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Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Can Trump Federalize D.C.?
The alleged assault of a Trump Administration staffer known as 'Big Balls' has prompted the President to threaten a federal takeover of Washington, D.C., to address what he labeled the district's 'totally out of control' crime problem. Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday a photo of a bloodied, shirtless Edward Coristine, one of the young engineers hired by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year, claiming that he was 'beaten mercilessly by local thugs.' The large-testicles-nicknamed 19-year-old, who reportedly used to provide 'tech support to a cybercrime ring,' became a special employee of the Social Security Administration in May. Marko Elez, a fellow former DOGE staffer who resigned from the government amid controversy over racist social media posts before being quickly rehired, said he took the photo of Coristine. Two teens arrested According to a police report obtained by Wired, Coristine was allegedly assaulted by a 'group of approximately 10 juveniles' early Sunday morning. According to the report, Coristine was walking with his 'significant other' Emily Bryant toward their car when he 'saw the suspects approach and make a comment about taking the vehicle.' Coristine reportedly 'pushed' Bryant into the car before being beaten by the suspects. When officers patrolling the area approached, the suspects fled by foot, and two were caught and positively identified by the victims, the report says. The Metropolitan Police Department announced Tuesday that the two apprehended suspects were a 15-year-old male and a 15-year-old female, both of Hyattsville, Md. They were arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking. In Trump's post about the incident, he complained that minors ought to be prosecuted and 'locked up' as adults. 'Local 'youths' and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them,' he said, 'but it's going to happen now!' Trump calls for federalization Trump used the incident to renew his calls for the federalization of D.C., warning: 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore. Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime. If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City.' Musk, the President's one-time ally turned opponent, also posted about the incident, agreeing with Trump's assessment: 'It is time to federalize DC.' Crime in D.C. Republican leaders have long used incidents of violence in D.C. to paint an example of Democratic strongholds suffering from crime. (D.C.'s population is overwhelmingly Democratic and it has supported the Democratic ticket in every presidential election since 1964, after the 23rd Amendment allowed D.C. to participate in presidential elections.) In 2023, D.C. recorded 274 homicides, the most since 1997. Carjackings also doubled that year. But latest D.C. police statistics show that crime has been on the decline. Year-to-date violent crime, as of Aug. 5, is down 26% compared to the year before, and the 2024 figure dropped 35% from 2023. The Home Rule Act In a Cabinet meeting at the White House in July, Trump said: 'We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to. We could run D.C. I mean, we're ... looking at D.C.' Any attempt to federalize the national capital, however, would require the suspension or repeal of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. Washington, D.C., was established through a political compromise as a federal district in 1790. It used to be governed directly by Congress and federal appointees, but in 1973, Congress passed the Home Rule Act after the district's residents pushed for control of their own affairs. The Act established an elected local government including a mayor and a 13-member council that would oversee the district's affairs. But according to the act, Congress still 'reserves the right, at any time, to exercise its constitutional authority as legislature for the District.' Some Republican lawmakers have pushed to repeal the Home Rule Act, decrying Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser's supposed incompetence. In February, Trump threw himself behind those efforts, saying while aboard Air Force One, 'I think we should take over Washington, D.C.—make it safe. People are getting killed, people are being hurt.' Trump could test the strength of the Republican Party's slim House and Senate majorities by trying to repeal or suspend the Home Rule Act. But for now, the President and his allies have resorted to other methods to exert some semblance of control over D.C. In March, he issued an Executive Order establishing the 'D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force,' an interagency panel that would coordinate with local officials to boost law enforcement and further beautify the district. The same month, Congress also docked the district's budget by $1.1 billion. 'For 50 years, D.C. home rule could count on stout defense from the White House and majority support in Congress,' wrote former Washington Post opinion contributor Colbert I. King in February. 'Even in the worst-case scenario of a D.C. home rule repeal bill passing the House, a Senate filibuster would surely have prevented its final passage.' 'But political dynamics have changed,' King wrote. 'The guardrails are gone.'
Politico
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Politico
Storms come for weather agencies
Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Federal agencies that monitor and forecast storms got heaps of attention on Capitol Hill Wednesday, as Florida prepares to enter peak hurricane season next month. Questions are pouring in following deadly floods in New Mexico and Texas, where officials are still learning more about what went wrong; late-night alerts calling for evacuations appear to have gone out from the National Weather Service but not from local government officials, CBS News found. But scrutiny is already turning to staff cuts President DONALD TRUMP implemented across the federal government under DOGE, in which workers were fired, given early retirements or voluntary buyouts. The disaster preparedness questions all have implications for storm-prone Florida, whose top officials have insisted the state is ready. On Wednesday, Colorado State University updated its Atlantic storm forecast for this year to 16, projecting one less named storm than they initially said in June. Researchers estimate at least three storms would become major hurricanes with winds that exceed 111 mph, the speed of a Category 3 hurricane. During a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, NEIL JACOBS — who's Trump's nominee to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — pledged that the National Weather Service would be fully staffed if he were to be confirmed. National Weather Service offices are tasked with monitoring storms and sharing that information with the public, but House Democrats say their offices in Florida have 20 to 40 percent fewer staff members than they used to. Six offices are in place throughout the state, with a Mobile, Alabama, office covering some of Florida's counties in the Panhandle. On another side of the equation is disaster response, which is also facing a Trump overhaul. Republicans, including Gov. RON DESANTIS, have said they support giving states more freedom to respond to disasters as Trump has proposed unwinding FEMA. But while Florida manages the ins and outs of response, FEMA is in charge of refunding states for disaster response and preparedness. It also sends in staff to help disaster victims sign up for gift cards, hotel rooms or other temporary housing and provides some reimbursement for low-income people without property insurance to fix their homes. There are still plenty of questions about how these programs would play out under a revamp. A handful of members from Florida held a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday to warn against cuts Trump proposed in his budget, which would shave off $2.2 billion from NOAA, including for more than a dozen weather and climate labs that help project how strong a hurricane will be. Congress doesn't typically follow a president's budget request, regardless of the administration, but Democrats wanted to underscore how important they thought the agencies were in helping alert people about threats so they could get to safety. 'With these cuts that Trump proposed,' warned Democratic Rep. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, 'we would be intentionally tying our hands behind our back and blindfolding ourselves.' Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ AUDIT — Florida state and federal lawmakers have been invited to tour 'Alligator Alcatraz' after state Democratic legislators got turned away from the Everglades migrant detention facility a week ago. An email notification about the tour went out Wednesday from Florida's Division of Emergency Management, according to a copy obtained by POLITICO. Wasserman Schultz as well as Reps. MAXWELL FROST, DARREN SOTO, LOIS FRANKEL and JARED MOSKOWITZ had already planned to take an unannounced visit to the facility on Saturday, the date the DeSantis administration proposed, they confirmed in a joint statement. 'We do not need permission to conduct lawful oversight,' the group said of the invite. They agreed to attend the tour, but said they'd return again at a later date unannounced. State lawmakers who said they plan on attending include state Rep. DOTIE JOSEPH (D-North Miami) and state Sen. SHEVRIN JONES (D-Miami Gardens), who was turned away when he arrived at 'Alligator Alcatraz' on July 3. Republicans include state Sens. BLAISE INGOGLIA of Spring Hill and JAY COLLINS of Tampa, both DeSantis allies. 'Being on-site is critical to fully understand it, and in turn provide facts to our community,' said Collins, who said he fully supports the creation of the facility. — Kimberly Leonard, Bruce Ritchie, Gary Fineout Related … 'DACA recipient detained at Alligator Alcatraz, attorney says. 'We don't know why,'' by Grethel Aguila of the Miami Herald. SCOTUS WEIGHS IN ON FLORIDA IMMIGRATION LAW — The Supreme Court denied Florida's request to carry out enforcement of a law that makes it illegal for undocumented immigrants to enter Florida, reports POLITICO's Jacob Wendler. The decision doesn't determine whether Florida's law is constitutional, but instead says that it can't be enforced while its constitutionality is being challenged in court. It's the same law that got state Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER held in civil contempt of court last month, when he told law enforcement officers that he disagreed with a judge's ruling in a way she determined made it appear as though he was telling them to flout a court order. PARTIAL BLOCK ON BALLOTS — 'A federal judge ruled in favor of groups campaigning to place amendments on next year's Florida ballot that sued to stop a new law pushed by DeSantis amid claims of election fraud. But the judge's ruling only blocked some of the law's provisions, and only for the groups involved in the suit,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The new law forbids campaign workers and volunteers who are not Florida residents or U.S. citizens from gathering the 800,000 voter-signed petitions required by the state in order to qualify for placement on the ballot. Tallahassee federal court Chief Judge Mark E. Walker wrote in an order handed down late Tuesday that the prohibitions have blocked entire classes of people from the right to free speech.' SAWFISH DIE-OFF — 'Nearly two years after one of the planet's rarest fish began washing up dead in the Lower Keys, scientists investigating the deaths say one thing seems certain: whatever caused it will likely be around for years to come,' reports WLRN's Jenny Staletovich. MAPLE MORTGAGES — Redfin data show that Canadian homebuyers in Orlando and Miami have dropped by just under one-third, as Trump instituted tariffs on the US northern neighbor and relations became more strained, reports Abigail Hasebroock of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The data follows a drop in Canadian tourism, as well. PENINSULA AND BEYOND — ''We don't plan on going anywhere': Planned Parenthood clinics in Central Florida plan to stay open despite defunding threats under Trump,' reports McKenna Schueler of Orlando Weekly. — ''It's just unfair': What end of TPS means for Nicaraguans and Hondurans in the U.S.,' by Verónica Egui Brito and Churchill Ndonwie of the Miami Herald. CAMPAIGN MODE WHAT TO WATCH TODAY — Political parties, candidates and political committees face a midnight deadline to file their quarterly fundraising and spending. JUMPING INTO THE RACE — Former Democratic Rep. STEPHANIE MURPHY, who helped write the Playbook for Democrats' victory in the House in 2018, is running for mayor of Orange County, Steven Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel was first to report. Other Democrats who've announced a run in the blue county include Orange County Clerk of Courts TIFFANY MOORE RUSSELL and Orange County Commissioner MAYRA URIBE. Murphy told the Sentinel: 'One of the important reasons to have strong leadership at the local level is because of what is happening at the federal and state level. I think you need leaders who have demonstrated the ability to work with anybody who's willing to work with them.' 'In her mayoral announcement,' writes Nicole Marcus of POLITICO, 'Murphy cited raising her kids in Orange County, saying she had 'skin in the game.' Much of her announcement video centered around policies for working families, like safer communities and stronger schools.' TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP TODAY — Judge AILEEN CANNON is holding a hearing in her chambers with RYAN ROUTH — who's charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach — over whether he can fire his defense attorneys, KRISTY MILITELLO and RENEE MICHELLE SIHVOLA. Court documents detailing the meeting don't say whether Routh got new representation. On that topic: The Department of Justice charged two people with selling Routh the gun he planned to use. Via Jacob Rosen of CBS News: 'Two defendants — Tina Brown Cooper and Ronnie Jay Oxendine — have pleaded guilty to gun-related charges in federal court, after being indicted in March and arrested in April. Cooper pleaded guilty to firearm trafficking on Monday, and Oxendine pleaded guilty last month to possessing an unregistered firearm after police found a short-barreled shotgun in his storage building.' BYGONES — White House chief of staff SUSIE WILES insisted during a podcast interview this week that disagreements she had with DeSantis are in the past. The comments come roughly a week after Trump called the governor his 'friend' and said they'd moved beyond their bitter 2024 presidential primary rivalry. 'I think he's governing Florida — which is my home state — he's a good governor, and whatever personal differences he had or whatever deficiencies he thought I had are long past my thinking about them,' Wiles, who helped DeSantis win the governor's race in 2018, told New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on Pod Force One. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A LAYOFF — More than 2,000 senior NASA employees are set to leave under a push to reduce staff, show documents obtained by POLITICO's Sam Skove. Broader context: 'The departures follow a proposed White House budget for 2026 that would slash NASA's funding by 25 percent and cut over 5,000 staff. The cuts, if enacted by Congress, would force the agency to operate with the smallest budget and staff since the early 1960s.' Trump also announced Wednesday that Transportation Secretary SEAN DUFFY would become interim NASA administrator. GETTING READY — Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, DEREK BARRS, in an ethics agreement released this week pledged to resign from positions at infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation, a Florida school board and the Sunshine State's highway patrol (where he's been on inactive status as reserve chief), if he's confirmed by the Senate. In the year after doing so, Barrs said he would avoid 'personally and substantially' participating in any matters in which these entities are a party or represent a party, unless he first gets government authorization. (This timeline might be slightly different when it comes to the school board, depending on when Barrs receives his last payment.) — Sam Ogozalek DATELINE D.C. TODAY — Reps. MAXWELL FROST and DARREN SOTO are holding a press conference with community organizers in Orlando today to bash cuts in Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' — 'Top Democrats demand apology from Florida Republican Randy Fine over attack on Ilhan Omar,' reports POLITICO's Nicholas Wu. He did not apologize. 'The Hamas Caucus is upset. Boo hoo. I guess they weren't listening when I said the Hebrew Hammer was coming,' Fine wrote on X. — 'Greg Steube backs DeSantis' push to end property taxes,' reports A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN LITTRELL TO SUNBATHERS: QUIT PLAYING GAMES — 'Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys has brought a lawsuit against a Florida county, claiming authorities have refused to help control trespassers from sunbathing on his private beachfront property,' writes Inga Parkel of the Independent. 'In the suit filed last month and seen by the Daily Mail, the 50-year-old singer makes several claims against the Walton County Sheriff's Office, including that they denied 'numerous requests' to protect the Littrell family from trespassers.' BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Brian Mast … former Rep. Ron Klein ... Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former state Sen. René García … former state Rep. Gary Aubuchon.
Axios
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Eight chaotic days shake Trump's grip on the presidency
President Trump began the week of his 79th birthday reeling from his explosive public breakup with Elon Musk. He ended it with tanks in the capital, Marines in Los Angeles, a Democrati c senator dragged away in handcuffs, thousands of protests planned nationwide, and a new war in the Middle East. Why it matters: In a year already brimming with "holy sh*t" moments, the past eight days have brought unprecedented new intensity, stakes and challenges to Trump's presidency. Zoom in: America is on edge. Trump became the first president since the Civil Rights Era to federalize the National Guard without a governor's consent — sending troops to L.A. to quash protests sparked by his administration's immigration raids. Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have accused Trump of blatantly defying the Constitution and pouring gasoline on the fire by deploying 700 Marines on domestic soil. When Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) tried to confront Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference Thursday, he was forcibly removed and handcuffed. Between the lines: Trump officials want this fight, eager to flex executive power and frame Democrats as defenders of undocumented immigrants and violent agitators. But the backlash is threatening to spiral beyond the White House's control. Millions of people are expected to join "No Kings" protests in nearly 1,800 cities on Saturday — the largest single-day demonstrations against Trump since his return to power. Expect an extraordinary split-screen as Trump celebrates not only his birthday, but a massive military parade in Washington that he's dreamed of since his first term. "For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force," Trump warned this week, dismissing the demonstrators as "people that hate our country." Zoom out: With unrest boiling over at home, Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran suddenly threatened to unravel Trump's crowning foreign policy achievement from his first term: "No new wars." Trump had publicly urged Israel not to strike Iran while he actively pursued a nuclear deal with the Iranians, and even assured allies that the U.S. would not participate in the operation. Israel did it anyway — bombing nuclear sites, assassinating top generals and scientists, and sabotaging missile facilities in one of the most sophisticated covert strikes in the history of the Middle East. The intrigue: Trump now claims that the wildly successful operation — which he told Axios used "great American equipment" — could make it easier to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. But his MAGA base is deeply uneasy. Iran has launched retaliatory missile attacks against Israel, which U.S. forces helped the intercept. Oil prices have surged, and the threat of Iran targeting U.S. assets in the region remains very real. Opposition to the "forever wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan helped fuel Trump's political rise — and many of his most loyal supporters view any new Middle East entanglement as a betrayal of that legacy. "[D]rop Israel. Let them fight their own wars," MAGA isolationist Tucker Carlson wrote in a post accusing the U.S. of complicity in the attack. "What happens next will define Donald Trump's presidency." The bottom line: The pace of news in the Trump era, both at home and abroad, makes it exceedingly difficult to distinguish the chaotic from the consequential.
Toronto Sun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Trump says he will 'liberate' Los Angeles in speech to mark army's 250th anniversary
Published Jun 10, 2025 • 4 minute read U.S. President Donald Trump does his signature dance move as he leaves the stage after speaking at a rally with U.S. Army troops on June 10, 2025 at Fort Bragg, N.C. Trump is traveling to Fort Bragg Army base to observe a military demonstration and give remarks in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits / Getty Images FORT BRAGG, N.C. — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former president Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California's Democratic governor to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centred in several blocks of downtown. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are,' Trump said Tuesday. Trump's heated rhetoric came as he's left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, which laughed at the president's jokes and delighted in his dancing to his campaign anthem of YMCA . However, some in the audience were uneasy with parts of his remarks. Robin Boothe, 50, works on the base as an audiology assistant. She voted for the president and said his speech was 'classic Trump.' However, she also found it to be too partisan, especially his comments on Los Angeles. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I thought that was better left for a press conference than what we were celebrating today,' she said. The president also called Los Angeles 'a trash heap' with 'entire neighbourhoods under control' of criminals and said the federal government would 'use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order. 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,' Trump added. Trump has authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city over the objections of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. About 700 marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area, but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests. California sued Trump over the deployment, with the state attorney general arguing that the president had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters' anger, leading crowds to block off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Robert E. Lee and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Rucker in Alabama, and Fort Polk in Louisiana will have their names changed back, Trump said. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia. 'Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?' Trump said. 'We'll forget all about that.' Before he spoke, Trump watched the army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might he's expected to display in the nation's capital for a massive military parade this weekend. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump has promoted the army's anniversary as a reason to hold the parade on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. 'I think it's going to be great,' Trump told reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday. 'We're going to celebrate our country for a change.' Fort Bragg, which is located near Fayetteville, N.C., serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint — but still on the base — two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived, called the president 'the greatest recruiter in our army's history.' Hegseth told the crowd that the U.S. is 'restoring the warrior ethos' to its armed forces. 'We're not a college or a university. We're not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness,' Hegseth said, drawing cheers. NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists NHL Columnists
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Comey under investigation for ‘threat' to Trump on social media, officials say
'If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination,' Trump told Fox News in an interview scheduled to air on Friday evening (local time). 'And it says it loud and clear.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem also accused Comey of calling for Trump's assassination, writing on X on Thursday that her department and the Secret Service were 'investigating this threat and will respond appropriately'. FBI director Kash Patel said his agency would 'provide all necessary support' as part of the investigation. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Fox News that she believes Comey should be in jail because of the post and accused him of 'issuing a hit' on Trump. Asked what he wanted to happen to Comey, Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier it was up to 'Pam and all of the great people', referring to Attorney-General Pam Bondi. It is the job of the Secret Service, which is part of DHS, to explore potential threats to the President, but in general such inquiries are launched only when a person is believed to be actively threatening harm. David Cole, a law professor at Georgetown University, said there is 'absolutely no basis' to investigate Comey for allegedly threatening Trump's life. The Supreme Court has set a 'very high standard' in such cases, Cole added, and there is 'no way in the world that a photo of this beach arrangement constitutes that'. 'Anyone who has studied any First Amendment law would realise this was protected speech,' said Cole, the former national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. 'It might not have been the most discreet or professional post, but it's 100% protected. If anyone should understand the value of indiscreet and irresponsible but nonetheless protected posts on social media, it's Donald Trump.' Used as a verb, '86' originated in hospitality, meaning to refuse service to a customer or that a menu item was not available, and its use expanded over time to broadly refer to rejecting, dismissing or removing, according to its dictionary definition. It can also refer to killing something or someone. 'I didn't realise some folks associate those numbers with violence,' Comey said in his follow-up post. 'It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.' A spokesman for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a social media statement that the agency investigates anything that could be taken as a threat. 'We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director & we take rhetoric like this very seriously,' he added. Comey, who began as FBI director under President Barack Obama, has long had a contentious relationship with Trump. Trump ousted Comey in 2017 as he was leading a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether associates of Trump may have coordinated with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election. Around the time of his firing, Trump accused Comey of giving Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, 'a free pass for many bad deeds' when he decided not to recommend criminal charges over her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state. Neither investigation led to charges. The probes made Comey unpopular in both parties, although Trump and his allies in Congress continued to target Comey long after his ouster, scrutinising his conduct around the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Justice Department in 2019 declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of memos that documented his interactions with Trump, although the FBI inspector general criticised Comey for his actions and said he violated agency policy. Advertise with NZME. On social media, Trump has bashed Comey as a 'DIRTY COP' and 'Leakin' Lyin' James B. Comey'. He revived those attacks in the interview with Fox News, suggesting the administration officials probing Comey's seashell post should consider his past as a 'dirty cop'. 'If he had a clean history, I could understand if there was a leniency, but I'm going to let them make that decision,' Trump said. In 2019, Comey was among the former FBI officials Trump accused of treason – a crime punishable by death in the US legal code. Trump has also been accused of violent rhetoric. In 2023, in reference to calls to Chinese officials by General Mark A. Milley, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH.' In an interview with Tucker Carlson in November, Trump said of former congresswoman Liz Cheney, whom he called a war hawk: 'Let's see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.' During his 2016 campaign, he said that if Clinton were in a position to appoint judges, there is 'nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know'. Advertise with NZME. And during the 2024 election, Trump shared a video on social media that showed a supporter's pickup truck driving down a road with a graphic on its tailgate that depicted President Joe Biden tied up. In response, Biden's campaign accused Trump of 'regularly inciting political violence'. At least one other well-known Republican official has used the term '86' before. In February 2024, Republican Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) boasted on X that his political allies had '86'd' three party leaders in recent months. He was responding to the news that Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell would step down from his leadership post in November of that year. In 2022, the far-right activist Jack Posobiec wrote an X post that said only, '86 46.' Biden was serving as the 46th President at the time. Posobiec is a vocal Trump supporter who has been promoted by Trump on social media and invited to participate in a 'new media' briefing at the White House during his second term. Republicans previously singled out Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) with allegations of violent rhetoric after he said in 2020 that two Supreme Court justices would 'pay the price' if they voted to restrict abortion rights. Chief Justice John G. Roberts jnr issued a rare rebuke of Schumer over the language, and Schumer later admitted he 'should not have used the words I used'. Ed Martin, Trump's former interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, had planned to investigate Schumer over the incident after Martin took office this year. But the Washington Post reported in March that Martin had abandoned the probe, finding it unfounded.
