Latest news with #CarolynFeinstein
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Wife of ICEBlock developer considers legal options after firing from Justice Department
A woman who was fired as an auditor for the US government because of an immigration police-tracking app her husband created says she is weighing her legal options. The Department of Justice says Carolyn Feinstein has a 'sizeable interest' in the company which developed the ICEBlock app, ALL U Chart. Trump administration officials have taken issue with the app, which has more than one million downloads and allows users to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location,' a Justice Department representative told The National. 'This DoJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' Ms Feinstein, who worked from the DoJ's Austin, Texas office as a forensic auditor, was fired from her job at the weekend. She told The National that while she owns a portion of All U Chart, her husband, Joshua Aaron, is the majority owner. She said she is listed as a stakeholder so she could wind down the company in the event something were to happen to her husband. 'I had no part in developing the app, coding the app, or marketing the app in any way,' she said. 'My only relation to it is that I'm married to the creator.' She said she is exploring potential legal options to challenge her dismissal, and looking for new career opportunities. 'There's going to be bigger and better things out there,' she said. Mr Aaron said his company, All U Chart, is currently working on a healthcare app unrelated to the ICEBlock app that has become the source of ire in the Trump administration. Since its release this year, the app has gained popularity as President Donald Trump approved significant funding increases for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Masked ICE agents have swept up thousands of migrants in a nationwide dragnet that has sometimes snared US citizens and green card holders. Current and former detainees have said they were kept in dismal conditions in ICE custody, charges the agency denies. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said Mr Aaron, who lives in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National in an interview last week that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials within an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data and relies on people reporting where ICE agents are. ICEBlock also allows users to describe the vehicles ICE agents are using and the clothes they are wearing. When a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to nearby users. It is only available for iPhone. According to Mr Aaron, the privacy settings he deems necessary for ICEBlock are not yet possible on Android devices. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that the app should be considered illegal, and recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into' the developer, Mr Aaron. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software has the potential to be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Mr Aaron says ICEBlock is strictly designed to inform, and not to obstruct. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist well known for her controversial and xenophobic comments, posted information about his wife on X last week. 'I reviewed Carolyn's LinkedIn page, and she has been working for the DOJ since January 2021 when Joe Biden assumed office,' said Ms Loomer's post.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
DOJ staffer claims she was fired over husband's controversial anti-ICE app that warns users when feds are nearby
A Department of Justice staffer claims she was abruptly fired after it emerged her husband was the brains behind a controversial anti-ICE app that warns users when the feds are closing in. Carolyn Feinstein, who worked as a DOJ forensic accountant in Austin, Texas, alleges she was terminated last Friday as 'retribution' over her spouse's radical alert system, which she has minority shares in. 'This was retribution. I was fired because of the actions, or activism, of my husband,' Feinstein told the Daily Beast on Monday. 3 Carolyn Feinstein claims she was unfairly fired over her husband's anti-ICE app. Joshua Aaron / Facebook Feinstein's tech husband, Joshua Aaron, recently sparked outrage after it emerged he'd created the ICEBlock app, which alerts users if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted within a five-mile radius of them. President Trump's border czar Tom Homan and ICE Acting Director Tom Lyon quickly called on the DOJ to investigate after Feinstein's hubby went on CNN last month to advertise the app — sparking immediate backlash. Feinstein claims she informed the DOJ of her ties to the app creator after he allegedly started receiving death threats. 3 Feinstein was a forensic accountant in Austin, Texas for the DOJ under Attorney General Pam Bondi. REUTERS 'Since we live in the same house, I thought it was pertinent to contact my employer, the DOJ, to notify them of death threats that were coming in and just in case I needed to be out of the office, so they would be prepared,' she said. A week later, Feinstein said the Office of the US Trustee started asking questions about the app. Feinstein admitted she has minority shares in All U Chart, Inc., which hold the IP address for the app. 3 The ICEBlock app alerts users if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted within a five-mile radius of them. ICEBlock She insisted, though, that it was only in case her husband were to become 'incapacitated' so she could then shut it down. A DOJ spokesperson said it had be probing Feinstein's connection to the app for 'several weeks' after it emerged she had interests in the company. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers,' the spokesperson said, adding that the department 'will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' Feinstein, for her part, insisted that her role at the DOJ was 'unbiased.' 'It is insulting to me because I dedicated myself and my career to serving the people of the United States, and now the DOJ is claiming I was attempting to harm some of them. And that's not true,' she said.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
DOJ staffer is fired after feds discover she's married to radical behind anti-ICE app
A Department of Justice employee has claimed she was fired when the feds discovered her husband developed an anti-ICE phone app. Carolyn Feinstein, who is married to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron, said she was unfairly removed from her post in 'retribution' against her partner's work. The ICEBlock app sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee. After Aaron was exposed online for creating the app, Feinstein said she was terminated from her post as a forensic accountant after almost a decade working for the DoJ. 'This was retribution. I was fired because of the actions, or activism, of my husband,' Texas -based Feinstein told the Daily Beast on Monday. 'It is insulting to me because I dedicated myself and my career to serving the people of the United States, and now the DOJ is claiming I was attempting to harm some of them. And that's not true.' Feinstein, who specializes in bankruptcy fraud, said she felt 'targeted' because of her husband's app, which has been downloaded almost one million times. Aaron had not been hiding his role in creating the app - he spoke with CNN in June explaining how the app works, and faced fierce criticism from MAGA fans afterward. The ICEBlock app (pictured above) sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee federal agents 'When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,' Aaron told CNN. He went on to compare the Trump administration's immigration crackdown to purges carried out by the Nazi regime in 1930's Germany. 'We're literally watching history repeat itself,' he said. The interview prompted a flood of MAGA rage online, while Trump administration officials like border tsar Tom Homan and ICE acting director Tom Lyon called on the DoJ to investigate the matter. 'We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred,' Aaron told The Daily Beast at the time. 'As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores people's Constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back. No human is illegal.' Feinstein said she responded by telling her bosses about her relationship with Aaron. 'Since we live in the same house, I thought it was pertinent to contact my employer, the DOJ, to notify them of death threats that were coming in and just in case I needed to be out of the office, so they would be prepared,' she told the Daily Beast. Feinstein was then contacted by officials who asked her about her association with the ICEBlock app. 'I informed them in so many words that I really didn't have any relationship or involvement in the app, I was married to the creator,' she said. But Homan said he had contacted the DoJ airing concerns about the connection. He told NewsMax that 'all (Aaron is) doing is giving a heads up to criminals'. 'The DOJ's looking at it, and they need to throw some people in jail,' he said. Feinstein says she received her termination note 'within 24 hours' of Homan's Newsmax interview airing. A DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast the department had spent 'several weeks' investigating Feinstein's activities and discovered that she has interests in the company that holds the IP for the ICEBlock app. Feinstein argued that her minority shareholder status in All U Chart Inc is just a safety net so that 'if Joshua were incapacitated, or further, I have the ability to shut it down'. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers,' a DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast. They added that the department 'will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bondi Takes Revenge on Family of Man Who Created Anti-ICE App
Pam Bondi's Justice Department has fired the wife of the man who developed a controversial 'anti-ICE' warning system after far-right influencer Laura Loomer attacked her on X, the Daily Beast can disclose. Carolyn Feinstein, who is married to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron, had served as a forensic accountant at the DOJ's Office of the U.S. Trustee for almost a decade. On Friday she received an email from the department informing her that her position would be terminated. 'This was retribution. I was fired because of the actions, or activism, of my husband,' Feinstein told the Daily Beast Monday. 'It is insulting to me because I dedicated myself and my career to serving the people of the United States, and now the DOJ is claiming I was attempting to harm some of them. And that's not true.' Feinstein, who specializes in bankruptcy fraud, says she was 'targeted' because of her husband's work. Aaron found himself on the receiving end of MAGA's fury after giving an interview to CNN late last month in which he explained how his app works and why he had developed it. 'When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,' Aaron told the network, comparing the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown to purges carried out by the Nazi regime in Germany. 'We're literally watching history repeat itself.' With almost a million downloads at last count, ICEBlock provides users with an 'early warning system' when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been spotted within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets of immigration raids to avoid confrontation with the authorities. Within hours of the CNN segment airing, GOP supporters had worked themselves into a frenzy, with Trump administration officials like Department for Homeland Security border czar Tom Homan and ICE Acting Director Tom Lyon blasting the network for 'pushing' the app and calling on the DOJ to investigate the matter. 'We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred,' Aaron told The Daily Beast at the time. 'As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores people's Constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back. No human is illegal.' Feinstein says that she took it upon herself to inform the DOJ of her relationship with Aaron after the backlash first kicked off more than three weeks ago. 'Since we live in the same house, I thought it was pertinent to contact my employer, the DOJ, to notify them of death threats that were coming in and just in case I needed to be out of the office, so they would be prepared,' she told the Daily Beast. Within a week, she said that she was then contacted by the Office of the U.S. Trustee, which said it was reaching out on behalf of an ethics committee. 'They asked me about my relationship to the ICEBlock App,' she said. 'And I informed them in so many words that I really didn't have any relationship or involvement in the app, I was married to the creator.' While Feinstein says she does appear as a minority shareholder of All U Chart, Inc., the company that holds the IP for ICEBlock, this is a purely practical arrangement so that 'if Joshua were incapacitated, or further, I have the ability to shut it down.' Then, last Wednesday, pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer claimed on X that she had identified Feinstein as Aaron's spouse and revealed that the couple lives together in Texas. In a subsequent interview on NewsMax, Homan said Loomer had been in touch to share those findings and that he had since contacted the DOJ over the matter, telling the host that 'all [Aaron is] doing is giving a heads up to criminals.' 'The DOJ's looking at it, and they need to throw some people in jail,' he added. Loomer later posted that Attorney General Pam Bondi, or 'Blondi' as she's dubbed her amid the ongoing 'Epstein list' furor, 'could have a big win right now if she FIRES Carolyn Feinstein from the DOJ and launches a criminal investigation into both Joshua Aaron and Carolyn Feinstein for their role in ICEBlock app.' She also called on Trump to 'have a little chat with [Apple CEO] Tim Cook' for allowing the app to be listed on the Apple Store in the first place, adding, 'We need to MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!' Feinstein says she received her termination note 'within 24 hours' of Homan's Newsmax interview airing. While she underscored again that she has no involvement with the app, she said the 'language used to describe the ICEBlock app and its function' in the DOJ's termination letter 'is not only incorrect, but offensive,' taking particular issue with terms like 'illegal alien.' 'My service to the people of the United States was unbiased,' she added. 'Each one of them landed on the same level for me. I didn't play favourites, I didn't have a disservice to any person within the United States because of who they are, what they look like, or where they work.' Responding to emailed requests for comment on Feinstein's firing, the White House told the Daily Beast it defers to the DOJ on 'any DOJ-related staffing matters.' A spokesperson for the DOJ said it had spent 'several weeks' looking into Feinstein's activities and discovered she has interests in the company that holds the IP for the ICEBlock app. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers' and that the department 'will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers,' the spokesperson said. The Department for Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to a request for comment. Solve the daily Crossword
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
ICEBlock developer's wife sacked from US government job
The wife of a developer who created ICEBlock, an app that allows people to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, has been fired from her US government job. Joshua Aaron, developer of ICEBlock told The National that his wife, who is an auditor, had nothing to do with the app that's, which has become a source of anger at the Trump White House. She was fired nonetheless. He told The National that Laura Loomer, a far-right activist well known for her controversial and xenophobic comments, posted information about his wife on X last week. 'I reviewed Carolyn's LinkedIn page, and she has been working for the DOJ (Department of Justice) since January 2021 when Joe Biden assumed office,' read just some of Ms Loomer's post. Mr Aaron said that Ms Loomer then passed along information about his wife, Carolyn Feinstein, to White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who told the right-wing news outlet Newsmax that he flagged the information to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. 'On Friday, my wife was fired from her position with the DOJ, Office of US Trustee,' he explained, adding that his wife was a forensic auditor in one of the DOJ's offices in Austin, Texas 'who loved her job and always had stellar annual performance reviews'. Mr Aaron said he's certain she was fired because of his development of ICEBlock, along with his activism related to undocumented immigrants. In a statement to The National, a DOJ spokesperson defended its actions in terminating Ms Feinstein. 'For several weeks, the Department of Justice inquired into this former employee's activities and discovered she has a sizable interest in All U Chart, Incorperated, the company that holds the IP for ICEBlock,' the spokesperson said. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location ... this DOJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' In an interview with the blogger and podcaster Allison Gill, host of The Daily Beans, Ms Feinstein said that she was fired via email with no explanation. Mr Aaron said that contrary to speculation, his wife's job had absolutely nothing to do with immigration policy. 'She handled bankruptcy fraud and had nothing to do with ICEblock,' he reiterated. During an interview last week with Newsmax, the White House Border Czar acknowledged that he received information about the developer's wife. 'Laura Loomer sent that to me and I sent it to the DOJ, so we'll see where it goes,' Mr Homan said, adding that ICEBlock was also under investigation by the Justice Department as well. 'What he's doing is giving a heads up to criminals,' claimed Mr Homan, saying that the app puts ICE agents in danger. 'If it's not illegal, it should be,' he added. Meanwhile, ICEBlock has been downloaded more than a million times from Apple's iOS App Store. It continues to attract attention and a methodical rise in popularity as President Trump increases funding for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Critics say the agents arrest and deport people with little concern for their legal rights, including due process. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said Mr Aaron, who spoke with The National last week about the app. Mr Aaron lives in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials in an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data, relying on people to report ICE agents wherever they might be. The app also allows for users to describe the vehicles ICE might be using and their attire. When a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to other users nearby. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software could be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Despite the disclaimers, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has suggested that those promoting the app should face prosecution. 'We're working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them because what they're doing is actually encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activity operations,' she recently told a reporter. As for Mr Aaron, US Attorney General Pam Bondi recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into him'. Various legal precedents, however, have tended to protect those who report the potentially illegal actions of law enforcement. Mr Aaron is continuing to stand by the app, saying that there is nothing illegal about it. 'This app is to inform, not obstruct,' he said last week. Mr Aaron also accused ICE of having complete disregard for individual circumstances with their arrests, referring to college students being targeted for their decision to protest, mothers being separated from their children, or detainees not being given access to legal representation. 'That is not something I can abide and is the reason ICEBlock was created,' he continued, referring back to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. 'We are literally watching history repeat itself.'
