Washington, D.C. — Trump’s Justice Department is seeking to indict Cassidy Hutchinson over her January 6 testimony, Trump’s Homeland Security Department has put more than 150 voter registration nonprofits under investigation, and an FBI whistleblower says the White House pushed the bureau to investigate protesters for exercising their constitutional rights.
Weaponization: Trump’s DOJ Wants to Punish the Witness Who Exposed January 6
Trump’s Justice Department is seeking to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony laid bare Trump’s conduct on January 6. Prosecutors went before a federal grand jury Tuesday accusing her of lying to Congress, and they plan to bring in more witnesses. The case is being run out of the Civil Rights Division under Trump loyalist Harmeet Dhillon, a unit that normally handles police misconduct and discrimination and has filled its ranks with lawyers who have criminal records of their own. Hutchinson testified under oath that Trump knew his supporters were armed, wanted to march with them to the Capitol, and shrugged off chants to hang Mike Pence. Telling the truth has landed her in front of a grand jury, and Trump means it as a warning to anyone else thinking about testifying against him.
DHS Turns Its Investigators on Civic Groups
Records obtained by Democracy Forward reveal that Trump’s Homeland Security Department has investigated more than 150 nonprofits that help Americans register to vote, and considered planting undercover agents inside their operations. Steering the operation is Heather Honey, who made her name peddling false claims about Pennsylvania’s 2020 vote and has now fed federal investigators 48.4 million mysterious records whose origins she can’t explain. The administration’s numbers keep falling apart under scrutiny: Nevada examined 185 voters DHS had flagged as noncitizens and confirmed all 185 were citizens. Helping people register is basic civic work, and Trump is treating the groups that do it as criminal suspects, all because control of Congress is on the line.
Trump Sicced the FBI on Protesters Over a Video He Didn’t Like
Jill Fields, a former supervisory intelligence analyst in the FBI’s Los Angeles office, says that after Trump watched a video of residents using megaphones to warn neighbors about ICE raids and explain their legal rights, the White House directed Kash Patel to investigate them, even though agents had already reviewed the conduct and declined. Fields was told the probe would open because “the President wants this investigation.” Supervisors were told to keep directives out of writing, and agents were pulled off active cartel cases to “make a show for the president.” When Fields refused to participate, she was cut out and stripped of her programs, and she resigned. Sen. Alex Padilla is demanding answers from Patel and Todd Blanche, asking how many more investigations have been opened because of political pressure from the White House.
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