Latest news with #ForeignAgentsRegistrationAct
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump commutes sentence of major political donor in latest round of clemency
President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the 12-year sentence of a major political donor who was serving time for a number of offenses, including obstructing an investigation into Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, the White House confirmed with Fox News Digital. Imaad Zuberi, 54, was a major Democrat supporter before he backed Trump following his 2016 election victory, The New York Times reported. Advertisement Before pivoting to Trump on election night, he served as a bundler for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, including stints on both of their campaign finance committees. Zuberi donated more than $1.1 million to committees associated with Trump and the Republican Party months after the 2016 election, the Times reported. The donations secured him invitations to a pair of black-tie dinners celebrating Trump's inauguration. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal investigation into the source of a $900,000 donation he made through his company to Trump's inaugural committee in late December 2016, the report states. Advertisement Imaad Zuberi wore a gray suit as he exited the federal courthouse with his attorney in Los Angeles, on Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. AP Zuberi also pleaded guilty to falsifying records filed with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act to conceal his lobbying work on behalf of Sri Lanka. Zuberi allegedly directed millions of dollars from the Sri Lankan contract to himself and his wife for personal purposes, shortchanging lobbyists, public relations and law firms, and certain subcontractors who were part of the lobbying effort. His commutation was one of several on Wednesday, as well as a few pardons. Advertisement Zuberi reportedly donated more than $1.1 million to committees associated with Trump and the Republican Party months after the 2016 election. AP Larry Hoover, who is serving time in a federal supermax prison, also had his sentence commuted. Hoover, the co-founder of the Chicago gang Gangster Disciples, was originally imprisoned for a 1973 murder and later convicted in 1998 for operating a criminal enterprise. Trump also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted in two federal criminal cases, including one that contributed to his resignation.
Asia Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
New McCarthyism: Trump's America turns to racialized persecution
When national security becomes a weapon of political fear mongering, it doesn't just fail – it backfires. In Trump's second term, the United States isn't just guarding its borders or secrets. It's waging war on its own people – especially those who look or sound foreign. Federal surveillance, visa crackdowns and prosecutorial overreach are no longer rare or cautionary tales. They are the operating logic of a government that equates ethnic identity with disloyalty. And the victims are not just foreign nationals –they are Americans citizens, permanent residents, students, professors, researchers and community leaders from Chinese and other nonwhite diasporas. This is not an immigration issue. It's a civil liberties crisis. Since President Trump's second inauguration, his administration has rapidly escalated surveillance and legal action targeting Chinese and other Asian communities. While the White House calls it 'countering espionage,' what's unfolding is a racialized purge of talent, dignity and due process. International students are being detained at airports under vague suspicions. Professors are facing FARA investigations for attending academic conferences. People are being tracked, profiled and in some cases jailed – based not on what they did, but who they are and where they've been. Consider this: Since January 2025, more than 60 Chinese and Chinese American scholars have been subjected to federal inquiries or visa denials without clear evidence of wrongdoing. Multiple international graduate students were denied reentry or detained without formal charges. The Department of Homeland Security's 'foreign influence' watchlists have quietly expanded to include individuals merely affiliated with Chinese institutions – no espionage, no funding, no intent – just association. This is the new normal. The Biden-era DOJ memos tempering overreach under FARA (the Foreign Agents Registration Act) have been rescinded. Surveillance programs such as Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) are turbocharged. And the prosecutorial machinery once used to pursue terrorists is now being deployed against students, researchers and public intellectuals of Asian descent. Let's name the problem: This is racialized persecution under the banner of national security. And it's spreading. Programs like SAR encourage anonymous reporting of 'suspicious behavior,' a term so vague it now includes things like speaking Mandarin in public, taking photos near infrastructure or attending a foreign policy panel. These reports, entered into federal databases with no due process, can follow a person for life. There is no way to appeal or clear your name. Meanwhile, the Foreign Agents Registration Act has become a cudgel used to intimidate international researchers and journalists. Originally designed to counter Nazi propaganda, FARA has morphed into a tool for casting suspicion on academics who collaborate across borders – even when their work is open-source, unfunded and entirely legal. The result? Fear. Chilling effects. Reputations destroyed. Families separated. Careers derailed. Trust broken. This is how soft power collapses – not from foreign interference, but from domestic overreaction. Let's be clear: The focus is not on foreign spies. It's on foreigners , or those who look like them. Among the most scrutinized are members of the Chinese diaspora, which includes 5.4 million people in the US and nearly 370,000 Chinese international students – the largest foreign student population in the country. Add to that the growing number of South Asian, Arab, and African scholars flagged by new interagency screening initiatives, and the pattern becomes undeniable. This isn't about national security. It's about national identity – and who gets to claim belonging. This crackdown also serves as political theater. It plays well to the nativist base and offers headlines about being 'tough on China.' But the real consequences are borne by communities who now live in fear of arbitrary detention, loss of visa status or public vilification. Let's be brutally honest: This strategy is not only unjust – it's self-defeating. By alienating the very communities that fuel our scientific breakthroughs, diplomatic fluency and international reach, we are sabotaging our future. The US has long led the world not just because of military power but because of its openness – its ability to attract, integrate and elevate the best minds. Now, those minds are going elsewhere. A 2025 survey by the Association of American Universities shows that 43% of Chinese graduate students in STEM fields are reconsidering their plans to remain in the US, citing fear of legal harassment. Canada, the UK and Australia are actively recruiting talent fleeing this crackdown. We are bleeding soft power. And we're doing it to ourselves. This isn't just policy failure. It's a moral emergency. And the response must match the scale of the threat. Here's what we must demand: Congressional hearings into racial profiling, prosecutorial abuse, and DHS/FBI surveillance of diaspora communities; A legislative rollback of FARA overreach and SAR-based watchlisting, with enforceable due process protections; Establishing a permanent inspector general task force with subpoena power to audit ICE and DHS activities as a mandate to review racial and religious targeting; Defunding surveillance and enforcement programs that rely on anonymous tips and racial heuristics, particularly within ICE's Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit (CTCEU); Legal defense and civil rights campaigns led by universities, civil society, and Asian American advocacy groups; A federal civil liberties watchdog agency – similar to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board – empowered to audit domestic surveillance and academic interference; Community-based engagement, without excluding resistance movements, to support grassroots movements advocating for immigrant rights and transparency in federal enforcement actions – including sanctuary campuses, data privacy shields for international scholars and refusal to comply with unlawful federal data requests; Congressional hearings and investigations into potential racial profiling and prosecutorial overreach by ICE and DHS; Legislative reforms amening laws like the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to prevent misuse against international scholars and students. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's arrest serves as a stark reminder of the potential for federal overreach and the importance of safeguarding civil liberties for all individuals, regardless of their background or status. This is not the time for neutrality or technocratic reform. This is a fight over the soul of the American republic. The Trump administration's second term has made clear that national security is being weaponized against perceived outsiders. The real threat is not only at the border – it's in our institutions, our data systems, and our laws, silently turning difference into guilt. To accept this is to abandon the principles that once made America credible, powerful and free. We cannot let that happen. Yujing Shentu, PhD, is an independent scholar and writer on digital politics, international political economy and US-China strategic competition.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chuck Schumer Places ‘Hold' On All DOJ Nominees Over Trump's Qatar Plane Gift
WASHINGTON ― Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he's placed a 'hold' on all of President Donald Trump's nominees to the Justice Department, in response to Trump's plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet as a gift from the Qatari government to use as Air Force One, the official presidential plane. This plan is 'so corrupt that even Putin would give a double-take,' Schumer said on the Senate floor. 'This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.' 'I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees until we get more answers,' he said. The Democratic leader also separately sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, noting she personally signed off on Trump's transaction with Qatar and asking her for details on what was agreed to in this deal. Schumer's actions come after Trump declared Sunday on social media that the Defense Department is 'getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction.' He told reporters a day later that he would 'never' turn down an offer of a free replacement for Air Force One from the Qatari government: 'I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'' But his plans raise all kinds of constitutional and ethical questions. For starters, the Justice Department's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit needs to disclose all activities by Qatari foreign agents inside the U.S. that could benefit Trump or his organizations, Schumer said. The president's plan also raises questions about what the Qatari government is being offered in return, what security measures are built into this jet, and why the U.S. would risk trusting a foreign government to supply the U.S. president with a plane. Schumer's 'hold' on Trump's nominees doesn't stop them from getting confirmed; it simply slows the process for confirming them. The Democratic leader is denying the GOP 'unanimous consent' to move them along speedily. Still, the delay counts for something. Each nominee will now have to go through another layer of votes to advance, which eats into Senate floor time. It's the first time Schumer has placed a blanket hold on a full set of presidential nominees, which gets at the degree of how alarming it is that Trump has made this arrangement with Qatar. During his Senate remarks, Schumer noted that that Qatari and other Gulf state nationals have spent billions of dollars on deals with Trump's organizations, including $2 billion on Trump's new stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency; the launch of a new Trump hotel in Dubai worth more than a billion dollars; and a golf course in Qatar worth as much as $5 billion. 'Donald Trump's deals in the Middle East reek of self-enrichment,' he said. 'It is jeopardizing America's national security to line his own pockets.' Senate Republicans have been largely avoiding questions about Trump accepting a luxury jet from Qatar. To date, just one GOP senator has openly raised concerns about it. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told HuffPost on Monday, 'It just doesn't seem right.' Senior Trump Aide Throws Extraordinary Rant On Live TV Over Qatar Jet Gift Stephen Colbert Flags The Trump Quote That Makes His Qatar Jet Gift Even Worse Trump's Plan To Accept Qatari Jet Gift Raises Ethical, Security Concerns Qatar Says No Final Decision Made On Gifting Trump A Jet To Use As Air Force One
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Schumer Finally Takes Action After Trump's Private Jet Gift
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is placing a hold on all political appointments at the Department of Justice until Attorney General Pam Bondi provides answers over Qatar's $400 million luxury plane gift to Donald Trump. Schumer plans to announce the move on Tuesday morning on the Senate floor, and it will be the first time that he will be placing a blanket hold on presidential nominees. The New York senator will also ask the DOJ's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit to come clean on any Qatari foreign agents inside the United States who could benefit Trump or his businesses, which seems like an allusion to Bondi's past job as a lobbyist for Qatar. Punchbowl News reports that Schumer wants to know the specifics of the deal, including how it affects an existing contract with Boeing to provide the planes for Air Force One. 'Until the American people learn the truth about this deal, I will do my part to block the galling and truly breathtaking politicization at the Department of Justice,' Schumer will say, according to Punchbowl. Trump has tried to explain away the jet gift as something other presidents, such as Ronald Reagan, have also done, even though that isn't true. In addition to Democrats, some of Trump's biggest fans on the right have come out against the deal. Even though Trump claims the gift is 'free,' it will likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars in modifications to meet Air Force One standards. In effect, this plane isn't really a gift, but a bribe, especially considering that earlier this month, Trump's businesses cut a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. It's good that Schumer is taking action, but it's coming after many other ethical issues in the Trump administration that apparently didn't warrant a hold on nominees.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Former CIA official admits to mishandling information, working as foreign agent
ALEXANDRIA, Va. () — A former CIA official faces multiple years in prison for mishandling classified materials and acting as a foreign agent over the course of multiple years. Dale Britt Bendler, 68, of Miami, Fla., started working as a full-time contractor with the CIA back in 2014. As part of his job, he had Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. From July 2017 through at least July 2020, Bendler secretly worked with a U.S. lobbying firm to engage in 'unauthorized and hidden lobbying and public relations activities' on behalf of foreign principals — all while still being a full-time contractor at the CIA, the U.S. Attorney's Office () detailed in court documents. West Potomac High School students return to new security measures after teen stabbed Foreign and domestic clients would hire the lobbying firm to help resolve specific issues, often involving the U.S. government or a foreign government. Typically, the foreign client would hire the firm, and then the firm would, in turn, hire Bendler as a consultant. His rate for some clients was as much as $20,000 per month. '[Bendler] concealed the true nature of his work from his CIA colleagues, often misleading and manipulating them to further his foreign [clients'] interests,' court documents read. One of his clients, for example, was under investigation by a foreign country regarding allegations of embezzlement of that country's state funds. The client hired Bendler to respond to the investigation by mounting a public relations campaign to rebut the allegations and lobby government officials. Another one of his clients was concerned about allegations that he was involved in laundering money for a foreign terrorist organization. He believed those allegations prevented him from obtaining a U.S. visa. That client hired Bendler to investigate the origin of the terrorism financing allegations, rebut them, repair any damage caused and help him obtain a visa. Police: 2 officers shot during traffic stop in Fairfax County; suspect dead While working with these clients, Bendler abused his access to CIA resources and personnel by searching classified systems for any information related to his clients, improperly storing and disclosing classified information and lying to the CIA and FBI about his status as a foreign agent, the USAO detailed. His contract was officially terminated and his security clearance and access were revoked by the CIA in September 2020, after officials learned about his work for foreign clients. In total, between July 2017 and September 2020, Bendler was paid about $360,000 for his undisclosed work. He pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and removing classified material from authorized locations without authority and with the intent to retain such material at an unauthorized location. In addition to pleading guilty, Bendler consented to the forfeiture of $85,000. He faces up to seven years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
