By Steve Neavling

Nine former FBI employees who worked on the investigation into President Trump’s handling of classified documents are suing to get their jobs back, alleging they were fired as part of a campaign of political retaliation, the Associated Press reports.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, was brought by agents, intelligence analysts and staff operations specialists who were dismissed in February. The employees say they were assigned to the Mar-a-Lago investigation because of their work on specialized counterintelligence and counterespionage teams, not because they volunteered to investigate Trump.

FBI Director Kash Patel has said employees who were fired had “weaponized” the bureau. The former employees dispute that characterization, pointing to more than a century of combined FBI service that included work on the Boston Marathon bombing, hostage recoveries and the investigation into the 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Penn. Their attorneys said the employees “were fired because they did their jobs, as they always did to follow the facts and law without bias or favor.”

The FBI investigation, known internally as Plasmic Echo, led to the 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and an indictment accusing him of improperly retaining classified documents and obstructing efforts to recover them. Trump denied wrongdoing, and the case was dismissed in 2024 by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that special counsel Jack Smith had been improperly appointed.

The lawsuit alleges the employees were dismissed without an internal investigation, hearing or meaningful opportunity to challenge their terminations.

“The Plaintiffs were unlawfully terminated not for any cause or any legitimate reason, but only to satisfy the President’s personal vendetta,” the complaint states.

The former employees are seeking reinstatement, back pay and a court declaration that their firings were unlawful.

By Steve Neavling

Federal law enforcement agencies are investigating a series of letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to congressional offices and election officials across the country, prompting warnings that the packages should be treated as potentially dangerous.

The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police are working to intercept additional letters, according to a Senate Sergeant at Arms notice obtained by The Associated Press. The warning said that while authorities are trying to stop the mailings before delivery, “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”

Several Democratic senators were among those targeted. Capitol Police intercepted a letter containing a “suspicious substance” that was sent to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, while suspicious mail addressed to Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York was intercepted by postal inspectors before reaching their offices.

Election offices have also received suspicious packages. Mail containing powdery substances led to evacuations in Louisiana and Oklahoma, while election officials in Ohio, Wisconsin and several other states reported receiving letters or having them intercepted. Wisconsin officials said testing showed the white powder sent there was not hazardous.

“Let this be very clear: this incident will not shake us,” Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe said.

The mailings come about three weeks before Election Day and resemble a series of threats in 2023, when election offices in six states received letters containing white powder, including some with traces of fentanyl.

“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” the National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors said in a joint statement.

By Greg Stejskal

President Donald Trump is pushing the Department of Justice to charge Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, with perjury for her testimony before the Congressional Jan. 6 subcommittee hearings.

Evidence has been presented to a grand jury, and prosecutors are reportedly looking into allegations that she lied to lawmakers when she testified.

I wrote a column regarding her testimony, lauding her courage and credibility more than four years ago.

As a retired FBI agent with 31+ years of service, I think it is disgraceful and dishonorable for the DOJ/FBI to seek revenge on behalf of the perpetrators — Trump, et al. — against someone who had the courage to testify under oath about their egregious criminal behavior.

When I was in the Bureau, the goal was justice, not revenge.

Below was the column I previously wrote. 

Cassidy Hutchinson

During my FBI career, I was involved in the investigation and prosecution of many criminal conspiracies. It was often a challenge to find witnesses with direct knowledge of the machinations of the conspiracy.

Sometimes witnesses were people within the conspiracy, co-conspirators. They might be people who were recruited for the conspiracy but chose not to participate or they dropped out before the conspiracy came to fruition. And sometimes it was people on the periphery with some knowledge of the conspiracy.

As prosecutors say, conspiracies hatched in hell can’t have angels for witnesses. Most of the time, these potential witnesses weren’t the most upstanding or credible people. So we had to figure out ways to corroborate their testimony.

If the criminal activity were ongoing, we could try to have the witnesses record conversations with the conspirators or obtain written or digital communications like texts or emails. In trial, we knew they would be subject to very aggressive cross examination.

In the case of the multi-faceted “Big Lie” conspiracy, it wasn’t hatched in hell. It was hatched in large part in the West Wing of the White House. One of the seemingly big obstacles to determine whether this conspiracy was criminal was to show whether the conspirators had criminal intent. Did they believe that Trump had actually won the election, and did they intend to interfere with the Congressional certification of the counting of the electoral votes by a mob of Trump supporters that had been summoned to Washington and incited to march to the Capitol? Was there an expectation by the then president that there might be violence?

Angels as Witnesses

Going back to that adage about angels not being witnesses to criminal conspiracies – like all adages it isn’t always true. On June 28th, a 25-year-old woman, Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, looking suitably angelic, but resolute, testified to the January 6th Committee.

Like Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jefferson Smith, in the 1939 movie, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” she displayed the idealism of youth and an understanding that her loyalty is to the country and the Constitution not an individual or party. In the movie, Smith does a one-man filibuster until he collapses from exhaustion to expose the corruption of one senator – not an existential threat to our constitutional republic.

I have considerable experience assessing witnesses. I found Hutchinson’s testimony to be compelling and credible. She has not yet been subject to cross examination, but I believe it would be difficult to cast doubt on her testimony.

Some have criticized Hutchinson’s testimony as primarily hearsay. The definition of what constitutes hearsay can be a little confusing. But the Federal Rules of Evidence specifically says that out-of-court statements by a “party-opponent,” such as a defendant in a criminal trial, and testified to by a another is not hearsay. Neither are statements made by an agent or employee of the party-opponent made within the scope of their employment. Nor are statements made by co-conspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy.

So, when Hutchinson testified to a statement that she heard the then president say (something to the effect) “I don’t f-ing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. … They can march to the Capitol from here.” It was not hearsay and indicated that Trump was aware the crowd was armed when he extorted them to go to the Capital and “fight like hell.”

Hutchinson also testified that Anthony Ornato, Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Operations, told her that following the January 6th rally on the ellipse, Trump became irate when his Secret Service detail told him they wouldn’t take him to the Capital. Ornato said in addition to a verbal tirade, Trump reached for the steering wheel and lunged at one of the agents as though he was going to grab his throat. This also would most probably not be hearsay.

Hutchinson did not claim to have witnessed this incident, but rather that it was related to her by Ornato. Apparently, there are some anonymous people in the Secret Service who are saying Trump didn’t physically assault an agent, but that he was irate and did demand to be driven to the Capitol. This has been used to try to discredit Hutchinson’s credibility.

Stop Certification

President Donald Trump

The most important aspect of this incident is that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol to lead his supporters and to somehow stop the Congressional certification of the electoral votes. Like Julius Caesar, Trump had summoned his motley army to cross not the Rubicon but the Potomac to march on the Capitol. In Roman times, what Caesar did was treason, and he did take over the government.

Cassidy Hutchinson testified four times under oath to the January 6th Committee. By all accounts her testimony was consistent. If she were to lie, she could be charged with perjury. She isn’t promoting a book and doesn’t seem to have an interest in notoriety. Because she has breached the Trump code of loyalty, she has been castigated by Trump and his minions. After testifying the first time to the committee, Hutchinson was concerned about questions that weren’t asked and information she had that was relevant to the committee’s investigation.  She would testify three more times. The last time was televised.

The country owes her gratitude for standing up, swearing to tell the truth, and doing so. It would have been far easier for her to provide minimal information, but she chose to tell the whole truth. Many of the older, primarily males she worked with in the West Wing have chosen to not testify claiming some kind of spurious privilege.

She courageously chose to do the right thing. She characterized the insurrection on January 6th as un-American. Something was stolen on January 6th – our tradition of a peaceful transition of power. We came close to losing much more.

By Steve Neavling

The Department of Homeland Security is rejecting a federal watchdog’s recommendation that ICE body cameras automatically begin recording when officers draw their weapons, arguing the technology could inadvertently capture sensitive or protected activity, The Washington Post reports.

The Government Accountability Office said in a report released Wednesday that ICE should adopt automated activation technology similar to what CBP already uses when officers draw firearms or activate emergency vehicle lights. Without it, auditors warned, ICE risks failing to record incidents when officers are required to do so, potentially undermining “public confidence and transparency.”

DHS agreed with six of the GAO’s seven recommendations but opposed automatic activation. Jeffrey M. Bobich, the department’s executive director of financial management and systems, said the technology “presents significant operational risks, including advertent or false activations during routine movement.”

He said accidental recordings could capture sensitive conversations with informants or victims or bystanders engaged in protected First Amendment activity.

The report comes as ICE faces increased scrutiny over officer-involved shootings. In one case last month, an ICE recruit shot and wounded 28-year-old Wilber Garcés Pérez during a traffic stop in Austin. The officer had been issued a body camera but was not using it when the shooting occurred.

ICE had deployed about 4,800 body cameras through June, while CBP had issued roughly 11,500, according to the GAO. Auditors also found that ICE had not updated its body-camera policies since 2024 despite significant changes to the program. DHS officials said in August that the agency had enough cameras for all ICE officers, but Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the following month that the devices had not yet been fully distributed.

By Steve Neavling

A Texas prosecutor says an ICE officer may have deliberately struck a fleeing man with an SUV during an immigration operation in Houston, leaving him with a broken leg and raising the possibility of criminal charges, the Associated Press reports.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said surveillance footage from Saturday’s encounter appears to show 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez running from a white truck as a dark SUV follows him. Moments later, Parra Hernandez is seen on the ground.

“The most obvious criminal charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” Teare told FOX 26 Houston. “Meaning the car was used as a deadly weapon. And it certainly is what appears to have happened, based on the surveillance footage.”

ICE denied intentionally hitting Parra Hernandez, calling the allegation “reckless” and “false.” The agency said Parra Hernandez had been riding in a vehicle with the target of an enforcement operation and “ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck” after the men fled on foot.

Parra Hernandez underwent surgery for a broken leg and remains hospitalized in ICE custody, according to FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights organization assisting his family. Executive director Cesar Espinosa said Parra Hernandez, who has lived in the United States for 34 years, also needs reconstructive ankle surgery.

The case comes as Teare’s office continues investigating the July fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer. Teare said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have not cooperated with either investigation.

By Steve Neavling

A software engineer at OpenAI was arrested after the company discovered a concealed recording device inside a conference room and traced it back to the employee, the company said Tuesday.

OpenAI said a security team conducting a sweep on Sept. 30 found the device plugged into a USB port behind a television at one of its San Francisco offices, The New York Times reports. The company said the recorder was designed to avoid detection, used advanced encryption, and could secretly capture audio and transfer data. Investigators also determined the employee planned to install additional devices in sensitive areas of the company’s offices.

The Justice Department identified the employee as Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi Arabian national who joined OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025. OpenAI fired Alfozan on Friday, the same day he was arrested by the FBI. The company said it gradually restricted his access to its systems and offices while coordinating with federal investigators.

“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code or customer data,” OpenAI said in a statement.

The company said it used its advanced artificial intelligence models to help investigators examine data recovered from the recording device and track changes made to it.

Alfozan appeared in federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday and is scheduled for a detention hearing Monday, according to the Justice Department. OpenAI said the case highlights the security risks facing leading artificial intelligence companies, whose technology and research have increasingly become national security concerns.

By Steve Neavling

Rep. Delia Ramirez is pushing to dismantle the federal government’s main immigration enforcement agencies and replace the Department of Homeland Security with a new agency focused on what she calls community safety, The Hill reports.

The Illinois Democrat introduced the “Reimagining Safety Act” on Tuesday, a sweeping proposal that would abolish ICE and CBP while eliminating DHS itself. The bill would create a new “Department of Community Safety” while keeping non-immigration functions such as FEMA and the TSA.

“Every person dead in detention, shot or killed by ICE and CBP, every neighbor deported to a third country, every family separated … is a reason DHS must be dismantled and something new must take its place,” Ramirez said in a statement.

Ramirez, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, has long called for abolishing ICE and restructuring the country’s immigration enforcement system. She joined protesters in Minneapolis earlier this year after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens during an immigration operation.

The proposal comes as public support for President Trump’s immigration policies has weakened. An AP-NORC poll released Oct. 1 found 39% of Americans approved of his handling of immigration. Calls to abolish ICE remain divisive among Democrats, though a January Economist/YouGov poll found 46% of Americans supported eliminating the agency, compared with 43% who opposed it.

By Steve Neavling

Rep. Ilhan Omar accused President Trump of escalating a campaign of political intimidation after federal agents searched her home Monday, weeks before the Minnesota Democrat faces reelection, The Associated Press reports.

The Justice Department said Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out a court-authorized search in the Washington, D.C., area as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Officials offered no details about the inquiry’s focus or scope.

Omar said she would “not be silenced” and described the search as the “latest escalation” in Trump’s “intimidation” campaign. House Democratic leaders condemned the operation, saying Trump and his allies had spent years targeting her with personal attacks and baseless accusations.

Administration officials have publicly discussed investigating Omar’s immigration history. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month that an inquiry involved whether she lied on immigration forms, while Vice President JD Vance has accused her of immigration fraud without offering evidence. Omar has denied the allegations.

The search also raised questions about the Justice Department’s handling of investigations involving political candidates. The department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving candidates within 60 days of an election, according to the AP. Agents searched Omar’s home about three weeks before voters will decide control of both chambers of Congress.

By Steve Neavling

Some kratom-derived products sold at gas stations and tobacco shops could become illegal under a federal proposal that would leave the plant’s natural herbal form unaffected, The Hill reports.

The DEA is seeking to temporarily place four substances — 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15, and MGM-16 — in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. That classification is reserved for drugs considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

The proposed federal action comes amid a patchwork of state restrictions on kratom. Some states prohibit the herb outright, while others regulate sales or limit the concentration of 7-OH in products.

Oliver Grundmann, a clinical professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Medicinal Chemistry, said that scheduling the highly concentrated products is warranted. Establishing a medical use would require manufacturers to go through the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process, he said.

“That is clearly not what any of these manufacturers that sell [7-OH] products want to do, and therefore it is adequate at the moment, given what we know about [7-OH], to place it into controlled substances schedule,” Grundmann told The Hill.