Latest news with #MAGA-world
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Victims' lawsuits show FBI and DOJ's focus on Epstein files misses the mark
On Thursday, a woman named Maria Farmer filed a lawsuit against the federal government that begins with a paragraph both familiar and chilling: 'For nearly a quarter of a century,' Farmer charges, Jeffrey Epstein got away with a 'wide-ranging sex trafficking venture' in which she was one of hundreds of victims. And worse, Farmer alleges, the high-profile financier was able to do so because the FBI, Justice Department and United States Attorneys' offices 'failed to listen to or protect his sex-trafficked, sexually abused, and sexually exploited victims.' Indeed, Farmer alleges that she first reported to the FBI that she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996, that she told the agent that Epstein had also committed 'multiple serious sex crimes' against other girls and young women, including one of her minor sisters; that Epstein had stolen and transported across state lines nude and partially nude pictures of both of her minor sisters; and that, with others, Epstein was producing and distributing content that could constitute child pornography. (In 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted her of multiple sex trafficking-related charges; she is currently serving her sentence in a Tallahassee, Florida, federal prison and recently asked the Supreme Court to overturn her conviction.) Nonetheless, Farmer alleges, the FBI agent hung up on her and never followed up, leaving Epstein to 'exponentially" multiply his abuse and trafficking of girls and young women over the ensuing decades. (The FBI declined NBC News' request for comment on the lawsuit, citing its standard practice of not commenting on litigation.) In some respects, Farmer's lawsuit is not news. That she and her sisters were both victimized by Epstein and allegedly ignored by federal authorities has been reported for years. Nor is she the first Epstein victim to sue the federal government for its alleged failure to protect them from his manipulation, abuse and threats. Another similar suit now features 28 plaintiffs who accuse the FBI of 'gross negligence and reckless indifference' to Epstein and his associates' sexual abuse and trafficking of them and others for two decades. These lawsuits also seem unlikely to succeed for several reasons, including but not limited to the plaintiffs' sheer delay in bringing them. But the existence of Farmer's and others' suits, and the plaintiffs' collective demand that the FBI right its wrongs, demands our attention. That's especially true because what the victims seem to most want from the FBI — accountability for their ongoing trauma and internal reform to ensure something like the Epstein saga never recurs — contrasts with the growing MAGA-world hunger for more information about Epstein's crimes, his co-conspirators and his suicide, which many in Trump-world have baselessly alleged was actually a murder. That pressure has been escalating since February, when Attorney General Pam Bondi released a couple hundred pages of documents, most of which had already been disclosed publicly. The February release spurred many — including Bondi herself — to angrily accuse the FBI of concealing relevant records and/or to continue speculating about which famous or otherwise distinguished Americans were complicit in Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Republicans were not the only disappointed audience; Rep. Dan Goldman, a prominent New York Democrat and Donald Trump critic, characterized the release as 'a ham-handed attempt to gaslight the American people' while asking whether Trump, who knew and socialized with Epstein long before entering political life, 'intervened to prevent the public release of the Epstein files in order to hide his own embarrassing and potentially criminal conduct.' In early May, Bondi told reporters that the FBI was 'diligently' going through 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn' involving 'hundreds of victims' whose identities would need to be protected in any release of such materials. Yet Bondi remains under scrutiny by other Trump allies who either doubt that she has such records, including because of a belief that prior Justice Department officials have destroyed them, or because they're simply impatient to learn whether Epstein had ties to the U.S. government or 'specific intelligence agencies.' And in the meantime, to apparently relieve some of the Epstein-related anxiety, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino himself pledged last week to release surveillance video from the Manhattan federal jail where Epstein died, which both Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel now say demonstrate that Epstein was alone in his cell that night and therefore died of suicide. But from the victims' perspective, of course, how Epstein died, much less how he lived, is a secondary, if not needlessly salacious, detail. From their own experiences, they know what he did, to whom and with whom. What the victims deserve — beyond the continued privacy to which Bondi rightfully has said they are entitled — is not an 'all hands on deck' review, redaction, and possible release of sickening videos or Epstein case file documents by agents who've been diverted from national security matters. What they deserve is a DOJ and an FBI willing to examine and reform their own procedures for handling sexual assault and trafficking reports. After all, it's been more than two years since Farmer's lawyer wrote the FBI and DOJ a 15-page letter asking for "a comprehensive investigation to determine why there was and remains such abject failure to timely investigate, expose, and prosecute this unprecedented, decades-long criminal conspiracy." That kind of internal investigation and reform may not satiate those still poring over Epstein's little black book — but it would get closer to real justice for his victims. This article was originally published on
Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
America is coming for Britain's social media censors
In 2021, after the barbaric Islamist murder of Sir David Amess MP, the response of Britain's political class was as baffling as it was shameful: it decided to ramp up censorship of the internet. Somehow, MPs' vital personal safety came to be equated with the nebulous concept of 'safety' online, along with the protection of 'democracy' from hurty words and unapproved opinions. The Online Safety Act (OSA) was born, handing vast new powers to Ofcom to 'regulate' what could be said online. Well, that was then, and this is now. Twitter, the most influential platform for political news, has become X, and its new owner Elon Musk has made online free speech his mission. The Trump administration has done the same, and with Britain increasingly viewed in MAGA-world as something of a police state, this has set up a clash with the new regime in Washington.
Time Magazine
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Why South Africa Is Torn Over the Trump-Ramaphosa Showdown
In a surreal display of diplomatic theater on Wednesday, President Donald Trump subjected his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to watch fabricated evidence of a 'genocide' against white farmers. Back home, Ramaphosa briefly enjoyed a wave of sympathy for remaining composed during what was the latest ambush of a foreign leader at the Oval Office. That is partly because U.S. news outlets—from morning talk shows to late-night satires—have debunked Trump and the South African-born Elon Musk's claims with fresh vigor. For many South Africans, long frustrated by caricatured coverage of our country, the scrutiny is a belated but welcome corrective. Few myths are as pernicious or cynically weaponized as the 'white genocide' conspiracy theory. South Africa's real story is one of endemic violence and unfinished justice. Under apartheid, the Black majority was stripped of political rights, confined to just 13% of the land, and persecuted remorselessly under a complex system of racist laws. White farmers came to dominate the economy, and three decades into democracy, the imbalance persists. Violent crime, meanwhile, is a scourge afflicting every community. To single out white victims distorts the nation's trauma and turns a shared tragedy into a divisive fiction—one which Trump has turbocharged. It also mocks the millions of Black South Africans who, after surviving one of history's great evils, have nevertheless largely extended a hand of reconciliation to their white compatriots. Despite all of this, most South Africans were left with mixed feelings over the White House showdown. The encounter Ramaphosa had billed in advance as a 'reset' must now read as a bogey. His attempt to turn the briefing into a public-relations coup—and to trade on his reputation as a deft negotiator has collapsed. Pretoria must now accept that Washington will inflame racial tensions in South Africa for the foreseeable future. What happens in our country is no longer just a foreign-policy file, but a live domestic wedge issue in MAGA-world. To be sure, Ramaphosa had chalked up some foreign policy wins in recent months. Following February's uproar over Trump's executive order fast-tracking refugee status for white Afrikaners, European Council President António Costa reaffirmed the E.U.'s 'commitment to deepen ties with South Africa as a reliable and predictable partner.' A month later, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen landed in Cape Town to unveil a €4.7 billion ($5.1 billion) Global Gateway investment package—Europe's signal that its door remains open to Pretoria. Pretoria's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice has also earned it vocal support from capitals spanning Madrid to Kuala Lumpur. By challenging both Israel over Gaza and Trump over the 'white genocide' conspiracy theory, Ramaphosa has positioned his country as a rare voice willing to push back against great-power narratives. Yet South Africa's fundamentals remain grim. Unemployment is above 32%, there is persistent poverty, violent crime claims over 70 lives a day, and income inequality is the worst worldwide. Trump, had he wished to embarrass Pretoria, could have wielded that domestic ledger more effectively than any conspiracy theory video. Corruption deepens the malaise. No episode captures the rot more vividly than the Phala Phala affair, involving Ramaphosa himself. In 2020, Burglars crept into his game-farm, slit open a leather sofa, and disappeared with bundles of undeclared U.S. dollars—leaving the head of state, a Black farmer, both a victim of crime and a symbol of murky governance. Each unanswered question and stalled prosecution erodes public faith a little further. Ramaphosa and his ruling African National Congress party have presided over 30 years of misgovernance and Black stagnation, and the ANC's grip on power is now looking shakier. The party in June 2024 lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid. Pretoria will not convince Trump—or Musk—out of the 'white genocide' myth. For now, its realistic goals are to limit U.S. tariffs, reassure investors, and head off threats of targeted sanctions against senior officials. Second-term U.S. presidents shed influence fast as the lame-duck clock starts ticking; Trump's approval ratings already hover near 40%, below Joe Biden's or Barack Obama's at the same stage of their presidencies. The smartest play for South Africa now is containment and damage limitation, while relations remain in the rough.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gabbard fires top officials for alleged leaking after assessment on Venezuela contradicts Trump
Tulsi Gabbard is battling 'politicization' of the American intelligence community by firing top career officials on a senior team for allegedly leaking to the media. Fox News first reported the firings of two National Intelligence Council officials on Tuesday. Mike Collins, the council's acting chair, and his top deputy Maria Langan-Riekhof were the targets of the latest purge. A dozen others are reportedly under suspicion of leaking and are undergoing internal investigations. Gabbard is also set to bring the National Intelligence Council to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in McLean, Virginia, for oversight purposes, reported Fox News. The right-leaning news network further reported senior officials telling Fox that Collins was under an investigation for allegedly 'deliberately undermining the upcoming Trump administration' dating from the transition period. The official separately depicted his deputy, Langan-Riekhof, of being a champion for DEI-related efforts, while giving no examples. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that the pair were potentially targeted for a different reason: issuance of a memorandum that firmly rejected the Trump administration's political narrative surrounding immigration and violent drug-related crime hailing from Venezuela. The White House and other administration officials have insisted that Tren de Aragua, a violent drug cartel targeted by the Trump administration's rhetoric as the government ramps up deportation operations nationwide, is operating with the assistance and possible direction of Venezuela's government. But a document first reported by the Post last week states that 'the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with [Tren de Aragua] and is not directing [Tren de Aragua] movement to and operations in the United States.' The memo, a 'Sense of the Community Memorandum', was issued by the National Intelligence Council and authored by the National Intelligence Officer for the Western Hemisphere. The document was largely unsparing in its criticism of the Maduro government, which the U.S. does not recognize as the winner of legitimate elections. It called the Venezuelan government unable to control the extent of the country's territory and generally willing to cooperate with armed groups to ensure security. It also highlighted the role that low-level government officials take in facilitating Tren de Aragua's operations and profiting from the gang's illicit businesses. In some cases, the document said, low-level military and federal officials may cooperate with Tren de Aragua in some instances, like a 2023 prison raid in which the gang's leadership escaped, but in general was dismissive of a core part of the MAGA-world narrative: the description of migration through the US southern border as an 'invasion' from Venezuela or other countries. 'Venezuela's permissive environment allows Tren de Aragua to operate,' the intelligence community's assessment read. But it continued: 'the [intelligence community] has not observed the regime directing [Tren de Aragua] to push migrants to the United States.' The Post reported that there was no indication that either Collins or Langan-Riekhof had a 'direct role' in the memorandum's publication. But Gabbard's deputy chief of staff denied that premise entirely on Wednesday as she responded to a Post reporter who tweeted that the firings came after 'the council authored an assessment that contradicted Trump's rationale for invoking the Alien Enemies Act'. The administration's use of that law, passed in 1798 to regulate the activities of noncitizens during wartime, marks only the fourth time it has been invoked in the nation's history. 'No one from ODNI told you that, so of course you inject your own politically motivated opinion. That's wrong but who cares about facts, right? These Biden holdovers were dismissed because they politicized intelligence,' tweeted Alexa Henning, Gabbard's deputy chief of staff. Gabbard's efforts to weed out officials suspected of leaking to the media — a problem that vexed Trump and his team during his first presidency — has gone on for weeks, if not longer. "It takes time to weed them out and fire them," one ODNI official told Fox News, describing Gabbard's enemies as "career bureaucrats that are entrenched in Washington politics,' and 'Deep State holdovers' supposedly responsible for "trying to sabotage President Trump's agenda." Staffers on her team separately told Fox News in late April that Gabbard issued criminal referrals for three senior intelligence community officials to the Justice Department for allegedly leaking classified information to reporters at the Post and another news outlet; it wasn't immediately clear if those referrals included Collins and/or Langan-Riekhof. "Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation's security at risk and must end," said Gabbard in April. "Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. [...] These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine President Trump's agenda."
Axios
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump's next national security adviser will be his sixth
Even for a president known for cycling through staff, the national security adviser role is particularly prone to turnover. The big picture: President Trump's first national security adviser quickly resigned and later ended up in court. His next two clashed with him while in office and harshly criticized him afterwards. Now the fifth, Michael Waltz, is on his way out the door. Driving the news: Waltz clashed with multiple key Trumpworld figures, and his internal standing was diminished after the "Signalgate" affair, Axios' Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid report. Rather than firing him, as many expected, Trump nominated Waltz to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, he announced on Thursday afternoon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fill the national security adviser role on an interim basis. Context: Former President Biden had just one national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, throughout his term. Barack Obama had three over the course of eight years, while George W. Bush and Bill Clinton each had two. Read more about Trump's five advisers: Michael Flynn Jan. 20, 2017 to Feb. 13, 2017 Flynn served as Trump's first national security adviser for less than a month in 2017. He was fired for lying to former Vice President Mike Pence. He also twice pleaded guilty to charges from the Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation. Yes, but: Trump pardoned Flynn in 2020. The retired general has resurfaced as a prominent MAGA-world voice and frequent conspiracy theorist. H.R. McMaster Feb. 20, 2017 to April 9, 2018 McMaster's departure was less dramatic than Flynn's, but he has since publicly criticized Trump. The pair's personalities never meshed. "Personal chemistry is the most powerful currency with Trump — more than ideology, perhaps even more than loyalty," a White House official told Axios at the time. "McMaster never had it." Context: McMaster was a three-star lieutenant general in the U.S. Army and the first active duty military officer to serve in the national security adviser position since the Reagan administration. John Bolton April 9, 2018 to Sept. 10, 2019 Bolton was one of Trump's most hawkish foreign policy advisers. He stepped aside over escalating tensions with the president. Bolton was resistant to peace talks with the Taliban and Trump's later-scrapped desire to host the the militants at Camp David. He also had differing views to Trump on engagement with North Korea and military operations in Syria. State of play: He outwardly criticized Trump shortly after his tenure in the administration, and even more scathingly after his re-election. Days into his new term, Trump stripped security protections from Bolton even though he has faced death threats from Iran. Robert O'Brien Sept. 18, 2019 to Jan. 20, 2021 O'Brien was Trump's longest-serving national security adviser and had easily the least tumultuous tenure so far. He was previously Trump's hostage envoy. The latest: Following the 2024 election, O'Brien on a short list of potential candidates to be the new administration's secretary of state, a role later filled by Rubio. Michael Waltz Jan. 20, 2025 to May 1, 2025 Waltz departure comes about a month after he inadvertently included a journalist in a Signal chat discussing sensitive details about a strike in Yemen.
