground, you had the White House moving to freeze federal child care funding for Minnesota and five other Democratic-led states – although you had a federal judge temporarily blocking that effort.
And today, you had border czar tom homan that 700 agents will be leaving the state.
But where will they go next? Because you have some saying the Trump administration and the MAGA influencer machine may be planning to follow the same playbook elsewhere.
And in fact, to that point, you reportedly had a senior White House official telling Wired as far back as last month:
“The fraud is so blatant and widespread [in Minnesota] that it’s a good place to start, but it’s only the beginning. [California] and [New York] next.” []
You also had Trump claiming in early January that “California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota…” — adding:
“Investigation of California has begun.”
And, last week, he created and filled a brand new position at the Justice Department: assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement.
And while we haven’t heard much from him yet we know Shirley is on the ground in San Diego and again appears to be targeting Somali-run child care centers.
He’s reportedly working with a woman named Amy Reichert (Ray-kert) – a failed politician turned private investigator who has been showing him around.
And who you had posting a picture with Shirley on X – writing:
“California, here we come!”
When [Nick Shirley] drops the video, it’s going to be [fire].”
And with that, Shriely appears to be “investigating” fraud in California the same way he "investigated fraud in Minnesota, which was by showing up to daycares and asking to see children – at least based on videos posted online:
“It says there’s 14 children enrolled here.”
“You don’t care! This is my daycare.”
“Then where are the children?”
“You don’t care!’
“Where are the children at?”
“It’s not enough Minnesota! You come here!” (0:04-0:14)
And it seems that he is not the only one.
San Diego Somali day care workers first described incidents of harassment and unwanted visitors in early January
With some reporting that they’ve had strangers showing up and peering through their windows, asking questions, and hurling false accusations – and ultimately saying they’re fearing for their safety.
One, for example, told AP reporters that she watched someone emerge from a car that had been circling the building and take a shit near the center's entrance – and that the same day someone drove by and yelled that the center was a “fake day care.”
With these types of incidents leading her to come up with new lockdown procedures and start budgeting for increased security.
Also saying that she now keeps the blinds closed to protect the children from people looking in – as well as to keep them from looking out and witnessing potentially scarring scenes of immigration enforcement in action. []
And very, notably, this trend Shirely has started – it also seems to be nationwide.
Cities with large Somali communities in Washington and Ohio, for example, have also reported incidents.
In Ohio, you actually had the Republican governor holding a news conference to debunk a right-wing influencer’s claims about fraud tied to a child care center in Columbus.
With him saying – and I don’t know why this needs to be said – a child care provider refusing to let a stranger into the building and look at the children should not be seen as a sign of fraud!
But that didn't stop Republicans in the state legislature from actually introducing legislation to more closely monitor child care centers.
Including one that would require those that take public money to provide live video feeds of their classrooms to state officials! []
But getting back to California, the fraud allegations have also gone beyond daycare facilities.
You had pro-Trump influencer Benny Johnson, for example, publishing his own “documentary” this weekend – with him claiming to have uncovered a 100 million dollar fraud scheme in California tied to what he called the “homeless industrial complex.”
And he also claimed that the state was “using these federal dollars to rig national elections.”
Although, notably, you had California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office responding to the video with a detailed fact check – writing:
“We watched Benny Johnson’s video so you didn’t have to lose brain cells.”
“As expected: lies, rage bait — straight from his Russia-paid influencer starter kit.”
And, as an example, Johnson’s video tries to claim that California’s homeless shelters are mostly filled with undocumented immigrants.
But his main piece of evidence is a phone call with a purported “whistleblower” whose identity was kept hidden.
And Newsom’s office slammed the claim as being “as real as our Free Unicorn for all undocumented people program.”
You’ve also recently had Mehmet Oz getting in on the action.
And he’s part of the Trump administration – right, he’s the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
But possibly relevant to a conversation about fraud, he rose to fame, in the eyes of many, as something of a modern-day snake oil salesman.
With him touting his medical background while promoting unsound scientific theories, unproven treatments, and bogus supplements – sometimes sold by companies he had financial ties to.
But in any case, last month, he said that CMS would withhold around $300 million in funding from California because, according to him, it was using the funds on “non-emergency health care for illegals.”
And, last week, he published his own documentary-style video on alleged healthcare fraud in California involving phony hospices he suggested were run by the“Russian Armenian mafia.”
Although, notably, neither OZ nor CMS have publicly shared details that confirm the fraud.
And the whole thing is especially problematic because Oz’s parents came from Turkey – which, like Oz himself in fact, has refused to acknowledge the history of the Armenian genocide.
And so you actually had Governor Gavin Newsom’s office filing a civil rights complaint against Oz after the video was published – saying Oz Oz "spewed baseless and racially charged allegations."
You also had Newsom’s office pointing to the fact that Trump has actually halted a federal effort to increase oversight of hospice care and root out fraud and abuse in the industry.
And this as he didn’t deny that fraud happens but insisted the state was taking action.
And with that, the California Attorney General's office has said it has filed criminal charges against 109 individuals over hospice fraud-related offenses and launched dozens of civil investigations. []
And as far as fraud tied to services for unhoused people, just last month, a man was arrested for getting away with $23 million from LA county funds. And so fraud is real, and there’s a debate to be had about whether California or any other state or the federal government is doing enough to combat it.
But there’s reason to doubt that Trump and his supporters are coming at the issue in good faith.
And there’s a question about whether the issue will again be used to justify some sort of action against California or other states opposed to Trump’s agenda.
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And getting back to the news, Congress is now standing on the edge of a cliff named “DHS Funding” despite just ending a shutdown.
Right, yesterday, Trump signed a $1.2 trillion funding package of 5 spending bills to end the partial government shutdown that started on Saturday. []
The package was first passed by the Senate on Friday and then the House cleared it yesterday in a narrow 217-214 margin.
Which means that most government agencies are funded through the end of the fiscal year in September.
But there’s a big, glaring exception - the Department of Homeland Security.
This package only provided funding for DHS to the end of next week as a compromise to get the rest of the funding passed.
With Democrats still demanding changes in ICE operations.
Including that agents wear body cameras and identify themselves; get warrants for arrests; and adhere to a code of conduct similar to state and local law enforcement. []
But we’ve already seen Republicans pushback against some of those requests - with Speaker Mike Johnson saying the right isn’t going to agree to require judicial warrants for arrests by immigration officers.
Saying administrative warrants are, quote, “sufficient legal authority to go and apprehend” undocumented immigrants.
And adding,
“If someone is going to be apprehended and they run behind a closed door and lock the door, what is ICE supposed to do at that point? ‘Oh, gee whiz, a locked door?’” []
Though some Republicans have taken a stronger stance against Democrats generally.
With Representative Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, saying they have no intention of bending to the Democrats’ demands.
“They’re like a spoiled child that’s not getting what they want and throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. You don’t reward them with giving them a candy bar.” []
So the partisan gap here is pretty wide and there’s only a few days to close it before the February 13th deadline.
And if they don’t, DHS is facing a lapse in funding - which includes ICE, Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard. []
With some having more hope than others - including Representative Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut who was among the Democrats who voted for the short-term solution.
With DeLauro saying,
"I believe this is an opportunity to isolate DHS and go at it, hammer and tongs, tooth and nail — whatever phrase you want to use — rather than having to figure out what the heck is going to happen to five other bills and all those departments." []
Of course, there are those taking a stronger stance - including Jim McGovern from Massachusetts, who said,
“I refuse to send another cent to Stephen Miller or Kristi Noem. They are undermining our Constitution, and the department they run is murdering American citizens in the streets.” []
And Representative Pete Aguilar from California said,
“We have a list that we want done, and we aren’t settling for half-measures.”
Adding that if Republicans don’t want to come to the table and negotiate real reform, quote, “then they’re going to have to explain to the American public why they’re shutting down agencies.” []
There are also those that are less confident a solution can be found in the short amount of time Congress has.
With some on the right suggesting the can will be kicked down the road even further, maybe to March 1st. []
But House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that option is, quote, “off the table.”
Adding that a deal will only be possible if Republicans come to the table in good faith - saying,
“We’ve indicated the types of bold and transformative changes that are necessary. The ball is now in the court of the Republicans.” []
But Republicans may drag their feet on the way to the table, if they show up at all, considering ICE is still sitting on the Big Beautiful Bill’s gift of $75 billion. []
Which could keep them afloat while the Democrats hold out on funding DHS for the year.
However, Republicans are also battling pressure from within their own party - coming straight from the top dog.
Right, Trump’s recent declaration that he wants to nationalize elections has thrown the party into absolute chaos as they try to spin the president’s latest authoritarian attempt to exert control over the outcome of future elections.
Right, as we talked about yesterday, you had Trump calling into the Dan Bongino Show, where he claimed that Democrats are bringing in illegal immigrants so they can win elections, and then making this call to Republicans:
“These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally. And the amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it. The Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least many, 15 fifteen places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.” 14:09 - 14:29
But after that clip went viral, you had White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt trying to walk it back:
“What the president was referring to is the SAVE Act, which is a huge, common-sense piece of legislation that Republicans have supported, that President Trump is committed to signing into law during his term. And he spoke with the Speaker directly about that yesterday, about the need to get that bill on the floor for a vote because it provides very common-sense measures for voting in our country, such as voter ID. I don’t think any rational person who is being honest with themselves would disagree with the idea of requiring citizens of this country to present an ID before casting a ballot in a federal election, or, frankly, in any election, and that’s something the president wants to see happen.” 00:41 - 1:44
Okay, so a few things to pick apart here.
First of all, the SAVE Act Leavitt is talking about would require people to prove that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote — it has literally nothing to do with federalizing elections.
And Trump, he never once mentioned that specific legislation during his interview with Bongino.
Yes, he talked about non-citizen voting, but he also said, verbatim: “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting” — we all heard it.
What’s more, just hours after Leavitt made those comments, you had Trump doubling down and literally repeating his call to nationalize elections during a press briefing at the Oval Office:
REPORTER: “What exactly did you mean when you said that you should nationalize elections? And which 15 states are you talking about?”
TRUMP: “I wanna see elections be honest. And if a state can’t run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it. Because when you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway.” 22:25 - 22:44
With Trump then going on to repeat his false claims about the 2020 election being “rigged” and “crooked,” specifically mentioning Detroit, Pennsylvania, and Atlanta as places he said had “horrible corruption,” and adding:
“And the federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved. These are agents of the federal government to count the votes. If they can’t count the votes legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.” 23:16 - 23:29
So… you know… it seems like the guy is making it pretty damn clear that he wants to nationalize at least some elections — a desire that apparently has nothing to do with the SAVE Act, because he also never mentioned it once during that briefing either.
But even after Trump doubled down and clearly contradicted Leavitt, we STILL saw some Republicans trying to spin those comments to make it sound less - well, less like he’s fully drunk the authoritarian Kool-Aid.
With Senate Majority Leader John Thune reiterating the SAVE Act story after Trump’s briefing.
[“But with respect to nationalizing elections, I think the president has clarified what he meant by that, and that is that he supports the SAVE Act. 0:20-0:28]
But Speaker Johnson took a different approach - just fully committing to Trump’s story about the elections in blue states being rigged or fraudulent.
Specifically mentioning California and the recent Republican loss there,
[“I mean, they hold the elections open for weeks after election day. That’s just one thing that bothers so many people. We had 3 Republican candidates who were ahead on election day in last cycle, and every time a new tranche of ballots came in they just magically whittled away until their leads were lost.” 0:45-1:02,]
[“It looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove that? No." 1:10-1:14]
Though the potential for meddling in the midterms isn’t the only concerning thing Trump said yesterday.
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And during that same press briefing, Trump also discussed the Epstein files, trying to dismiss it as a Democrat problem and claim he is barely even in them.
Which, as we know, that’s not true, he is all over them in various capacities, as are others in his administration.
But what got the most attention was when Trump snapped at CNN’s Kaitlin Collins as she tried to ask about justice for the survivors.
“What would you say to people who feel they have not gotten justice, Mr. President?... What was that, you know? You are so bad…what would you say to the survivors who feel they haven’t gotten justice…you are the worst reporter. CNN has no ratings because of people like you. She’s a young woman, I don’t think I have ever seen you smile. I’ve known you maybe 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile…I’m asking you about survivors of…You know why you’re not smiling, because you know you’re not telling the truth. And you are a very dishonest organization. And they should be ashamed of you.” (31:04-31:34)
Right, he ridiculed her, and then the room just moved on to discuss healthcare.
So there was a ton of outrage that the other journalists in the room didn’t say anything to defend her.[][][]
Though, since it happened, CNN has defended her and other reporters have spoken out online, saying things like:
“A reporter asks President Trump a question he doesn’t like…and instead of answering, he attacks her character. No moments of contrition for those harmed by Epstein. Instead, he has called the files a 'hoax.’”[]
Collins’ CNN colleague Jake Tapper also noted that this subject “really causes [Trump] to lash out,” because that “quiet piggy” remark he gave to a female reporter was also in response to an Epstein question.[]
You even had lawmakers chiming in to say:
“Trump would never respond to a male reporter with ‘Why don't you smile more.’ I guess facing Epstein survivors and the truth was harder than answering @kaitlancollins’s question.”[]
And Kaitlan kind of responded herself just by sharing a video showing her face while Trump railed against her, and she keeps her cool and remains professional.
And with this, it is worth noting that his tirade came after Collins had asked other questions about Epstein, which Trump did answer, but it was clear he wanted to move on to a new subject.
“On the Epstein files, you talked about Democrats who were in there, Elon Musk was also in there, Howard Lutnick was also in there, did you read those new files that were published?... No, I have a lot of things I’m doing. You mention two names, I’m sure they’re fine.” (30:10-30:28)
“I think it’s really time for the country to get onto something else, now that nothing came out about me, other than it was a conspiracy against me by Epstein and other people, but I think now it is time for the country to maybe get onto something else.” (30:47-31:03)
But of course, if that’s how Trump is going to respond when Epstein comes up, people are not going to want to move on.
Right, some thinking that if it were anyone else, this would be a career-ending scandal.
And actually, for some other politicians, it is.
Over in the U.K., Peter Mandelson just resigned from the Labour Party and House of Lords over revelations in the Epstein files, claiming he does not want to cause “further embarrassment” for his party.
Right, some communications show that Mandelson gave Epstein sensitive financial and political information, with some of this happening in 2009, after Epstein became a convicted sex offender. []
He also allegedly sent Epstein a confidential document intended for the Prime Minister, and accepted tens of thousands of dollars in payments from Epstein, too.
And a photo that appears to be of Mandelson depicts him in underwear alongside a redacted woman or girl.[]
So now, he is under investigation in the UK for misconduct while in public office.
And this situation has people thinking, how novel that a politician is resigning and facing real political consequences for being implicated in a massive criminal scandal, seems like a low bar to clear, but in the U.S. that just is not happening.][
In fact, it seems like everyone but the people implicated are out there answering for these files.
You had Melinda French Gates discussing the mentions of her ex-husband, Bill Gates, and saying:
“Whatever questions remain there of, I can’t even begin to know all of it, those questions are for those people and even my ex husband, they need to answer for those things. Not me. And I am so happy to be away from all the muck.” (1:26-1:42)
“No girl, no girl, should ever be put in the situation they were put in by Epstein.” (0:35-0:44)
“I remember being the ages of those girls. I remember my daughters being those ages.” (0:55-1:00)
Gates has denied wrongdoing, but politicians on both sides of the aisle have responded to this interview by kind of echoing that call, saying yes, Bill Gates and others need to face questioning, with Nancy Mace seeking to subpoena him. [][]
But whether or not Epstein’s associates, those who participated in or knew of his crimes, will actually answer these questions remains to be seen, even though this topic is going nowhere, justice also seems so far out of reach.
