Free Republic

A Romanian national pleaded guilty on Monday to charges related to his role in a “swatting” ring that targeted dozens of public officials, including a former US president. Going by the aliases “Plank,” “Jonah” and “Cypher,” 26-year-old Thomasz Szabo took part in a years-long conspiracy to place bogus 911 calls, claiming emergencies were taking place at the homes of top government officials, and make bomb threats against government buildings and houses of worship, according to Justice Department. Szabo and a co-conspirator, 21-year-old Serbian national Nemanja Radovanovic, allegedly targeted about 100 people, including members of Congress, governors, cabinet-level executive branch officials...

President Donald Trump gifted Elon Musk a key to the White House for leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during his send-off press conference in the Oval Office on Friday. Friday marks the end of Musk’s special government employee tenure, which is capped at 130 days. Trump lauded Musk for the work that DOGE has done in exposing waste, fraud, and abuse. “Today, it’s about a man named Elon, and he’s one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation,...

Federal authorities are reportedly investigating an effort to impersonate White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Several individuals familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the impersonator reached out to several prominent Republicans as Wiles. In recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff, the people familiar with the messages said. But the messages weren’t from Wiles—and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House are trying to figure out who is behind the...

Thank you for your patience. Apparently, public backlash from the Kash Patel and Dan Bongino interview with Maria Bartiromo has penetrated the membrane around them. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announces the FBI “reform teams” will likely be in place next week. From there, they will begin reviewing subjects of interest to the American people, including: (1) the J6 pipe bomber, (2) the White House cocaine user, and (3) the Dobbs leaker. ... The Director and I will have most of our incoming reform teams in place by next week. The hiring process can take a little bit of time,...

The White House doctor who previously gave now former President Joe Biden a clean bill of health is a longtime family friend — as speculation of a cover-up over his new cancer diagnosis continues to ramp up. Dr. Kevin O’Connor served as the 82-year-old’s official physician during his White House stint — and repeatedly insisted for years that Biden was in top mental shape despite his obvious cognitive decline. Now, in the wake of Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, O’Connor’s longstanding relationship with the Biden clan has come under renewed scrutiny. The physician also has business ties to Biden’s young brother,...

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, amid fielding questions about former President Joe Biden’s cancer announcement and the economy on Monday morning, had another question to answer: “What does President Trump mean when he says that Taylor Swift is no longer ‘hot?'” The question, from Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, drew a few audible chuckles from those inside the press briefing room, including from Leavitt. But Leavitt said the president’s comment only applies to her political views, not whether she is attractive or not. “Look, he is speaking about Taylor Swift’s political views and how perhaps it has impacted the...

MSNBC contributor Claire McCaskill said Monday on “Deadline” that American voters were “not smart enough” to keep President Donald Trump away from the presidency. McCaskill said, “There’s a huge swath of Americans that don’t know about that because their algorithms are purposely not feeding them politics because they don’t want to hear about it. But you know what they’re all going to know about? They’re all going to know about higher prices. They’re all going to know that they’re spending more at Walmart than they spent this time last year. They’re all going to know that their 401Ks are down....

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not really about the books.President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress and equally sudden attempt to appoint a slate of loyalists as replacements has instead morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers, as the White House tries to wrest control of what has for centuries been a legislative institution.It’s a power struggle with potentially vast consequences. The Library of Congress not only stores the world’s largest collection of books but also an office overseeing reams of copyrighted material of untold value. There is a research institute that...

FLOTUS Melania Trump and President Trump host a Celebration for Military Mothers - May 8, 2025

White House NEC Director Kevin Hassett gives an update on the current status of trade negotiations around the world. After finishing a CNBC interview (also linked below) Director Hassett noted that Asia was likely to be the next place for an announcement following the completion of the United Kingdom deal. Hassett outlines that approximately “two dozen” bilateral free trade agreements are completed within the reciprocity framework, and the sequencing of announcements is up to President Trump. Japan, South Korea and ASEAN nations would be candidates for the next deal as announced. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and USTR Jamieson Greer are...

Former president George W. Bush is not expected to attend a Thursday event at the White House honoring his late mother, two White House officials familiar with the plans told The Washington Post. First lady Melania Trump is hosting the event in the East Room, where she will unveil a postage stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, the wife of President George H.W. Bush. Other Bush family members and friends are expected to attend, Trump’s office said. Attendees include Doro Bush Koch, George W. Bush’s younger sister who is listed as one of several featured speakers at the unveiling,...

Stephen Miller’s America First Legal (AFL) has filed a bombshell lawsuit against Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., in his capacity as Presiding Officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States, and Robert J. Conrad, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The lawsuit accuses the powerful duo of running what AFL describes as an “unconstitutional shadow agency” and violating federal transparency laws. The lawsuit, filed on April 22, slams the Judicial Conference of the United States and its administrative arm—both overseen by Chief Justice Roberts—as rogue “executive agencies” that have collaborated with far-left lawmakers to wage...

Trump has started the White Bouse Wire - loosely patterned after Drudge where you can get news directly from the WH

Failed Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris looks around America today and sees a whirlwind of change driven by Donald Trump’s triumphant return to the White House. She told supporters Wednesday night she doesn’t like it. No, not one bit. In a 15-minute speech to an elite audience of Democrats in a gold-trimmed ballroom at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, the former vice-president was making her first major speech since losing November’s election. The crowd included Democratic donors, candidates and elected officials. Among them were Eleni Kounalakis, the lieutenant governor of California and former California Congresswoman Katie Porter, both of...

WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told The Post in a rare interview Tuesday that President Trump’s first 100 days had been a smashing success — but there is more to do. “Well, like in school, you get grades for different things, so for productivity, I’d give us an A+,” said Wiles, 67, citing Trump’s 142 executive orders signed since his swearing-in Jan. 20, his successful crackdown on illegal immigration, and his work on securing foreign investment in the US and trade deals with America’s biggest economic partners. By contrast, Wiles gave the Trump White House an...

President Trump unveiled his latest plans to shake up the White House grounds on Wednesday — announcing he will pay for two large flagpoles. The president came out of the residence in the morning to survey the grounds on the north side and was spotted with groundskeepers, who were spreading their arms, showing just how large the flags were going to be. “We’re putting up a beautiful, almost 100-foot-tall American flag on this side and another one on the other side, two flags, top of the line,” he later told reporters outside the White House. There are currently no freestanding...

President Donald Trump has hung another self portrait in the White House, this time right next to Hillary Clinton's picture from her time as first lady. The Trump painting was revealed by tweets from people who attended the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday and posted pics of the new portrait, which is a close up of Trump's face. Imposed over his steely glare are the stars and stripes of the American flag. It's hung in a prominent location in the White House, just outside the East Wing where first lady Melania Trump has her offices. Visitors taking the...

Sen. Van Hollen took a highly publicized trip last week to El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia's return.. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Monday after he admitted that his trip to El Salvador to meet a deported illegal immigrant was paid for by taxpayers. Van Hollen took heat from Republicans and one of his constituents, Angel Mom Patty Morin, after he flew to El Salvador in an effort to bring home deported illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the White House maintains is an MS-13 gang member. On "Fox...

Podcaster Tim Pool took full advantage of his New Media seat in the White House Briefing Room to humiliate the corporate media to their faces … and it was glorious… “Many of the news organizations represented in this room have marched in lock step on false narratives, such as the ‘very fine people’ hoax, the Covington smear,” Pool said, prefacing his first official question to Awesome White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “And now, the ‘Maryland man’ hoax, where an MS-13 gang member, adjudicated by two different judges, I believe, is simply being referred to as a ‘Maryland man’ over...

She can finally have some pride in her job! Former President Joe Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has landed a new gig out of the White House as a grand marshal of NYC Pride Parade. Jean-Pierre, who became the first openly gay spokesperson to hold press briefings for a US president, will be among those to head the Big Apple’s famed annual parade in June, CBS reported. “It goes back to that trail-blazing career that she’s had in politics and representing the community at the highest microphone that exists,” NYC Pride spokesperson Chris Piedmont said of Jean-Pierre. Jean-Pierre, 50 —...