Reed Rebukes Trump Admin. for Wasting Millions of Tax Dollars on Fleet of Gaudy, Unwanted ICE Trucks & SUVs

WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Examiner reports that the Trump Administration wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on a fleet of new, decked-out trucks and SUVs that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are refusing to drive.

The gaudy vehicles feature massive golden ICE logos and red and white racing stripes - a color scheme to match Trump’s private jet - and a golden decal of President Donald Trump’s name on the back window. Officers in the field say the fleet of marked vehicles could draw unwanted, negative attention to ICE officers.

Government contracting documents detail how the Trump Administration awarded $2.25 million for 25 Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs – about $90,000 per vehicle – to Hendrick Motorsports LLC, owned by Republican mega-donor Joseph Riddick Hendrick III. An additional $174,000 to $230,000 was paid to three companies to wrap the vehicles with ICE branding. While there was no need to purchase these specific vehicles to begin with, DHS compounded its poor choice and bypassed a competitive bidding process, declining to purchase the vehicles through an existing government program. The contract was awarded under a sole-source contract, because of circumstances that political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed were an “unusual and compelling urgency.”

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) condemned the wasteful spending and says it is indicative of an out of control agency with callous disregard for taxpayers.

“This is just another example of wasteful ICE spending under the Trump Administration costing American taxpayers and trampling on good government. Emblazoning Trump’s name on a bunch of unusable vehicles doesn’t make our country safer and the lack of budgetary oversight within the organization is appalling,” noted Reed. “Whether it’s gaudy, custom-wraps for SUV; purchasing a luxury 737 aircraft dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Jet” by DHS staffers; or hanging 30 foot banners of the president’s face on the side of the Department of Justice, political appointees in this administration are competing to pander to Donald Trump, handing out expensive no-compete contracts to donors, and sticking taxpayers with the bill. There is so much wrong with ICE. Throwing out the old political appointees is a start, but this out of control agency still needs to be reined in and reformed.”

The then-28 year old political appointee at DHS who was in charge of this debacle quit her post several months ago to run for Congress and her purchase of these vehicles has been widely rebuked by career staff at the agency who said they were not consulted and would never have approved such an unnecessary expense. According to the Washington Examiner, both then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her special government employee Corey Lewandowski signed off on the purchase order of the marked vehicles. Ms. Noem was recently removed from her cabinet-level DHS duties and given a newly made-up job as ‘special envoy’ to an organization called the Shield for the Americas.

It is unclear how much the Trump Administration paid for the remaining 2,475 vehicles, what it plans to do with newly wrapped unwanted vehicles, or whether it can cancel signed contracts and halt the custom wrapping of future vehicles.

Reed says the DHS Inspector General’s watchdog office should investigate and report to taxpayers and Congress on the full cost of the error and how it is being rectified.


Schumer, Reed & Shaheen Lead Calls for Public Hearings on Trump’s War of Choice in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, President Trump – who campaigned as the “peace President” – led the United States into war with Iran with no clear objectives and no authorization from Congress. In the ensuing days, President Trump and his administration have obfuscated facts, shifted explanations, and denied Congress and the American people a clearly articulated end game.

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter demanding that the Trump Administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appear before Congress and under oath in public hearings to provide answers about Trump’s Iran War.

“These ever-shifting goals and explanations suggest there is no clear plan. Further, this raises the risk of mission creep which, based on history, would likely lead to more U.S. casualties and escalating costs for taxpayers. The American people – including our men and women in uniform – deserve clear answers about the war and accountability from your administration,” the three leading Senators wrote. “Public hearings featuring cabinet-level witnesses have been a standard part of congressional oversight throughout our history, including recent military conflicts, as well as during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. After all, our founders were clear about the role of Congress in matters of war as the representatives of the American people.”

The American people have been clear since the start of military operations: They do not want another endless and costly war. If the Trump Administration is going to send America’s sons and daughters into a widening conflict in the Middle East, then they must be willing to answer for their decisions and strategic goals.

American families are already feeling the financial impact of Trump’s war. Gas prices have spiked since the U.S. has escalated the conflict, and crude oil prices have spiked as high as over $100 dollars per barrel – the highest price since 2022. As Americans are already facing higher costs of living due to Trump’s erratic economic decisions and tariff tax, this adds further pain for families who need relief.

“Public hearings would be a small but important first step to uphold your oath, to inform Congress, and to explain your actions to the American people whose sons and daughters are on the front lines of this war,” the Senators concluded.

The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Mr. President:

Eleven days ago, the American people unexpectedly found themselves at war with Iran. Since then, despite the public’s overwhelming concern about this war, your administration has provided shifting, and at times conflicting, objectives for this war, refused to define the scope of U.S. operations or the measurements for success, and failed to articulate an end game. Therefore, we write to demand that your key cabinet officials appear before the Senate, participate in public hearings, and provide answers to fundamental questions.

Despite your own admission that you controlled the timing for when the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, your administration failed to prepare for the predictable risks that U.S. military action would create for our personnel and assets abroad. As a result, thousands of Americans have been stranded overseas as drones and missiles strike hotels and airports. Diplomatic facilities have been damaged. And tragically, American servicemembers have lost their lives. At the same time, because of this conflict American families are now grappling with skyrocketing gas and energy prices at a moment when they’re already facing a national affordability crisis. The mounting cost of this war requires answers to Congress and the public.

Beginning on February 24, at the State of the Union address, you neglected a critical opportunity to propose your objectives with respect to Iran and to make a case to the American people. Since the war began on February 28, your cabinet officials have refused to testify publicly before Congress. Meanwhile, your administration’s public justifications for the war have shifted daily. You initially appeared to encourage the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the regime. Then your administration described its objectives to be limited to strikes against Iranian military sites. Then, incredibly, you called for installing a compliant regime figure modeled on Venezuela. Most recently, you claimed the goal was “unconditional surrender” and suggested “possibly” sending U.S. ground forces into Iran.

These ever-shifting goals and explanations suggest there is no clear plan. Further, this raises the risk of mission creep which, based on history, would likely lead to more U.S. casualties and escalating costs for taxpayers. The American people – including our men and women in uniform – deserve clear answers about the war and accountability from your administration. Public hearings featuring cabinet-level witnesses has been a standard part of congressional oversight throughout our history, including recent military conflicts, as well as during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. After all, our founders were clear about the role of Congress in matters of war as the representatives of the American people.

As such, we request that your key cabinet secretaries – including Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth – immediately appear under oath in public hearings to answer the questions the American people have about the goals, scope, and end game for this war.

Public hearings would be a small but important first step to uphold your oath, to inform Congress, and to explain your actions to the American people whose sons and daughters are on the front lines of this war.

Sincerely,


Ricketts, Cortez Masto Introduce the ELEVATE Act to Unlock Capital for Small Companies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Encouraging Local Emerging Ventures and Economic Growth (ELEVATE) Act. The ELEVATE Act would reduce bureaucratic red tape for small and mid-sized businesses seeking to raise capital investment through Initial Public Offering (IPO).

“Nebraska businesses are the economic center of communities across the state,” said Senator Ricketts. “Red tape and regulations force smaller companies to compete on an unlevel playing field. When we make it easier for small enterprises to unlock available capital, they thrive and drive our local economies forward.”

“The federal government should be making it easier for emerging businesses to grow and innovate, not harder,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “By improving coordination and cutting red tape, our ELEVATE Act will lead to greater innovation across Nevada, Nebraska, and the rest of the United States.”

Under current law, companies must submit 3 years of financial statements to the Securities and Exchange commission pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO), even when a company wants to spin off from an existing business. Obtaining an extra year’s worth of financial data is costly and often prevents smaller firms from accessing capital markets.

The ELEVATE act would allow businesses to submit two years of audited financial statements to spin off a part of their existing business as an Emerging Growth Company (EGC) – aligning financial disclosure requirements for all EGCs. By lessening these undue requirements, smaller companies will have more available capital to expand their operations.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) and Janelle Bynum (D-OR-5). The bill has passed the House unanimously.

Bill text can be found here.

BACKGROUND

In 2012, Congress passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act to promote job creation and economic growth by making it easier to raise capital and encourage more Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). The JOBS Act created a new class of issuer called an Emerging Growth Company (EGC), allowing more small- to medium-sized companies to facilitate capital raising with fewer regulatory burdens. Current law allows EGCs to provide two years of audited financial statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when filing for an IPO. Alternatively, EGCs must provide three years of audited financial statements when they want to spin off a part of their business from the parent company.


Sen. Rick Scott Takes Action to Claw Back Taxpayer Dollars Wasted on Fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott introduced the Federal Taxpayer Funds Protection and Clawback Act to crack down on states’ mismanagement of federal taxpayer dollars, as recently seen in Democrat-run states like Minnesota and California. This bill would allow the federal government to claw back money distributed through states and pass-through programs that support fraudulent activity.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Years of reckless spending in Washington have pushed our country over $38 trillion in debt, causing the cost of living to soar and leaving American families struggling to make ends meet. While President Trump is working hard to turn our economy around, Democrats in Washington and across the country make it harder when they look the other way as up to 10% of our federal budget goes toward waste, fraud, and abuse in their own backyards. What we’re uncovering in Minnesota and California is just the start. At the end of the day, it is taxpayers whose money is wasted and who suffer from reduced services and broken trust.

“My Federal Taxpayer Funds Protection and Clawback Act holds states accountable by clawing back every dime wasted on fraud and redirecting these funds to pay off our national debt, getting us one step closer to balancing our budget and making sure every American’s tax dollars are used to benefit them.”

This bill will:

Amend the False Claims Act (FCA) to ensure any federally sourced money falls under the authority and scrutiny of the FCA, including federally sourced money administered by a state or a pass-through program;

Allow states to be held financially liable for misused funds;

Establish a mandatory, accelerated clawback program for funds being investigated for potential fraud under the existing FCA process;

Require states to follow existing laws regarding audits, inspections, record-keeping, and data-sharing in order to receive federal funds;

Ensure federal funds do not go to organizations that employ illegal immigrants or other unauthorized workers, and requires any organization that violates this rule to send back any federal money, and face a possible ban on receiving future available funds; and

Allow money that is clawed back to go toward paying down the national debt.

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Sen. Scott leads colleagues in backing 2027 Military World Games in South Carolina and North Carolina

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) led a letter with members of the South Carolina delegation to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expressing strong support for the 2027 Military World Games, which will be hosted across South Carolina and North Carolina. The lawmakers emphasized the importance of the event in honoring America’s service members while showcasing the Palmetto State’s deep ties to the U.S. military.

In the letter, Sens. Scott and Graham as well as Representatives Sheri Biggs (R-SC-03) and Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) highlighted South Carolina’s long-standing role in supporting the armed forces and its unique concentration of military installations, making it a natural location to host events for the first Military World Games ever held in the United States.

“Service members and their families are critically important to South Carolina from the Upstate to the Lowcountry,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are proud to welcome the Military World Games as an opportunity to celebrate their inspiring individual accomplishments and collective contributions to our great state.”

South Carolina is home to several major military installations, including Joint Base Charleston, Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, representing nearly every branch of the U.S. military.

The full letter can be found here.

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Murkowski, Sullivan Announce $629 Million Funding to Boost Alaska’s Internet Connectivity

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) welcomed the approval of Alaska’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), including more than $629 million in initial deployment awards to expand broadband access across the state. These investments will help narrow the digital divide in unserved and underserved communities and expand the economic opportunities that reliable internet connectivity brings to Alaskans.

The funding will support 29 broadband deployment projects carried out by 15 providers across Alaska. These projects—utilizing fiber, wireless, satellite, and hybrid technologies—are expected to bring high-speed internet service to more than 46,000 homes and small businesses across the state.

“For a state as vast and geographically diverse as Alaska, broadband access is not a luxury—it’s essential infrastructure,” said Senator Murkowski. “This investment will help connect more of our rural and remote communities to reliable, high-speed internet, opening the door to expanded economic opportunities, improved access to telehealth and education, and stronger connections between families and communities. I appreciate NTIA’s recognition of the importance of the BEAD program to our state and its efforts to ensure that we are able to maximize this initiative so that every Alaskan is connected.”

“As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the lack of Internet access in so many Alaskan communities was a driving force behind my work to ensure that the broadband provisions of the bipartisan infrastructure bill focused on the truly unserved, my work on improving Alaska’s broadband maps, and my relentless advocacy for Alaska with various federal officials who I have brought to see Alaska’s unique challenges,” said Senator Sullivan. “These funds will go a long way toward the goal of connecting every Alaskan, which will unlock possibilities of expanded telehealth, education and small business opportunities. Importantly, it will better allow Alaskans to connect with one another. I thank NTIA for working closely with Senator Murkowski and me to ensure that our unique geography was taken into account when determining this award.”

“Congratulations to the State of Alaska on the approval of its BEAD Final Proposal, which will enable universal broadband availability across the state while safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth. “The Benefit of the Bargain rules ensured that each state and territory’s unique geography, terrain, and topography are accounted for when determining which technology solutions make the most sense to provide connectivity. No state presents more unique and formidable connectivity challenges than Alaska, and I commend the state broadband office for its tremendous work in bringing this Final Proposal over the finish line.”

Background

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to fund broadband expansion in unserved and underserved areas across the country. Alaska received a total BEAD allocation of more than $1.017 billion to support broadband infrastructure investments across the state.

Under the program, funding is first directed toward deploying broadband infrastructure to unserved locations, followed by underserved areas and eligible community anchor institutions. The initial $629 million in deployment awards announced today will fund broadband deployment projects across Alaska using a mix of fiber, wireless, satellite, and hybrid technologies.

After funding deployment projects, remaining BEAD funds may be used for additional eligible purposes that support broadband connectivity and digital access. NTIA is expected to provide additional guidance on the use of remaining funds later this month. Senators Murkowski and Sullivan are actively working with NTIA as they craft revised guidance, with the intent of ensuring that Alaska maintains the ability to use its entire allocation to continue modernizing the state’s telecommunications infrastructure.

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Thune: Senate Bill Paves the Way to More Affordable Housing

Clickhereto watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, homeownership – that quintessential part of the American dream – has become increasingly unattainable for a lot of Americans – and for younger Americans in particular.

“The New York Times reports that home prices have surged roughly 50 percent since the pandemic, and mortgage rates have also risen.

“A December 2025 article from the New York Post notes, and I quote, ‘A new Bankrate analysis has found that more than 75% of listings nationwide are out of financial reach for a median-income family, despite annual earnings hovering just under $80,000. To swing a median-priced home in 2025, buyers now need to earn roughly $113,000 a year, which is a gap that’s turning the starter-home dream into a math problem few can solve.’

“‘… a gap that’s turning the starter-home dream into a math problem few can solve.’

“With these kinds of numbers, it’s no surprise that the typical age of first-time homebuyers has reached an all-time high of age 40.

“Or that in a recent New York Times poll, 25 percent of registered voters listed housing as their biggest financial worry – the only category to get more than 20 percent.

“That number was even worse for young people, with more than 50 percent of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29 putting housing at the top of their financial worry list.

“Well, Mr. President, this week we’re taking action.

“On the floor this week is the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act – a package of bills targeted at making housing more affordable and accessible for hardworking Americans.

“This bill isn’t some new government program that will drive up costs to taxpayers while doing little or nothing to solve housing problems for everyday Americans.

“No.

“This bill offers real solutions that will unlock new home construction, drive down prices, and increase the supply of affordable homes.

“Mr. President, one problem driving up the cost of housing is regulation.

“Regulations account for roughly 25 percent of the cost of constructing a new single-family dwelling.

“And of course these costs are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher selling prices for new homes.

“That’s why the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act takes aim at unnecessary regulation by removing, streamlining, or updating regulations that act as a drag on the supply of affordable housing.

“And along with removing regulatory barriers, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act focuses on unleashing private-sector investment.

“And, Mr. President, this entire bill has been put together with an emphasis on allowing states and local communities to pursue the housing solutions that work for them.

“Look at the great diversity of circumstances across rural, suburban, and urban communities, and it should be clear to everyone that one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington are not the solution.

“Instead, we need to empower states and localities to create the solutions that fit their particular communities.

“Mr. President, there’s a lot more in this bill – from support for veterans and rural communities to increased oversight and accountability for federal housing programs.

“It’s the product of good ideas from both parties and from both houses of Congress.

“And it’s no surprise that it’s supported by everyone from the National League of Cities, to the National Association of Affordable Housing [Lenders] and the National Association of Realtors.

“Mr. President, the inflation crisis that defined the Biden administration is still weighing down a lot of American families.

“And since taking office last January, Republicans have been focused on making life easier for the American people.

“We prevented a massive tax hike and put more money in Americans’ pockets with the Working Families Tax Cuts, took aim this January at high prices at the pharmacy counter, and now we are continuing our work on affordability with the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, to open the door to affordable homes for hardworking Americans around the country.

“And we’re going to continue to do everything we can to ease the burdens facing Americans and to make life better for the American people.”


Thune: Democrats are Standing in the Way of a Solution They Say They Want

Clickhereto watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Shamefully, the Democrats have put us into another government shutdown.

“This is day 25 of the shutdown for the Department of Homeland Security.

“We have tried repeatedly to engage them on a path forward.

“The White House has attempted to do that.

“By the way, the White House submitted their last offer to the Democrats 12 days ago.

“Twelve days ago, no response.

“And so here we are with important agencies of government that have vital national security and homeland security roles, people not getting paid.

“You’re starting to see the lines at the airports because TSA employees aren’t getting paid.

“Obviously, cybersecurity falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security.

“Border security, you can go right down the list, FEMA, these are agencies that have a profound impact on the safety and security of the American people.

“And the Democrats have opted to, in the most cynical way, play politics.

“I mean, … how much more cynical can you get than to play politics with issues that affect Homeland Security?

“But that seems to be where they are.

“Obviously, we’re going to do everything we can to continue to make the case that we need to get DHS opened up.

“In fact, Senator Britt last week offered, a couple different times, unanimous consent requests to fund that department and those agencies and to allow additional time for discussion with the Democrats so we could at least get into the negotiation.

“And they resisted that as well.

“So, every attempt that we have made to sit down and try and get this Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill across the finish line has been rebuffed by the Democrats with prejudice.

“And honestly, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know how you can sustain that position or defend that position in light of everything that’s going on in the world and the dangerous situation the United States finds itself in.”


Thune: Democrats Hit New Low on Their DHS Shutdown

Clickhereto watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, in just a moment I’m going to move to proceed to a piece of legislation that we have voted on a number of times already, and that is a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is now the [25th] day of the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

“And it follows the Democrat shutdown last fall that went for 43 days of virtually the entire government; this applies to Department of Homeland Security.

“And so here we are, 25 days into another government shutdown instigated by Democrats because they want, I guess, changes made to the bill.

“Although it’s very hard to know what that is, because at this point they refuse even to meet to talk about this.

“Now, Mr. President, remember how this all began.

“The Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill was negotiated by both the House and the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, and it passed out of the House of Representatives.

“So it comes over here to the Senate, a bill negotiated by Democrats in the Senate, along with our Republican colleagues on our side, and our colleagues in the House of Representatives, and the White House.

“So we had an agreed-upon Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.

“And then what happened?

“Well, the Democrats decided they didn’t like that bill anymore, decided to walk away from it, wanted to renegotiate it – after all that negotiation.

“Which included, I might add, reforms that they had requested specifically as they apply to ICE, including body cameras.

“$20 million in there for body cameras. Deescalation training. Additional oversight of ICE activities. A whole range of things were included in the base bill.

“It’s the bill that we will be voting on later this week again … unless they decide to actually come to the table and negotiate.

“So it had all that input from Republicans, Democrats, reforms requested by Democrats, passed out of the House, comes over here to be picked up and passed by the Senate.

“Senate Democrats say, ‘Oops, sorry. We’re not for this anymore. We want to renegotiate.’

“So in that context, the White House and Senate Republicans have made good-faith efforts to submit proposals, additional ideas that the Democrats had put on their long wish list, which was about 15 items, some of which were not doable.

“I mean, there are certain things on there, obviously – any time you’re trying to negotiate a deal, you’re not going to get everything you want, right?

“Well, the Democrats had a long list of things, demands that they had wanted, and so Republicans agreed to sit down.

“The White House, to their credit, has submitted now multiple efforts.

“The most recent one has not been responded to by the Senate Democrats.

“But what makes this even more stark, Mr. President, is you have now agencies of government with employees who aren’t going to get paid that perform important national security functions.

“Cyber, cybersecurity – you think that’s not a problem in a dangerous world?

“Border Patrol! Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol – they’re not getting paid.

“TSA. People are starting to travel. They’re hitting the airport, and the lines are getting longer and longer and longer.

“Coast Guard, FEMA.

“FEMA, the agency that responds to disasters around this country and has virtually run out of money, is also part of the bill that the Democrats are holding up.

“Now, Mr. President, all that is bad enough, and, frankly, shameful, if you think about it, given what’s at stake for this country and for our national security, for our border security, for security in our communities, for disaster assistance, for our cybersecurity.

“Those are all things, Mr. President, that aren’t being funded because of the Democrat shutdown, which is bad in and of itself.

“What makes it even worse is they are now saying they don’t even want to sit down and talk.

“Overtures were made yesterday to the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Countless overtures have been made to the Democrat leadership.

“And they have basically said, ‘Sorry, we don’t want to talk.’

“So here we are, in the [25th] day, now, of a government shutdown instigated by Democrats after they had agreed to the very bill that they are now opposing, and are now opposing even sitting down and talking and negotiating on the things they say they want!

“Explain that one.

“Mr. President, this is borderline obnoxious.

“This is indefensible, it is unjustifiable, and there are American people who are going to hurt as a result of this.

“And those already who work at these agencies – some 120,000 at one agency alone – that aren’t going to get paid, who perform critical security missions for this country to keep the American people safe.

“I don’t get it. I really don’t.

“You want reforms? Our side, the White House have been willing to sit down, have given a number of the suggestions the Democrats had, in addition to the things that were in the original bill that they had negotiated and agreed to – which included reforms, like I said.

“$20 million for body cameras, deescalation training, oversight of ICE.

“There have been a number of additional things the White House has been willing to work with the Democrats on.

“Tom Homan, who’s been sort of on the lead in terms of what’s going on out there as far as the enforcement issue is concerned, has offered up himself and been willing to talk about some of these requests that Democrats have.

“But frankly, Mr. President, it’s hard to get to a solution when you have one party that refuses to even sit down and talk.

“This is kind of a new low, really.

“There are certain things the American people, I think, expect of their elected officials, one of which is to continue the basic functioning of the government.

“Funding government agencies, especially government agencies that have critical national security missions.

“What makes it even worse, Mr. President, is we have tried now on countless occasions to buy additional time to allow for the negotiations to continue and to fund those agencies at least temporarily until there is a permanent solution in place.

“We have now twice come down here on the floor and asked for a continuing resolution – continuing resolution meaning a funding mechanism that will allow these agencies to function and these employees to get paid until such time as there actually is an agreement – and they have objected to that both times.

“So we’re going to try again. I’m going to move to reconsider, and we will have another opportunity to vote on that proposal, the original proposal negotiated by House and Senate Democrats and Republicans – unless, between now and the time we vote on this, they decide to engage in conversations and discussions, and we do arrive at some agreement that would enable us to actually fund the government and perhaps include some of the things that the Democrats want included.

“But you can’t do that if you’re not at the table.

“You can’t do that if it’s a one-sided negotiation.

“And it’s pretty clear at this point that that’s what we’re talking about here.

“There’s no question, Mr. President, about you know, sometimes there is some, ‘Who’s shutting down the government?’

“My impression, in this case at least, is that the Democrats view this as a political issue and some sort of a political winner for them.

“Otherwise, I can’t explain why – why – they won’t even sit down at the table and negotiate.

“Not about politics, Mr. President.

“This is people’s lives we’re talking about.

“These are jobs.

“These are livelihoods.

“These are families.

“And the mission – which is protecting the American people keeping this country safe and secure – there is no higher one.

“You want to shut down Department of Homeland Security, the department that is tasked with defending the homeland?

“Those people aren’t getting paid, those programs aren’t getting funded, and those functions aren’t being performed by the people that we asked to do that job.”


Van Hollen, Alsobrooks Visit Kent, Queen Anne’s to Highlight Federal Investments Secured for Local Communities

On Friday, February 27, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (both D-Md.) visited Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties to highlight two investments they worked to secure, totaling over $1 million for local public safety and community resource initiatives. This funding is part of the over $17,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending that the Senators fought to deliver for the two counties. On Friday, Senator Van Hollen also toured the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children in Caroline County to view progress on the school’s renovations, supported by fiscal year 2024 Congressional Directed Spending that Team Maryland worked to secure.

“From strengthening emergency response capabilities in Kent County to investing in a new town meeting space in Barclay, we worked to deliver these targeted federal investments to support our communities. It was great joining our partners to launch two projects and to see progress following our earlier efforts to fund renovations at the Benedictine School. It’s clear these investments will continue to make a difference in the lives of Marylanders in Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Caroline Counties,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“I had a great time in Kent County and Queen Anne's County sharing with Marylanders the investments Senator Van Hollen and I have secured for their counties. This is a task I take very seriously; in fact, it's what I was sent to Washington to do – deliver for Marylanders and make critical investments like the ones we shared today in emergency services and upgraded facilities like the Town of Barclay's new community center and town hall,” said Senator Alsobrooks.

The Senators first visited the Kent County Emergency Medical Services Headquarters to highlight $45,000 in federal funding they secured to purchase and install a backup emergency power generator, ensuring that power loss or disruption events do not interrupt the continuity of local emergency services. This funding is part of the $14,245,000 in total FY26 Congressionally Directed Spending the Senators secured for projects across Kent County.

“Our EMS operations provide a critical lifeline to residents across Kent County. These funds aren't just for a building; they are an investment in the safety and peace of mind of the residents in our community. By strengthening the disaster resiliency of our EMS Headquarters, we are ensuring that when our residents need help, our first responders have the ability and state-of-the-art infrastructure to arrive quickly and save lives. We thank our Senators for their partnership in strengthening our local emergency response network,” said Kent County Commissioners President Ronald Fithian.

Later, they were joined by leaders from the Town of Barclay and Queen Anne’s County to highlight $1,044,000 in direct federal funding they secured to support the construction of a new community center and town hall. This funding is part of the $3,181,000 in total FY26 Congressionally Directed Spending the Senators secured for projects across Queen Anne’s.

“Barclay is grateful for the support and funding of the project and it will be an asset to our Community,” said Barclay Commission President Norman Clough.

Senator Van Hollen ended the day in Caroline County, touring the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children and meeting with students and faculty. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Senator helped secure $1,800,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to renovate the outdated living areas and health facilities to better suit the needs of students and their families. During the visit, he viewed the school and the facilities under construction and received an update on the school’s ongoing work serving Marylanders with intellectual disabilities.

“We would like to thank Senator Van Hollen for taking the time to visit and tour our campus. We greatly appreciate his dedication to our community, and were proud to share the progress on our new student residential hall,” said Scott Evans, Executive Director of the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children.

The total FY26 Congressionally Directed Spending secured for Kent County is as follows:

Project Name: Kent County EMS Headquarters Enhancement Project

Applicant:?Kent County Board of County Commissioners

Project Description:?Funds will support the purchase and installation of a backup emergency power generator for the Kent County emergency medical service headquarters, ensuring that power loss or disruption events do not interrupt the continuity of emergency services provided to Kent County residents.

Project Location:?Kent County

Amount Included:?$45,000

Project Name: Kent County for Millington Wastewater Treatment Plant

Applicant:?Kent County Board of County Commissioners

Project Description:?Funds will support construction of a new, relocated Wastewater Treatment Plant serving the town of Millington. The existing plant is aging and needs to be relocated from? a floodplain, where there is risk of environmental damage.

Project Location:?Kent County

Amount Included:?$6,200,000

Project Name: Enhancing Eastern Shore Freight Rail Growth and Reliability Project

Applicant: Maryland Department of Transportation

Project Description: Funds will be used for improvements to the Centreville and Chestertown freight rail lines in Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties. Several businesses on the Eastern Shore rely on these rail lines. Functioning freight rail lines will help reduce the number of trucks on the roads.

Project Location: Kent County, Queen Anne's County

Amount Included: $8,000,000

The total FY26 Congressionally Directed Spending secured for Queen Anne’s County is as follows:

Project Name: Town of Barclay Community Center and Town Hall

Applicant:?Town of Barclay

Project Description:?Funds will support construction of a community center and town hall to increase access to resources and information for residents and visitors.

Project Location:?Queen Anne's County

Amount Included:?$1,044,000

Project Name: Rural Healthcare Technology for Workforce Development

Applicant: Chesapeake College

Project Description: Funds will be used to upgrade equipment for Chesapeake College's Health Professions program so students can receive practical, hands-on training that will make them competitive for in-demand jobs that address regional rural health needs.

Project Location: Queen Anne's County

Amount Included: $721,000


Warnock Secures Additional $75 Million in Outstanding Helene Payments, Calls on Admin to Release Remaining $311 in Withheld Relief

This follows Senator Warnock’s previous announcements securing $531, $192, and $300 million in federal funds for entities impacted by Hurricane Helene

In September 2025, one-year after Hurricane Helene, Senator Warnock released a report finding the Trump Administration was shortchanging Georgians by nearly half a billion dollars in disaster relief aid

To date, Senator Warnock has helped recover over a billion dollars in federal funds owed to the state, though it is estimated that the administration is still withholding roughly $311 million in related outstanding payments

Senator Warnock: “With this latest announcement, I am proud to have secured over one billion dollars in total federal hurricane assistance funds owed to the Peach State”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) announced he secured an additional $75 million in federal funding for outstanding payments owed to Georgia counties and entities following Hurricane Helene.

To date, Senator Warnock has helped recover over one billion dollars in outstanding federal funds owed to the state. The Trump Administration still owes over $300 million dollars in similar overdue funds to Georgia.

“With this latest announcement, I am proud to have secured over one billion dollars in total federal hurricane assistance funds owed to the Peach State,” said Senator Warnock. “While this funding is welcome relief, this administration cannot continue to slow-walk federal relief that should have been released months ago. I will keep pushing this administration until every cent of the remaining $311 million is at work rebuilding our state.”

In September 2025, Senator Warnock published a report finding that nearly $500 million in promised federal funding for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts remained unpaid. In December, Senator Warnock released a statement after new evidence emerged showing that the Trump Administration owed $600 million in Hurricane Helene recovery aid to Georgians. After the Senator revealed the delayed funding, the Trump Administration released $314 million in federal funding for Georgia communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The funding, part of a disaster recovery bill championed by Senator Warnock in 2024, is meant to reimburse local communities for funds spent on recovery. Despite bipartisan Congressional support for the immediate delivery of disaster recovery funds, the distribution of aid has been stifled by bureaucratic red tape and chaos in the Trump Administration.

A list of Georgia counties and entities receiving federal funding can be found below (this is not a comprehensive list of entities receiving funding):

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Warren, Wyden, Schumer Warn Bessent’s Term as Acting IRS Commissioner Has Expired, Blast Trump Administration’s Failure to Put Nominee Forward Amid Chaos at IRS

Bessent’s Legally-Permitted Term as Acting Commissioner Expired on March 6th

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned that the 210-day window under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to serve as Acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner expired on March 6 and blasted the Trump administration for failing to put forward a nominee for commissioner.

“The position of IRS CEO is a fake job that Congress has never authorized,” wrote the senators. “There is no reason to see the Trump administration’s appointment of a CEO as anything more than a strategy to avoid the vetting and confirmation process for a replacement commissioner.”

Following President Trump’s removal of former IRS Commissioner Billy Long, the IRS has operated without a confirmed Commissioner. Instead, Bessent has served as Acting Commissioner while simultaneously holding another Cabinet office, and a newly invented “chief executive officer” has assumed day-to-day control of the agency.

In a letter to Bessent and Dan Scavino, Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, the senators noted that the agency has had seven commissioners or acting commissioners since early 2025, most of the IRS’s 28 “top official” positions were either vacant or filled by acting officials as of late last year, and the position of IRS “chief executive officer" is a fake job designed to sidestep the Senate’s vetting and confirmation process.

The senators also noted that Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy Kenneth Kies has been serving as acting IRS chief counsel since November, and his legally permitted term of service in that role expires in June.

“Although the IRS is supposed to be nonpartisan, the only two Senate-confirmed positions at the IRS continue to be held ‘temporarily’ by Treasury officials who have political jobs,” wrote the senators.

“The Acting IRS Commissioner cannot function indefinitely on temporary authority and borrowed time,” continued the senators.

The senators sent a list of questions, including further information on the authorities of the Acting Commissioner and an update on President Trump’s nomination for IRS Commissioner, demanding a response to their questions by April 6, 2026.

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Welch Refutes Trump’s Dangerous Attempts to Eliminate Birthright Citizenship: “It is very clear that the law says if you’re born here, you are a citizen here.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, today emphasized the grave dangers of President Trump’s executive order aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, a constitutional right granted under the Fourteenth Amendment. In his remarks, Senator Welch outlined how Americans’ constitutional and civil rights are being violated under the Trump Administration, including through the President’s weaponization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enact his violent mass deportation campaign.

“First of all, our nation was built on immigrants. Our nation was also built on slave labor. And our nation had this Dred Scott decision, which literally said African Americans were not citizens—not entitled to be citizens—and that wrong was finally righted when that Dred Scott decision was overturned by the constitutional amendment that did establish the right of citizenship by birth,” said Senator Welch. “I believe that it is very clear that the law says if you’re born here, you are a citizen here…I will not submit that an executive order by a President can overturn a Supreme Court decision.”

Senator Welch continued: “I think this whole attack on what has been accepted law would hurt, not help, us address the immigration challenges that we face as a nation…This is fundamentally a political problem that has to be resolved through discussion, and collaboration, and ultimately, a respect for the dignity of the people who are here; a respect for people who want to come here as long as it’s done in the right way.”

Read Senator Welch’s full opening remarks as delivered here and watch his remarks below:

Read and watch Senator Welch’s exchange with University of Virginia School of Law Professor Amanda Frost outlining the negative consequences for generations of Americans if Trump’s executive order were enforced:

Professor Frost: That [citizenship] clause has been on the books since 1868. So, all of us would be subject to scrutiny of our ancestry. And for those who had a parent who was temporarily present, or a grandparent, or great-grandparent who violated immigration law maybe three generations in the past, everyone’s citizenship would be suspect. And the [Trump] administration recognizes that…They are arguing for interpretation that would unwind the citizenship of the nation.

Sen. Welch: That sounds like it would create an immense amount of uncertainty for people who are here…as to legally what their status was…they’d have to argue about it.

Professor Frost: Yes, it would create uncertainty for all of these families, and not just people whose parents are immigrants. According to the Trump Administration—and this is [in] the memos they’ve issued to implement their executive order, if it’s to go into effect—everyone has to provide evidence of their citizenship or immigration status at the time of their child’s birth, or their child is presumed not to be a citizen of the United States.

Sen. Welch: Professor Frost, I want you to just go through some of the other consequences that would affect people’s situation if this executive order were enforced.

Professor Frost: First, I just want to point out—because I think it’s not clear to everyone when they discuss this issue—that the executive order denies citizenship not just to the children of undocumented immigrants or tourists, but also to the children of people that have been legally present in the United States for years, who are applying for green cards, who maybe receive a green card the day after the child is born—doesn’t matter. Under the executive order, that child is born a noncitizen, potentially stateless, denied all the benefits and privileges of citizenship, and theoretically, deportable on day one of their life. And then every single American family having a child will now have to prove their status before that child is considered a citizen by the U.S. government. It doesn’t matter if they go back to the Mayflower—that’s what everyone will have to prove going forward.

Senator Welch is a cosponsor of the Born in the USA Act, legislation aimed at blocking the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. The legislation would prevent any government funds from being used to carry out or enforce this directive, which blatantly violates the U.S. Constitution. Federal courts have temporarily blocked the order’s implementation, but the Trump Administration has appealed that ruling.

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Whitehouse Speech on Trump-Epstein-Russia Triangle Goes Viral

Forty-eight-minute speech tops 2.2 million views on Whitehouse’s YouTube channel

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) on Thursday delivered a 48-minute speech on the Senate floor laying out a timeline of documented connections between President Donald Trump, deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and Russia. The speech, which cites many dozens of news articles published over decades and emails released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, has been viewed a total of more than 2.2 million times on the Senator’s YouTube channel, and clips of the speech have racked up millions more views on other platforms and accounts.

Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened with an overview of former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr’s scheme to obscure the message of the Mueller report and downplay the beneficial relationship between President Trump and Russia. Whitehouse detailed ten actions President Trump has taken during his current term that advantage Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, often at the expense of American interests.

“It doesn’t make sense that the President of the United States, who insists – insists – on being dominant in essentially every relationship, is so submissive to one person, and that one person is Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin,” said Whitehouse. “So, what is it about Trump and Russia? And could it have something to do with Trump’s close friendship with deceased pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein?”

From there, Whitehouse traced Epstein’s shady early career track and the formation of his close friendship with now-President Trump in the 1980’s as they chased the same women and unscrupulously sought to grow their wealth. Whitehouse went on to describe Epstein’s many connections with Russia, including through regular contacts with Russian nationals that had Kremlin and intelligence ties, the trafficking of women and girls from Russia and Eastern Europe, and a massive number of suspicious wire transfers that totaled over $1 billion from just one of the banks he used. Whitehouse stressed that we don’t know what all these connections mean.

“What we do know is that a significant number of powerful men – our current President, some of his cabinet secretaries, tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and others – were very mixed up with Epstein at different times. And Epstein seems to have been very mixed up with Russia,” said Whitehouse. “We also know that there is a coverup afoot at the Department of Justice. The MAGA Department of Justice is trying to shield Trump from something in the Epstein files. We know that documents in the files about President Trump that should be released have not been released. The missing files, first discovered by independent journalist Roger Sollenberger, are alleged to detail claims by an Epstein accuser who said she was also sexually assaulted by President Trump when she was a young teenager.”

“As a lawyer, I know that you can prove cases with circumstantial evidence. You don’t always need the smoking gun,” continued Whitehouse, a former Rhode Island Attorney General and U.S. Attorney. “Here, we have links with Russia, girls from Russia, money from Russia, people from Russia, deals and transactions with Russia, contacts with people with Russian intelligence, news reports exploring contacts with Russia, and an official investigation from the government of Poland into an Epstein-Russia connection.”

Whitehouse submitted a lengthy bibliography of his sources for the Senate record at the close of the speech.

The full speech is below and video is available here.

It was the spring of 2019. Public and media interest in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russia’s election interference operation reached a fever pitch. There had been a steady drip, drip, drip of reporting on the Trump team’s cozy and peculiar relationship with Russia since his surprise election victory in 2016.

Ahead of the Mueller report’s release, Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr issued a letter to Congress purporting to summarize the report’s findings. The letter declared that Russia and the Trump campaign did not collude to steal the election.

The press, ravenous for any news of the long-anticipated Mueller report’s conclusion, largely accepted Attorney General Barr’s narrow, carefully worded conclusion, and – not yet having access to the full report – blasted the Attorney General’s summary around the world. Trump himself declared, “NO COLLUSION!” He said he had been cleared of the Russia “hoax” – a term he reserves only to describe things that are true, like climate change.

Frustrated, Mueller wrote to Barr that the Attorney General’s letter “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the investigation. But by the time the dense, voluminous Mueller report was issued the month after Barr’s letter, its message had been obscured. The Mueller report actually concluded that the Trump campaign knew of and welcomed Russian interference, and expected to benefit from it. That conclusion was later echoed and reinforced by an investigation led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio’s Senate Intelligence Committee – a bipartisan report.

But Barr’s scheme largely worked. Many in the media and in the Democratic Party seemed to internalize that the Russia speculation had perhaps gotten out of control, and that perhaps we had been wrong to believe there was a troubling connection between Trump and Russia after all. But were we?

Let’s take a look at a sampling of what Trump has done for Russia just lately, and usually at the expense of American interests. There are many, but here’s a top 10:

After Trump and Vice President Vance theatrically chastised the heroic Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in front of tv cameras in the Oval Office last year, Trump paused our weapons shipments to Ukraine.

In July, during the worst Russian bombing campaign of the war until that point, Trump paused an already-funded weapons shipment for Ukraine, including the Patriot interceptors that protect civilians from Putin’s savage attacks.

Also that month, Trump’s Treasury Department stopped imposing new sanctions and closing sanctions loopholes, effectively allowing dummy corporations to send funds, chips, and military equipment to Russia.

Leaked phone calls show that White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev have worked together closely behind the scenes on a peace deal favorable to Russia.

Last summer, Trump rolled out the presidential red carpet for the Russian dictator on American soil, with a summit in Alaska that yielded, unsurprisingly, no gains toward ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump’s Vice President traveled to the Munich Security Conference last year to parrot anti-Western talking points pushed by right-wing groups that Putin has long funded and used to create political strife in Europe.

Trump installed Russia apologist Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, much to the glee of Russian state media.

Upon the confirmation of Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice shuttered its anti-kleptocracy work that had successfully targeted Putin’s Russian oligarchs.

Late last year, Trump unveiled a new so-called “National Security Strategy,” which abandoned traditional alliances in Europe and favored a transactional foreign policy that the Kremlin praised as “largely consistent” with Moscow’s vision and desires.

The Trump administration is even paving the way for Russia’s return to global sports competition, ending its isolation in those arenas in the wake of the hostile Ukraine invasion and state-backed systemic doping programs.

That’s a top ten, but the list goes on.

If Trump were purposefully doing Russia’s bidding, it is hard to see what he would be doing differently. The United States is the most powerful nation in the world. Russia is a weak, corrupt regime. My old friend Senator John McCain used to say that Russia is a gas station, run by gangsters, with an army. It doesn’t make sense that the President of the United States, who insists – insists – on being dominant in essentially every relationship, is so submissive to one person, and that one person is Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin.

So, what is it about Trump and Russia? And could it have something to do with Trump’s close friendship with deceased pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein? Much about Epstein remains unknown, but the survivors who have come forward and the millions of emails released through the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act have shed some light on the operation of the late financier’s global pedophile ring. And over and over, it touches Russia.

When recently asked by a reporter about the Epstein files, Trump said in part: “It’s just a Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax.” Again, “hoax.” The word he uses for when something is true. But the most telling part is that Trump’s mind, asked about Epstein, immediately went to Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia.

I should start by pointing out that Epstein’s ties to foreign intelligence may never be fully known. It’s a murky world. He had links to officials in the United States, Russian and Israeli governments, and many others. But it’s worth looking at those ties to Russia, a nation so hostile to the United States.

Epstein’s career began in the mid 1970’s at the prestigious Dalton School in New York City where, despite dropping out of college, twenty-one-year-old Jeffrey Epstein was given a position teaching high school mathematics to the children of some of New York’s wealthiest families. Perhaps of note, the outgoing headmaster at the time of Epstein’s hire was Donald Barr – father of future Attorney General Bill Barr and a former intelligence officer during World War II. The elder Barr was known for making unconventional hires at Dalton.

After a couple of years, Epstein was able to leverage the elite connections he made at Dalton to a job at Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns, where he rose quickly through the company. After getting caught fabricating his resume, using the company credit card on expensive gifts for his girlfriend, and ultimately, providing privileged stock information to a girlfriend, among other unscrupulous behaviors, he called it quits and started his own financial firm. Those early scams were just the start.

Shortly thereafter, Epstein fell in with a wealthy man named Douglas Leese, a British defense contractor with connections in the arms industry and the British government. During this period, Epstein would tell people he was a “bounty hunter” who tracked down hidden money. According to Steven Hoffenberg, a former business mentor of Epstein’s who went to prison for a massive Ponzi scheme that he later said Epstein designed, Leese introduced Epstein to Robert Maxwell. Ghislaine Maxwell, who became Epstein’s girlfriend and sex trafficking accomplice after her father’s death, was Robert’s favorite daughter and he involved her deeply in his work.

An opportunist in pursuit of wealth, the Czechoslovak-born Robert Maxwell had complex, shifting ties to British, Soviet, and Israeli intelligence. Initially bankrolled by MI-6, he accepted secret payments from the KGB through his Soviet-friendly publishing company and was the rare individual who traversed both sides of the Iron Curtain. In 1992, the British newspaper The Sunday Express wrote that a secret document signed by the head of the KGB months before Maxwell’s death at sea showed that he was a political and intelligence asset for the Soviet Union. The newspaper claimed that the document indicated Soviet leadership had instructed the KGB to protect Maxwell’s reputation and business activities. Maxwell’s UK Foreign Office file, released more than a decade after his death, described him as a “a thoroughly bad character and almost certainly financed by Russia.”

Journalist Vicky Ward wrote the following in Rolling Stone in 2021:

“Hoffenberg told me that Epstein had said he’d worked on several projects with Robert Maxwell, including solving Maxwell’s ‘debt’ issues. (Maxwell died in 1991, under very strange circumstances, apparently having fallen off his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, in the middle of the night and it was discovered in the aftermath that he’d stolen 100s of millions of dollars from the pensions of his employees.)

“Epstein had also told Hoffenberg that via Maxwell and Leese he was involved in something that Hoffenberg described as ‘national security issues,’ which he says involved ‘blackmail, influence trading, trading information at a level that is very serious and dangerous.’

“Four separate sources told me — on the record — that Epstein’s dealings in the arms world in the 1980s had led him to work for multiple governments, including the Israelis.” End quote.

Epstein’s strategies for making money and working intelligence contacts seem to have some similarities to Robert Maxwell’s. For the record, Epstein – a profligate liar – once told Ward that he never met Robert Maxwell or Leese.

Also at some point in the 1980’s, Epstein struck up a friendship with a fellow brash New York businessman by the name of Donald Trump. Author Michael Wolff has said of Trump and Epstein, “They shared everything. They shared their airplanes. They shared women between them. They shared constantly business and financial advice.” There are many photos of the two men together on the New York and Palm Beach party circuits throughout the 1990’s. Trump now-famously said in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Alan Dershowitz told The New York Times in 2019 that, “In those days, if you didn’t know Trump and you didn’t know Epstein, you were a nobody.” Dershowitz is the well-known lawyer who served both on Epstein’s defense team when he was charged with having sex with minors back in 2006 and on Trump’s impeachment defense team in 2020.

The President of Trump’s Atlantic City Trump Plaza Hotel in the late 1980’s said he saw Trump and Epstein together so frequently that he believed Epstein was Trump’s “best friend.” The same man described an incident where Trump brought Epstein and a 19-year-old girl to the casino gaming floor.

Epstein once took a model to Trump Tower, where she says Trump groped her while laughing with Epstein. She remarked that it seemed like a “a twisted game” between the two men.

One survivor says Epstein summoned her to his offices late one night. Trump soon arrived, and according to the New York Times, “[she] recalled feeling scared as Mr. Trump stared at her bare legs. Then Mr. Epstein entered the room, and she recalled him saying to Mr. Trump: ‘No, no. She’s not here for you.’” After the men left the room, she said she overheard Trump commenting that he thought she was 16 years old.

In 1992, Trump hosted a “calendar girls competition” at Mar-a-Lago for dozens of young women. The event organizer was appalled to learn that Trump and Epstein would be the only men present. A private showing.

During Maxwell’s trial, one of Epstein’s victims said he took her to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago when she was fourteen.

Maxwell recruited 16-year-old Virginia Giuffre from the spa at Mar-a-Lago. Giuffre was abused by Epstein and trafficked to other men in his orbit. Trump said in 2025, “I think [Giuffre] worked at the spa. He [Epstein] stole her.”

In 1997, the UK tabloid The Daily Mirror – formerly owned by Robert Maxwell – claimed that Trump was dating a 20-year-old British model, and that Ghislaine Maxwell had introduced them at a party. The tabloid notes, “(Trump) met [the model] at a party in Manhattan. Several American millionaires already had their eyes on [the model]. But she was there with Robert Maxwell’s daughter Ghislaine, who has introduced several of her attractive friends to the property developer.” According to the Mirror, “after their meeting, Trump flew Madam Maxwell and the model south to the sunshine state, where they enjoyed a happy weekend together. When they returned to New York, [the model] was installed in one of Donald’s many apartments there.”

In an interview with BBC Newsnight, the model stated, “Ghislaine Maxwell did introduce me to him [Trump] and she introduced me to him with a clear message of my being with him in the same way that she had trafficked me and brought me to Jeffrey Epstein.” She also said, “I can only speak for myself, and this is in no way to negate any other experiences that anyone else might have had with him, but, at no time did President Trump behave with any impropriety with me.”

The same woman accused Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager in a 2019 interview with NBC. From NBC: “The abuse, […] spanned several years and locales. In addition to the estate on his private island, [she] said Epstein preyed on her at his homes in New York and Paris.”

According to Craig Unger’s book American Kompromat:

“Trump was often the center of Maxwell’s attention, and women who entered Trump’s orbit sometimes ended up being associated with both Trump and Epstein, spending part of their time living in a Trump Tower condo and part in Florida, at Mar-a-Lago or one of Epstein’s homes.

“Among them was Russian model and beauty-pageant contestant […], whose journey from the world of beauty pageants and modeling to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago and Epstein’s island retreat is highly suggestive in terms of how Epstein and his associates began manipulating young women.

“In the early ’90s, before coming to the United States, [the woman] had placed well in a number of beauty pageants—coming in second in Miss Russia 1993 and winning the 1994 Miss Baltic Sea title later that year. In 1995 she left Moscow, spent six weeks learning English in St. Petersburg (Florida, not Russia), and was profiled in The Tampa Tribune as ‘reigning Miss Russia.’ And before long, she met Donald Trump. “Notwithstanding the fact that Trump was still married to his second wife, Marla Maples, [the woman] moved into a 30th-floor condo in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.

“There, according to an item in the New York Post, her lavish accommodations were taken care of ‘courtesy of an unidentified sugar daddy.’

“[…] she spent time with both Trump and Epstein. Flight logs released by a federal judge in New York in 2019 showed that in February 1999, [the woman], then 27, flew on board Epstein’s Gulfstream, the so-called Lolita Express, with Maxwell and Prince Andrew, from Epstein’s Little St. James (a.k.a. ‘Pedophile Island’) back to Florida.”

In recent years, Trump has tried to distance himself from his former friend, the monstrous pedophile who is believed to have abused at least one thousand women and girls. It is worth taking a look at the how the friendship between Trump and Epstein allegedly soured. There are varying accounts as to whether Trump ever banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago over his recruitment of spa workers from the resort.

But we know the falling out was at least in part related to a bidding war between Trump and Epstein over a Palm Beach mansion in 2004. Trump won and purchased the property for $41.3 million. Just four years later and after modest renovations, Trump sold the mansion to billionaire Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million. At the time, it was reported to be the most expensive residential property sale in United States history. Pretty stellar investment for Mr. Trump. The oligarch, for his part, after paying the $95 million, never even moved in.

That brings us back to Russia.

Epstein claimed to have given at least some insight on Trump to the Russians. Epstein met on many occasions with Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s representative to the United Nations from 2006 until Churkin’s death in 2017. Epstein wrote in an email, “Churkin was great. He understood trump after our conversations. it is not complex. he must be seen to get something its that simple.”

Epstein wrote in 2018 to Thorbjorn Jagland, a former prime minister of Norway who was then head of the Council of Europe: “I think you might suggest to putin, that lavrov, can get insight on talking to me.” That appears to be a reference to Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. The email was sent prior to the Helsinki summit between Trump and Putin.

In another email to Jagland, Epstein wrote that he wanted to help Putin and Russia “reinvent the financial system.” A 2017 FBI report based on a confidential human source claims that Epstein was “President Vladimir Putin’s wealth manager.” Epstein tried several times to meet with Putin, often via Jagland, although it is unclear if any such meeting took place. But Putin is named almost 1,000 times in the latest tranche of documents, and there are almost 10,000 references to Moscow.

Epstein roped many Russian and Eastern European girls and women into his trafficking operation. The New York Magazine profile of Epstein published all the way back in 2002 reads: “Indeed, at a party at Maxwell’s house, her friends say, one is just as apt to see Russian ladies of the night as one is to see Prince Andrew.” In Ward’s 2003 profile of Epstein, a guest described a “cocktail party thrown by Maxwell that Prince Andrew attended, which was filled, she says, with young Russian models.”

In a 2010 email, Epstein suggested a young woman as a dinner companion to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, assuring him that she was “Russian, beautiful and trustworthy.” The Daily Beast recently reported on an alleged classified U.S. intelligence document claiming that, “Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (AMW) was drawn into Moscow’s orbit thanks to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which the Kremlin allegedly used as a route into the British establishment.”

In another 2010 email to a person whose name has been redacted, Epstein wrote: “Tomorrow I’m organising a dinner for some new Russian girls … see you at 10.” He received an email from a redacted sender in 2012 that read: “I have 2 Russian girls for you to meet, one 21, another 24.”

A message left for Epstein by one of his employees in 2005 claims that French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel had found a “teacher” who could give Epstein “free lessons.” “He has a teacher for you to teach how to speak Russian. She is two times eight years old. Not blond.” Two times eight years old.

According to American Kompromat: “In addition to whatever legitimate careers Brunel may have fostered, as a ‘model scout’ he also allegedly hired ‘scouters’ to identify, procure, and transport underage girls, many 15 years of age and under, hire them to give ‘massages’” and traffic them. Brunel was found hanged in his French jail cell in 2022 after being arrested on rape and sex trafficking charges.

Bill Gates has said he had affairs with two Russian women, which Epstein later discovered.

Somewhere along the way, Epstein struck up a relationship with Sergei Belyakov, Russia’s former deputy minister of economic development and a graduate of the FSB – Russian intelligence – academy. Epstein introduced him to contacts like Peter Thiel, the tech billionaire who would go on to give $10 million to the super PAC that helped elect now-Vice President JD Vance to the Senate in 2022.

In 2015, Epstein warned Belyakov that “a Russian girl from Moscow … is attempting to blackmail a group of powerful biznessmen [sic] in New York.” It was, Epstein said, “bad for business for everyone involved.” Belyakov responded back with information about the woman who he said worked in the “sex and escort” business. The FSB academy graduate said he would meet with someone who knows her.

The following year, Belyakov told Epstein that he had a new position at the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the Russian sovereign wealth fund, headed by current Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev – the same guy who was caught in those friendly leaked phone calls with Steve Witkoff that I mentioned.

Masha Drokova, a former spokesperson for Nashi, the pro-Kremlin youth movement, was in regular touch with Epstein in the last couple of years before his death in prison, ostensibly helping Epstein with his public relations. According to the Washington Post, she was “the subject of the 2011 documentary ‘Putin’s Kiss,’ whose title refers to a widely publicized awards ceremony in which she received a medal from Putin and spontaneously kissed him on the cheek.” In a 2017 email, Drokova asked Epstein to connect her with “adequate Russian oligarchs.” The Post reported in 2022 that her fundraising pitches highlighted her ties to wealthy Russians, although Drokova denied writing those emails and said she did not receive Russian funding. Epstein advised Drokova as she launched her Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and she introduced Epstein to the contacts she had made in the tech world.

In one emailed interaction in 2017, Drokova, after claiming to meet billionaire Jeff Bezos, tells Epstein she is “trying to understand what she is not understanding about him.” Epstein writes back that Bezos is “smart, fun, and visionary. He is a very nice person. Probalty [sic] the best in the valley among the Bs.”

The files also indicate that Epstein had dealings with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who the Treasury Department has identified as a money launderer for Putin. Deripaska also cultivated a friendship with Peter Mandelson, a senior figure in Britain’s Labour Party. It appears that Mandelson tried to use Deripaska’s contacts to acquire a last-minute Russian visa for Epstein in 2010. Correspondence also shows Epstein’s assistant trying to set up a meeting for Epstein and Deripaska in Moscow or Paris.

There’s also audio of Epstein advising then-Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak to have dinner with Putin to line up work after he leaves government.

There is at least one itinerary for a lengthy trip across Russia, and photos of Epstein and Ghislaine in what is believed to be Russia, including with people who appear to be Russian soldiers. Umar Dzhabrailov, a former Russian senator who committed suicide in recent days, described Maxwell as “a soulmate.” Epstein had a series of Russian visas between 2011 and his death in 2019.

Epstein’s crimes left a long money trail, and that trail winds back to Russia. Ranking Member of the Finance Committee Ron Wyden has doggedly sought the truth about Epstein’s transactions with Russian banks and eastern European entities. One Suspicious Activity Report filed by JP Morgan Chase after Epstein’s death shows that between 2003 and 2019, Epstein conducted 4,725 wire transactions totaling over $1 billion. And that’s just one bank. Epstein used multiple banks.

According to JP Morgan Chase, the wire activity was flagged for being “consistent with […] alleged sex trafficking of minors” and for involving “the high risk jurisdiction of the Russian Federation.” CNN notes that two accounts included in the Suspicious Activity Report were linked to now-sanctioned Russian banks Alfa Bank and Sberbank. Also named in the Suspicious Activity Reports: Maxwell, associated entities like Brunel’s MC2 Model Management, and various women and girls.

Let’s go back to the journalist Vicky Ward:

“[…] sources, who range from former arms dealers to former spies — and also Hoffenberg — suggest that Epstein, who lacked any sort of moral compass, decided to […] compromise influential people by recording them doing things they wouldn’t want made public.

“[…] And once he got out of jail, in the last 10 years of his life, Epstein bragged to various people, including journalists, that he was advising a whole assortment of foreign leaders who included Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Zayed, Mohammed Bin Salman, various African dictators, Israel, the British — and, of course, the Americans.

“He also told several of the same people that he was making a fortune out of arms, drugs, and diamonds.

“He was known in the intelligence world as a ‘hyper-fixer,’ somebody who can go between different cultures and networks.”

Epstein was known for his parties, which he insisted on hosting in his various mansions where he could completely control the environment. Many of Epstein’s victims have said they believe they were recorded. Virginia Giuffre wrote in her posthumous memoir that Epstein had a “huge library of videotapes” and a room in his New York home where monitors displayed real-time surveillance footage from his properties. “He explicitly talked about using me and what I’d been forced to do with certain men as a form of blackmail, so these men would owe him favors,” she wrote.

Another survivor said Epstein once walked her through his mansion, pointing out pin-sized cameras. He boasted that they were in every room.

According to Epstein’s emails, in 2014 he directed a staffer to procure hidden cameras, which were installed in tissue boxes. The New York Times obtained photos of the interior of Epstein’s New York mansion, which show a camera installed near the ceiling of the master bedroom and another along the molding of an adjoining room. The Times also spotted cameras near a suite of bathrooms on the same floor as Epstein’s bedroom. When police searched his Palm Beach home in 2005, they “located two covert (hidden) cameras.” Both cameras were located inside clocks, one by a desk and the other in the garage. It’s worth noting that Epstein often seemed to get tipped off in advance as to when the Palm Beach Police would be dropping by.

Epstein is said to have once told an ex-girlfriend, “I collect people, I own people, I can damage people.”

The disgraced financier Hoffenberg allegedly claimed to the National Enquirer in a final account before his death that, “Wherever Epstein was entertaining he [and Ghislaine] were taping.” That report was only released last summer, as Hoffenberg had asked the Enquirer not to publish his comments until three years after his death.

According to The Daily Beast, the former US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alex Acosta, is once said to have claimed Epstein “belonged to intelligence” and that the decision to let him off easy in 2008 was made above his “pay grade.”

The Prime Minister of Poland, a country that has extensive experience with Russian intelligence operations, has opened an investigation into potential links between Epstein and Russian intelligence. Prime Minister Tusk said, “More and more leads, more and more information, and more and more commentary in the global press all relate to the suspicion that this unprecedented paedophilia scandal was co-organised by Russian intelligence services.”

According to alleged anonymous intelligence sources published in the British tabloid The Daily Mail last month, some believe “Jeffrey Epstein was running ‘the world’s largest honeytrap operation’ on behalf of the KGB when he procured women for his network of associates.”

I want to stress that we don’t have the answers. Epstein was an inveterate liar and criminal who often sought to exaggerate his power and influence, and the files need to be viewed through that lens. He could have been working with an intelligence agency, or several intelligence agencies. He could have just been what the Russians call a “useful idiot.” We may never know.

What we do know is that a significant number of powerful men – our current President, some of his cabinet secretaries, tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and others – were very mixed up with Epstein at different times. And Epstein seems to have been very mixed up with Russia.

We also know that there is a coverup afoot at the Department of Justice. The MAGA Department of Justice is trying to shield Trump from something in the Epstein files. We know that documents in the files about President Trump that should be released have not been released. The missing files, first discovered by independent journalist Roger Sollenberger, are alleged to detail claims by an Epstein accuser who said she was also sexually assaulted by President Trump when she was a young teenager.

One of the great forces that Washington runs on is normalcy bias. It’s often in the interest of the bureaucratic establishment to look skeptically towards outlandish or extreme stories, because in most cases, the truth is more ordinary than what may first appear. What I’ve done here today is lay out the facts as documented by the many brave survivors, who have come forward, at great personal risk, as well as by the many journalists who have tried, and continue to try, to get to the truth.

As a lawyer, I know that you can prove cases with circumstantial evidence. You don’t always need the smoking gun.

Here, we have links with Russia, girls from Russia, money from Russia, people from Russia, deals and transactions with Russia, contacts with people with Russian intelligence, news reports exploring contacts with Russia, and an official investigation from the government of Poland into an Epstein-Russia connection.

Sometimes, with a little imagination, you have the chance to see what’s right in front of your face.