Waste, Fraud & Abuse
Specter of long-held conspiracy theories looms over House vote on Epstein files
The yearslong political battle over the Epstein files has evolved from conspiracy theories about the Clintons masterminding Jeffrey Epstein's death in a New York jail cell to unproven accusations that President Trump secretly participated in Epstein's sex trafficking and is now trying to hide the evidence.
House Speaker Johnson insists Trump has ‘clean hands’ in Epstein case
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the push to release the Epstein files is nothing more than a "political exercise" meant to make President Trump look bad.
Most GOP senators reject government payout for Biden DOJ spying on their phone records
Five of the eight GOP senators whose phone records were secretly disclosed in the Biden-era Arctic Frost investigation say they will not take advantage of a new law that would allow them to recover up to $1 million in damages from the government.
Rep. Eric Swalwell faces mortgage fraud probe by DOJ
Rep. Eric Swalwell has been referred to the Justice Department for a criminal probe of alleged mortgage and tax fraud.
Epstein emails show powerful friends, media elite, kept close ties despite his sex crime conviction
President Trump may have ditched his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but other power figures and media elite stuck by him, a trove of new emails revealed.
New prosecutor to take on Georgia election case against Trump and others
A longtime prosecutor announced he will take over the Georgia election interference case against President Trump and others, after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from the case and no one else wanted the job.
Nevada Supreme Court sends ‘fake electors’ case back to Clark County
The yearslong case against six Nevada Republicans who were accused of submitting a bogus certificate that declared President Donald Trump the winner of the state's 2020 presidential election has been sent back to Clark County, where a jury is more likely to rule against them.
Top Fannie Mae officials ousted after sounding alarm on sharing confidential housing data
A confidant of Bill Pulte, the Trump administration's top housing regulator, provided confidential mortgage pricing data from Fannie Mae to a principal competitor, alarming senior officials of the government-backed lending giant who warned it could expose the company to claims that it was colluding with a rival to fix mortgage rates.
Epstein files emerge as flashpoint in 2026 Republican primaries
Ed Gallrein is running hard on his loyalty to President Trump as he challenges Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, and it shows when the discussion veers into the Epstein files.
Judge says DOJ can prosecute assault case against Rep. McIver
A federal judge allowed the federal prosecution of Rep. LaMonica McIver to proceed Thursday, rejecting her attempt to have the case tossed over claims of vindictiveness by the Trump administration.
Judge will decide in weeks whether to toss out criminal cases against James Comey, Letitia James
A federal judge plans to rule by Thanksgiving on a motion to toss out criminal cases against former FBI Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
House seeks to repeal provision to allow GOP senators to profit from phone record disclosure
House Republicans are planning to fast-track a vote next week to repeal a provision in the spending deal they're about to pass that would give eight GOP senators whose phone records were secretly disclosed the ability to recover half a million dollars in damages.
Grijalva adds final name to Epstein discharge petition, Johnson says he will schedule a vote
Newly sworn-in Rep. Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday added her name to a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein case files, becoming the final signature needed to ensure House action.
Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and others tied to 2020 ‘fake electors’ case
President Trump late Sunday night issued preemptive pardons to 77 people charged with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including his former personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman.
Trump pardons Giuliani and others who backed efforts to overturn 2020 election, official says
President Trump has pardoned his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and others accused of backing the Republicans' efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a Justice Department official says.
Trump pardons former Tennessee Speaker Glen Casada, staffer after corruption convictions
President Trump pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who were convicted on federal corruption charges.
Sen. Ernst says it’s time to cancel $65 billion in unspent COVID cash
Five years after the coronavirus pandemic struck -- and two years after the government declared the emergency over -- states are still awash in cash that Congress doled out.
Rick Scott demands answers from Verizon about coughing up phone records for ‘Arctic Frost’ probe
Sen. Rick Scott is demanding answers from Verizon about the telecom giant's decision to release cellphone data after revelations that the Biden Justice Department spied on Republican lawmakers as part of its "Arctic Frost" investigation.
DOGE scales back 103 government contracts, with $103 million in savings
More than 100 government contracts trimmed in the past five days will save taxpayers $103 million, according to the Department of Government Efficiency.
Judge rejects plea deal for funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies
A Colorado judge rejected the plea deal of a funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested building Monday after family members of the deceased argued that the deal's 15- to 20-year sentence was too lenient.
