Tag: fbi

The FBI Wrongly Raided This Family’s Home. Now the Supreme Court Will Hear Their Case.

When asked about the evening the FBI mistakenly broke into her home, detonating a flash grenade in the house and ripping her door from its hinges, Curtrina Martin struggles to find a way to describe what that does to a person. “I don’t know if there is a proper word that I can use,” she told me last year.

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will evaluate whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled correctly when it barred Martin from suing over that nightmare scenario—a case that has attracted bipartisan attention from Congress.

In October 2017, the FBI arrived at Martin’s house, which she shared with her then-fiancé, Hilliard Toi Cliatt, and her 7-year-old son, Gabe. The agents were searching for a man named Joseph Riley, who lived approximately one block over. After law enforcement found Martin and Cliatt hiding in the closet, police dragged Cliatt out and handcuffed him, while another officer screamed and pointed his gun at Martin, who says she fell on a rack in the chaos.

A panel for the 11th Circuit wrote that the two structures “share several conspicuous features.” For example, they are “beige in color” and have “a large tree in the front.” Since it was dark outside, the judges said, it would have been “difficult to ascertain the house numbers on the mailboxes.” Lawrence Guerra, who led the raid, thus received immunity.

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FBI’s Warrantless Search Ruled Unconstitutional in a Blow to Government Spying

A case that started a decade ago with a New York City man’s arrest at John F. Kennedy Airport for allegedly trying to join a Pakistani terrorist group has now dealt a setback to government spying powers.

In a decision that could feed into a looming fight over government surveillance, a federal court ruled last month that FBI agents violated the man’s constitutional rights when they searched National Security Agency databases for information on him dozens of times without a warrant.

The decision gives a boost to the surveillance critics who have long asked Congress to impose a warrant requirement on “backdoor” searches of NSA data collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA.

Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has called for “major reform” of Section 702. He faces a Thursday confirmation hearing where surveillance hawks on the Senate Intelligence Committee could grill him about that position. Trump’s other nominees, however, have lined up to back the law.

The parties to the New York City case have not signaled whether they intend to appeal the ruling in the case against Agron Hasbajrami, who remains imprisoned. But if it stands, the decision could play a role in thecongressional debate over the spying law when it expires in April 2026.

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Whistleblower: FBI’s New Orleans Boss Stayed On Vacation after New Year’s Terrorist Attack

Apparently the second-deadliest foreign-inspired terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11 wasn’t enough for the boss of the New Orleans FBI field office to end his vacation early.

Early on New Year’s Day, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’s famed French Quarter—killing 14 people who were celebrating the New Year. Police fatally shot Jabbar in a following firefight, and authorities later determined that the incident was inspired by the foreign terrorist organization ISIS.

Despite that, New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil took several more days to return to the office, according to a whistleblower working with the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

“Myrthil vacationed in Europe from late December to early January, which included New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the Sugar Bowl and took multiple days to return to New Orleans after the terrorist attack on January 1,” Grassley said in a Tuesday letter to FBI Acting Director Brian Driscol and Acting Attorney General James McHenry.

“The FBI failed to note this in any of the joint briefings it provided to Congress and must provide more information.”

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Teen Jackson Reffitt Who Snitched on His Own Father to FBI Cries to CNN Over January 6th Pardons — Says He is ‘Terrified’ and Has Bought Himself a Gun 

Texas teen who ratted out his own father to the FBI is reeling from Donald Trump’s decision to pardon January 6th protesters. 

Jackson Reffitt, whose father Guy Reffitt was sentenced to over seven years in prison for his role in the protests against the 2020 presidential election, spoke to CNN after Donald Trump announced that he would be pardoning all of those involved.

“I’ve taken as many precautions as I could recently,” Jackson said.

“I’ve picked up a gun, I’ve moved, and I’ve gotten myself away from what I thought would be a dangerous situation and staying where I thought my dad could find me or other people.”

However, Jackson is at least showing remorse for his actions, which included wiretapping conversations that would be used to incriminate his father.

He has admitted that doing so was “disgusting” and says he feels guilt about it to this day.

“My father’s actions coming from the Trump presidency and what he thought he was doing was right just destroyed it [my family].”

”I made a very, very disgusting decision to inform authorities about what he was doing, and I still feel horrible about it every day.”

“My sisters are out there right now, and they’re rooting for him. I understand that.”

“I come from a place of love toward them. I want to be there for them, but I can’t. It just isn’t safe for people like me who have done what I did to protect my family… I cannot feel safe around him [father].”

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Ousted Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao indicted by federal grand jury following FBI corruption probe

The former Mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, has reportedly been indicted by a federal grand jury following a corruption investigation headed by the FBI, sources familiar with the matter told the San Francisco Chronicle. On Thursday, federal officials announced that they intended to disclose the outcome of a “significant law enforcement operation” on Friday morning. However, they did not provide any additional information.

The official charges against the former mayor have not yet been announced, but come after her home was raided by the FBI in June 2024 as part of a corruption probe. Thao was recently recalled in the November election.

The FBI conducted a raid at Thao’s home and three properties that were associated with members of the Duong family, who were awarded a curbside recycling contract by the city of Oakland. The raids occurred last June, and federal agents seized phones belonging to Thao and her boyfriend, Andre Jones.

Days after the raids, a federal grand jury subpoenaed all “documents and communications related to Andre Jones” and “calendar entries or records” of meetings involving Thao or Jones dating back to June 2022.

The subpoena sought documents concerning the Oakland Army Base and Evolutionary Homes, a project to construct container homes that involved the Duongs and Mario Juarez, a man who is accused of violating the law in an attempt to assist Thao in winning the 2022 election, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Additionally, Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission has been conducting an inquiry into the Duong family. They have been accused of using straw donors to provide financial support to Thao and other politicians.

The city of Oakland released hundreds of documents in November, revealing that Evolutionary Homes representatives lobbied for $90 million in city funding to construct 300 tiny homes using shipping containers. Thao directly supported the venture, as evidenced by emails. On September 7, 2022, Evolutionary Homes was established in California. Juarez was listed as the organizer and a member of the Duong family as its agent. However, the company fell through.

Records indicate that Juarez established and exclusively funded an independent expenditure campaign during Thao’s 2022 mayoral campaign. This campaign spent over $100,000 on leaflets that targeted Thao’s opponents. Earlier this year, he entered a not-guilty plea to a charge that he had disbursed over $50,000 in fraudulent checks that were intended to cover the postage costs of the leaflets, the outlet reported.

The ousted mayor has maintained her innocence since the FBI home raid.

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Dirty Democrat Dick Durbin Demands U.S. Agencies Dig Up Kompromat on Trump’s FBI Nominee Kash Patel

Senator Dick Durbin is going all out to try and derail the nomination of Kash Patel as director of the FBI.

In letters to the Justice Department, Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Durbin accuses Patel of working to undermine the transition process between Donald Trump and Joe Biden following the widespread fraud that tainted the 2020 presidential election.

He wrote:

Mr. Patel was appointed Chief of Staff [for the Secretary of Defense] on November 10, 2020, after then-President Trump lost the 2020 election.

During his tenure, Mr. Patel was accused of impeding the incoming Biden Administration’s transition work with the Defense Department, injecting himself and another political appointee into processes normally handled by nonpartisan career civilian and military officials, and ignoring requests from the Biden Administration’s transition.

…

As you know, the FBI is the principal federal law enforcement investigative agency, tasked with protecting all Americans.

The Director must be able to execute the FBI’s mission in a nonpartisan, impartial manner that is above reproach.

The credible allegations against Mr. Patel outlined above are deeply troubling, and the Committee is unable to properly consider his nomination without more information on his underlying conduct.

Lawmakers such as Durbin are particularly troubled by Patel’s nomination because of his longstanding record of working to hold Democrats and deep state actors accountable for their countless crimes and misdemeanors.

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Pentagon Contractor Fired After Undercover DoD “Stop Trump” Exposé

A top advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon has been fired after an undercover investigation caught him on camera admitting he’s working with generals on a ‘stop-Trump’ effort.

Former FBI Special Agent Jamie Mannina – an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, was confirmed as having been let go following an undercover exposé by James O’Keefe’s OMG Media.

Via James O’Keefe:

“I’ve been in conversation with a couple of retired generals to explore what we can do,” Jamie Mannina, advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, former FBI Special Agent, and self-proclaimed “spy hunter,” disclosed to an undercover OMG Journalist his plans to utilize irregular strategies to undermine Donald Trump’s presidency.

Mannina also described his “ghost writing” with a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, National Security Leaders for America, saying, “What we were doing was we were trying to explain to the American people the national security consequences of another Trump presidency.” He elaborated on his recent activities, saying, “Since the spring, I was working with these retired generals, retired ambassadors,” adding, “They’re like one, two, or three-star generals and admirals. You probably know maybe four stars.” He acknowledged the organization’s ultimate goal, emphasizing, “This organization tried to defeat Donald Trump.”

Mannina further revealed that he was participating in a “huge meeting with military leaders; in a very secure room called ‘The Tank.’” The Tank is a nickname for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Conference room which is a (SCIF), a Compartmentalized Information Facility. Discussing the focus of these meetings, Mannina shared that “the United States has specialized in artificial intelligence and emerging technology, quantum, [and] cybersecurity.” He elaborated on the potential of quantum technology, stating, “Quantum is incredibly fast, super-computing. That doesn’t yet exist, but will soon exist, and when it does, it will change everything.”

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Former FBI Agent and Pentagon Senior Advisor Outed by O’Keefe Media Group was Allegedly Filmed by ‘Predator DC’ in November 2021 at a 15 Year-old Girl’s ‘Home’

Yesterday, The Gateway Pundit’s Jordan Conradson reported on a new exposé from James O’Keefe’s OMG that showed Jamie Mannina, a former FBI agent, Hillary Clinton campaign staffer and a just-fired Senior Advisor to the Joint Staff of the Department of Defense spilling the beans on high-level efforts to subvert President Trump’s next term in the Oval Office.

Mannina mentioned he worked for a “top consulting firm”, which the video states is Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), one of the largest contractors for the United States government.  In 2022, BAH was the 6th largest government contractor with $5.9 billion in government contracts.

In November 2021, a Predator DC video allegedly shows “Jamie” arriving at a house where he believed a 15 year-old girl was going to engage in sexual acts with him.  The video starts out with the cameraman and hosts hiding in a closet.  You can hear the girl making small talk with “Jamie” when he arrives.

Eventually, she tells “Jamie” that she is going to go put her “school-girl outfit on” and requests that he is already naked when she returns.  “Jamie” responds with reluctance saying that he’d “be happy to” but “we’re just five minutes in.”

Shortly after, “Jamie” is confronted by the camera crew and hosts who tell him, “Jamie, go ahead and have a seat right there on that stool for me.”

“Jamie” says he doesn’t want to be on camera and makes a bee line for the door.  At this point, the hosts, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl introduce themselves.  He responds, “I know who you are” as he begins to leave.

“We’re doing a story on adults who come to have sex with underage teens.  You’ve come here today to have sex with an underage girl.”

“No, I said no, sir,” he responded.  “I said ‘no, I didn’t want to do it.'”

“Jamie” then leaves the home in a black Camaro.

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FBI-DHS Warns Public of ‘Copycat Attacks’ Following ISIS-Inspired Vehicle Attack in New Orleans

In the wake of the tragic New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, where 14 individuals lost their lives and dozens were injured, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a joint warning about the possibility of “copycat or retaliatory attacks.”

The assailant, identified as 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, a popular destination for revelers.

Jabbar, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), was subsequently killed in a shootout with police.

Authorities are particularly concerned about the potential for similar vehicle-ramming attacks.

The FBI and DHS have noted that such attacks can be carried out with minimal resources, making them appealing to lone actors inspired by extremist ideologies.

The Public Service Announcement (PSA) reads:

Summary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are issuing this Public Service Announcement to highlight a potential public safety threat from violent extremists in response to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.

As with any potential threats to the United States, we will coordinate with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure they have the resources and information necessary to keep our communities safe.

ThreatThe FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers.Previous attackers inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) who have conducted vehicle attacks in the United States and abroad have used rented, stolen, and personally owned vehicles, which are easy to acquire.Some have used additional weapons, such as firearms and knives, to attack individuals after the vehicle has stopped. Additionally, attackers may attempt to conceal and pre-position improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to supplement a vehicle attack.Targets have included pedestrians, law enforcement or military members, and crowded public venues, including festivals and commercial centers, which generally are accessible from roadways.

We ask that the public remain vigilant regarding possible copycat or retaliatory attacks and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.

The warning comes just a week ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

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FBI Declares ‘No Known Threats’ for Trump’s Inauguration — 25,000 Law Enforcement and Military Deployed in Washington

As Washington, D.C., gears up for the inauguration of President Donald Trump next Monday, federal and local authorities are making bold claims of readiness, with the FBI asserting they are not tracking any “specific or credible threats” to the event.

However, given the politically charged climate and past security lapses, many are questioning whether the nation’s capital is truly prepared for potential unrest.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, alongside district and federal authorities, assured the public during a Monday press conference that every precaution is being taken.

“We are not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony or to the Capitol complex,” FBI special agent David Sundberg said Monday.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to share information and identify and disrupt any threat that may emerge.”

J. Thomas Manger, chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said that the primary concern is the “lone actor” threat.

“That threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us maintaining this heightened state of alert throughout the next week,” Manger said.

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