President Donald Trump's nominees consistently engage with Democrats who challenge them in increasingly viral hearing moments that analysts say are not intended as gifts to the media, but red meat for their base.

The media understands Democrats have little power on a Republican-dominated Capitol Hill, according to Bill D’Agostino, senior analyst for the Media Research Center.

"If you were to watch any given night on CNN or MSNBC evening shows, you'll find a couple of panel discussion segments that are basically just Democratic strategists and the host talking shop," he told Fox News Digital in a Thursday interview.

"The discussion has focused almost entirely on how can Democrats show their voters that they're trying to fight this, that they're trying to make a difference, that they're resisting the Trump administration."

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP'S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

Partisan politics has come to a point, D’Agostino suggested, where constituents send Democrats to Washington to stop Trump at every turn, regardless of ideological alignment or differences.

"Obviously, as the minority party, there's not much action they can actually offer. So instead, their political futures basically rest on how hard they're trying to stop Trump."

One of the most contentious exchanges occurred during FBI Director Kash Patel’s January confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., dug into granular language used by Patel after the Capitol riot in regard to a song released by inmates that featured Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Patel told Schiff he stood by prior testimony that he had had nothing to do with the recording of the song, while the Burbank Democrat grilled him over a comment to former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon about "what we thought would be cool… captur[ing] audio" for the song.

Schiff asked why he said that, and Patel incredulously shot back "that’s why it says, ‘we’ [as opposed to I] as you highlighted." Patel denied participating in the digitizing of the song.

The exchange was compared to former President Bill Clinton’s grammatical comments about the word "is" during the Monica Lewinsky affair.

During Attorney General Pam Bondi’s confirmation, Schiff was at the fore again, demanding she disclose whether she might prosecute former special counsel Jack Smith over his Trump probe. Bondi repeatedly said she wouldn’t answer hypothetical, and dinged Schiff in response for focusing on Smith while his own California is rife with violent crime.

Bondi also snapped back at Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., after a grilling on the Fourteenth Amendment and citizenship, saying, "I'm not here to do your homework and study for you."

During Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., delved into Hegseth’s multiple marriages and allegations of untoward behavior.

Kaine said Hegseth had "casually cheated" on a former wife shortly after his daughter Gwendolyn was born. Hegseth countered that the situation had been investigated and that Kaine’s claims were "false charges."

"You've admitted that you had sex at that hotel in October 2017. You said it was consensual, isn't that correct?" Kaine went on, probing further.

BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY

Hegseth also made headlines when he interrupted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., mid-sentence as she criticized the revolving door among military generals, Pentagon chiefs, and defense contractors.

"I’m not a general, senator," he said, prompting laughter in the gallery.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also had several similar moments, including when Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., opened his remarks by speaking about the measles and telling the nominee bluntly, "You frighten people."

Kennedy also rejected a line of questioning from Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., claiming that he had compared the Atlanta-based CDC’s work to Nazi death camps.

Outbursts and grilling continued in recent oversight hearings, including this past week when Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., got into a tiff with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about Salvadoran deportee Kilmar Garcia. At one point, Swalwell informed Noem he has a "bull---t detector."

Mark Bednar, a former top aide to ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was one of many "sherpas" tasked with guiding nominees through the confirmation process, including meetings with senators.

Bednar assisted EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin through his process, which, by comparison to others, was mild.

Zeldin’s hearing actually included some bipartisan joking – like when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., riffed that Zeldin’s cell phone rang unexpectedly because "the fossil fuel industry" was calling him after a line of questioning on the matter.

SWALWELL WARNS NOEM HE HAS A ‘BULLS---’ DETECTOR DURING HEATED EXCHANGE ABOUT ABREGO GARCIA

Bednar recounted a loud protester in the hall who remained for some time, offering conjecture that the disruptive woman hadn’t yet crossed any legal lines like protesters actually inside hearing rooms like during Kennedy's confirmation.

But Bednar said that many of the other nominees faced Democrats who would rather make a show than "be diplomatic and deliberative over policy."

"I think that is a big indicator to me that the left has no substantive answers for rebuttals to President Trump's agenda or Republicans' agenda. And that, to me, is a sign that if you're a Republican, that that's encouraging -- the public's on your side, and the far left has been unable to formulate a rational, level-headed response, much less not even be able to articulate one."

Fox News Digital reached out to other sherpas but did not hear back.

Meanwhile, Bednar said that it has been interesting to watch the hearing disruptions evolve into larger scenes with similarly little substance or long-term gain.

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"I thought I was very rich and pun intended, that Cory Booker delivered a record-breaking speech that the Democrats were basically just grasping for anything to kind of count as a win, even though it didn't really amount to anything," he said, after the New Jersey Democrat held an unofficial filibuster – as there was no legislation being held up – for more than a day.

That speech, however, precipitated several fundraising emails from the left, Bednar said, which bolstered D’Agostino’s claim about playing to the base.

"If it's a session day in D.C., and Republicans are in charge, there's going to be liberal agitators protesting; as the sky is blue," Bednar quipped.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schiff for comment but did not receive a response by press time. 

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a sharp and public condemnation of the bureau's former director, James Comey, Saturday, accusing Comey of disgracing the agency as authorities investigate Comey’s controversial "86 47" Instagram post.

In a statement posted to X, Bongino said Comey’s actions are another example of failed leadership that continues to haunt the agency.

"Former FBI Director James Comey brought shame to the FBI badge, yet again, this past week," Bongino wrote. "The Director and I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up messes left behind by former Director Comey. And his latest actions are no exception."

TRUMP SAYS COMEY KNEW 'ASSASSINATION' MEANING BEHIND DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST

Comey, dismissed by President Donald Trump in 2017, sparked outrage after posting a photo to social media Thursday showing seashells arranged to say "86 47," a phrase widely understood to mean to "get rid of" the 47th president. Though Comey later deleted the post and claimed it was misunderstood, many, including Trump, say the meaning was clear.

"He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant," Trump said Friday on Fox News. "If you’re the FBI director, and you don’t know what that meant, that meant ‘assassination,’ and it says it loud and clear."

Comey offered a follow-up statement online, saying he "didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence" and that it "never occurred to me."

Bongino strongly rejected that explanation, describing it as part of a larger pattern of misconduct. In his post, Bongino wrote:

FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY MEETS WITH SECRET SERVICE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL '86 47' POST

"As the Deputy Director of the FBI, I am charged, standing with Director Patel, with managing the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world. The Director and I are also responsible for looking at grave mistakes made by people within the FBI in the past, and ensuring they never happen again."

He stressed the FBI's continuing commitment to supporting federal law enforcement partners investigating any threats involving public officials, past or present.

"While the FBI does not have primary investigative responsibility for investigating threats against the POTUS, and we do not make prosecutorial decisions, we do have the ability and authority to support other federal agencies for violations of federal law," Bongino said. 

"And we certainly have a responsibility to comment on matters involving former FBI officials, and allegations of law-breaking."

The U.S. Secret Service has already interviewed Comey about the incident. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a separate statement that the bureau is "in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran."

Bongino noted that this latest controversy is part of a general legacy of dysfunction inherited from Comey’s leadership, which he and Patel are working to fix from the inside out.

"As I’ve stated in the past, I cannot post openly about all the things the Director and I are doing to reform the enterprise, but I assure you, they are happening," Bongino wrote. "Sadly, many of those agenda items are the result of former Director Comey’s poor decision-making and atrocious leadership.

"And to those who doubt me, I assure you, when you see what the Director and I see from the inside, it’s even worse."

Bongino said he chose to post his statement now because his scheduled interview with FOX Business anchor Maria Bartiromo, which will air Sunday on "Sunday Morning Futures," was recorded earlier in the week, before the Comey post was made public.

"I’m addressing this now, rather than on our interview with Maria Bartiromo [Sunday], because we recorded that interview earlier in the week prior to the incident with Comey," he explained.

He closed with a message to the country that echoed his support for the law enforcement community and the reforms underway at the FBI.

"God bless America, and all those who defend Her," he said.

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Bongino, a former NYPD officer and longtime Secret Service agent, was appointed deputy director of the FBI earlier this year. 

His leadership under Director Kash Patel reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to restore accountability and integrity to the FBI after years of what many see as politically motivated misconduct.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for further comment.

Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to meet face to face with U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington, D.C., for an interview about his "86 47" post, two sources briefed on the meeting told Fox News.

Comey is under investigation for an Instagram post showing seashells arranged on a beach to read "86 47."

"Cool shell formation on my beach walk," he wrote in the since-deleted Thursday post. Some have interpreted the post to mean "86" – get rid of –  "47" – Donald Trump, the 47th president.  

Comey offered an explanation for the post after he received backlash on social media. 

TRUMP ADDRESSES COMEY'S '8647' MESSAGE: ‘HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANT’

"I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message," the subsequent post from Comey said. "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." 

EX-FBI CHIEF COMEY'S ‘86 47’ SOCIAL MEDIA POST CONDEMNED BY WHITE HOUSE TO PUT ‘HIT’ ON PRESIDENT

Trump didn't accept Comey's explanation, telling Bret Baier, "He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant ‘assassination,’ and it says it loud and clear." 

Comey was seen late Friday afternoon going into a garage entrance of a building that houses government law enforcement agencies where he was interviewed and explain his side of the story. 

His meeting lasted for 70 minutes and his wife will be interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service next, a source told Fox News. 

The FBI, which Comey used to lead before he was fired by Trump during his first term, had no comment on the matter, but it was also apparent that people at the top levels of the agency were aware of the post. 

Trump's new FBI director, Kash Patel, acknowledged that agency personnel were "aware" of Comey's post in his own statement shared on X.

"We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran," Patel said. "Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support."

The U.S. Secret Service is leading the investigation at this point, but the FBI and Department of Justice could take a larger role if necessary, Fox News is told.

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Trump has faced two assassination attempts in the past year, one of which resulted in him being shot and a bystander being killed.

Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel issued a fiery warning after the bureau disrupted a mass shooting plot at a military base on behalf of ISIS. 

Patel told Fox News Digital that any individual targeting the U.S. military or conspiring with foreign terrorist organizations will be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." 

The director’s warning comes after a former Michigan Army National Guard member, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) center at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. 

FORMER MICHIGAN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER CHARGED WITH PLOTTING MASS SHOOTING AT ARMY BASE ON BEHALF OF ISIS

"Let this be a warning: Anyone who targets our military or conspires with foreign terrorist organizations will be found, stopped and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Patel told Fox News Digital Thursday. "I commend the men and women of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners for their continued dedication to protecting the American people."

Said "launched his drone in support of the attack plan" and told an undercover FBI agent in the lead-up to the foiled plot he recommended that "everyone have about seven magazines because you don’t want to be in there and run out of ammo," according to officials. 

Said is now facing charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years per count if convicted. 

ABBEY GATE TERROR SUSPECT'S MUGSHOT REVEALED AS HE MAKES FIRST FEDERAL COURT APPEARANCE 

The Justice Department said that, in April, "two undercover officers indicated they intended to carry out Said’s plan at the direction of ISIS.

"In response, Said provided material assistance to the attack plan, including providing armor-piercing ammunition and magazines for the attack, flying his drone over TACOM to conduct operational reconnaissance, training the undercover employees on firearms and the construction of Molotov cocktails for use during the attack and planning numerous details of the attack, including how to enter TACOM and which building to target." 

A criminal complaint stated that, around June 2024, Said started communicating with an undercover FBI agent who he thought was a fellow ISIS supporter. 

The complaint noted that Said enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard in September 2022 and attended basic training at Fort Moore in Georgia. He later reported to the Michigan Army National Guard Taylor Armory before being discharged around December 2024. 

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation into the case. 

"Our agents, intelligence teams, and partners acted quickly — and they saved lives," Patel wrote on X Tuesday. "Well done to all on executing the mission."

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared a detailed update Saturday about the bureau's operations, making clear the agency is focused on removing dangerous criminals and protecting children.

In a post on X, Bongino outlined several priorities and took aim at what he called misleading media coverage of the FBI’s work.

"The workforce has been working overtime on task force operations to remove dangerous illegal aliens from the country. The work continues," Bongino wrote. "If you came here illegally to prey on our citizens, your days here are numbered."

He said these operations are only getting started and will ramp up in the coming weeks.

RUBIO JUST GOT AN ADDITIONAL JOB IN TRUMP'S ADMINISTRATION — AND HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE WEARING MULTIPLE HATS

"These removal and incarceration operations will dramatically change the crime landscape in the country when combined with the administration’s laser-focus on sealing the border shut," he added.

Bongino also pointed to a new initiative focused on protecting children from predators.

"Crimes against children are a priority for the workforce. Operation ‘Restoring Justice,’ where we locked up child predators and 764 subjects, in every part of the country, is just the beginning," he said. "We are going to take your freedom if you take away a child’s innocence."

He promised more enforcement efforts to come and warned those targeting children to "think twice."

205 ARRESTED IN FBI CHILD SEX OPERATION, PATEL AND BONDI ANNOUNCE

Bongino addressed the FBI’s efforts to respond to Congress and the public about several high-profile cases. These include the attack on Rep. Steve Scalise, the Nashville school shooting, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation and the origins of COVID-19. He also mentioned the ongoing work with the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein case.

"There are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with," he wrote. "There are also victims’ statements that are entitled to specific protections. We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public’s desire to get the information out there."

He also responded to what he described as false stories being spread by some in the media and came to the defense of FBI Director Patel. 

"He spends anywhere between 10 to 12 hours in the office attending meetings with everyone from foreign heads of law enforcement to our counter-terror teams," Bongino wrote. "Any assertion otherwise is a verifiable lie designed to stop our reforms and fracture your trust. I will die on this hill. You are being clearly lied to by people with an agenda, and it’s not your agenda."

He closed by thanking the public for its attention and encouraged Americans to keep watching the FBI’s progress.

"God bless America, and all those who defend Her," he wrote.

Dan Bongino began his law enforcement career with the New York Police Department in 1995. He joined the United States Secret Service in 1999 and later served on the elite Presidential Protective Division for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

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After leaving government service, Bongino ran for office as a Republican in Maryland and Florida. Bongino also hosted a Saturday night show on Fox News Channel from 2021 to 2023.

He is the author of several books, including "Life Inside the Bubble," a memoir about his time in the Secret Service.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Amid firings and government shake-ups, the Trump administration has repeatedly been assigning additional job roles to Cabinet members and other officials, Fox News Digital found. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was charged on May 1 with serving as Trump's national security advisor after the president announced he had nominated former National Security Council chief Mike Waltz to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

Rubio's roles in the administration now include leading the State Department; serving as acting archivist of the United States after Trump ousted a Biden-era appointee; serving as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development as the admin works to dissolve the independent agency by September; and taking the helm as the interim national security advisor. 

But Rubio is not alone in taking on multiple roles within Trump's second administration. Fox News Digital looks back on the various Trump Cabinet members and officials who are wearing multiple hats as the president works to realign the federal government to track with his "America First" policies. 

TRUMP TOUTS 'MOST SUCCESSFUL' FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY DURING MICHIGAN RALLY

Rubio and the Trump administration have come under fire from Democrats for the secretary of state holding multiple high-profile roles in the second administration, including Democrats sounding off on the national security council shake-up on Sunday news shows. 

"There’s no way he can do that and do it well, especially since there’s such incompetence over at DOD with Pete Hegseth being secretary of defense and just the hollowing out of the top leadership," Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said on CBS’s "Face the Nation." "There’s no way he can carry all that entire load on his own."

TRUMP TO TAP NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR IN 6 MONTHS; CALLS WALTZ MOVE ‘UPGRADE’

"I don’t know how anybody could do these two big jobs," Democrat Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Sunday on CNN’s "State of the Union."

When asked about the trend of Trump officials wearing multiple work hats, the White House reflected in comment to Fox News Digital on former President Joe Biden's "disaster of a Cabinet." 

"Democrats cheered on Joe Biden’s disaster of a Cabinet as it launched the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, opened the southern border to migrant criminals, weaponized the justice system against political opponents, and more," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. "President Trump has filled his administration with many qualified, talented individuals he trusts to manage many responsibilities." 

The Trump administration has previously brushed off concern over Rubio holding multiple roles, most notably juggling both his State Department leadership and serving as acting national security advisor. Similarly, former President Richard Nixon in 1973 named then-National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as secretary of state. 

"You need a team player who is very honest with the president and the senior team, not someone trying to build an empire or wield a knife or drive their own agenda. He is singularly focused on delivering the president’s agenda," an administration official told Politico. 

Rubio's multiple national security roles come as war continues between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, and recently launched attacks from India on Pakistan. 

"I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely," Rubio said in a Tuesday X post. "I echo @POTUS's comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution."

As Rubio juggles multiple roles, the Trump administration's foreign policies have closely involved special envoys, most notably Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.

TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

Witkoff is a former real estate tycoon and longtime ally of Trump's whose focus in the Trump administration has been on negotiating with Russia amid its war against Ukraine and leading talks with Iran regarding its nuclear program. Witkoff was notably credited with helping secure the release of U.S. schoolteacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison in February.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment on Rubio's multiple roles but did not receive a response. 

FBI Director Kash Patel, who railed against the "deep state" and vowed to strip corruption from the federal law enforcement agency ahead of his confirmation, was briefly charged with overseeing the of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in February after the Biden-era director resigned in January. 

Patel was later replaced by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll as acting ATF director in a job change that was publicly reported in April. 

ARMY SECRETARY DAN DRISCOLL TO LEAD ATF, REPLACING FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL

"Director Kash Patel was briefly designated ATF director while awaiting Senate confirmations, a standard, short-term move. Dozens of similar re-designations have occurred across the federal government," the White House told Reuters in April. "Director Patel is now excelling in his role at the FBI and delivering outstanding results."

Driscoll was sworn in as the 26th secretary of the Army in February. The secretary of the army is a senior-level civilian official charged with overseeing the management of the Army and also acts as an advisor to the secretary of defense in matters related to the Army. 

It was reported in April that Driscoll was named acting ATF director, replacing Patel in that role. 

NEW ARMY SECRETARY PRAISES TRUMP, HEGSETH FOR CREATING 'A LANE FOR CHANGE' AS HE ZEROES IN ON CUTTING WASTE

"Mr. Driscoll is responsible for the oversight of the agency’s mission to protect communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, and the illegal trafficking of firearms, explosives, and contraband. Under his leadership, the ATF works to enforce federal laws, ensure public safety, and provide critical support in the investigation of firearms-related crimes and domestic and international criminal enterprises," his ATF biography reads. 

Ahead of Trump taking office, Republican Reps. Eric Burlison of Missouri and Lauren Boebert of Colorado introduced legislation to abolish the ATF, saying the agency has worked to strip Second Amendment rights from U.S. citizens. 

The ATF has been tasked with assisting the Department of Homeland Security in its deportation efforts under the Trump administration. 

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins was sworn-in as the Trump administration's secretary of Veterans Affairs in February, a Cabinet-level position tasked with overseeing the department and its mission of providing health, education and financial benefits to military veterans. 

Days after his confirmation as VA secretary, Trump tapped Collins to temporarily lead two oversight agencies: the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel. 

VA SECRETARY ACCUSES REPORTER OF SPREADING 'RUMORS' ABOUT DOGE THAT HURT VETERANS IN TENSE CLASH

The Office of Government Ethics is charged with overseeing the executive branch's ethics program, including setting ethics standards for the government and monitoring ethics compliance across federal agencies and departments. 

The Office of Special Counsel is charged with overseeing and protecting the federal government's merit system, most notably ensuring federal whistleblowers don't face retaliation for sounding the alarm on an issue they've experienced. The office also has an established secure channel to allow federal employees to blow the whistle on alleged wrongdoing. 

The Office of Special Counsel also enforces the Hatch Act, which bans executive branch staffers, except the president and vice president, from engaging in certain forms of political activity. 

Trump named his former director of the Office of Management and Budget under his first administration, Russell Vought, to the same role in his second administration. Vought was confirmed as the federal government's budget chief in February. 

Days later, Vought was also named the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).  

RUSS VOUGHT, TAPPED AS CFPB'S ACTING DIRECTOR, DIRECTS BUREAU TO ISSUE NO NEW RULES, STOP NEW INVESTIGATIONS

The CFPB is an independent government agency charged with protecting consumers from unfair financial practices in the private sector. It was created in 2010 under the Obama administration after the financial crash in 2008. Democrat Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren originally proposed and advocated for the creation of the agency.

The CFPB came under fierce investigation from the Department of Government Efficiency in February, with mass terminations rocking the agency before the reduction in force initiative was tied up in court. 

President Donald Trump's former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence under his first term, a pair of roles held at separate times in the first administration, currently serves as president of the Kennedy Center and special presidential envoy for special missions of the United States. 

GRENELL DEVELOPING 'COMMONSENSE' PLAN TO TURN KENNEDY CENTER FINANCIALS AROUND

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the national cultural center of the U.S. Trump notably serves as the center's chair of the board, with Grenell saying the center will see a "golden age" of the arts during Trump's second administration through productions and concerts that Americans actually want to see after years of the performing arts center running in the red. 

Trump named Grenell as his special presidential envoy for special missions to the United States in December before his inauguration, saying Grenell will "work in some of the hottest spots around the world, including Venezuela and North Korea."

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In this role, Grenell helped lead the administration through its response to the wildfires that tore through Southern California in the last days of the Biden administration through the beginning days of the Trump administration. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the administration officials working multiple high-profile roles as opposed to appointing or nominating other qualified individuals but did not receive a response. 

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee has called on the Department of Justice and the FBI to "immediately investigate" a string of anonymous pizza deliveries sent to judges' homes.

In the event that the DOJ and the FBI have already initiated investigations, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also asked Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel for an update on those efforts. 

"In recent months, federal judges and their relatives have received anonymous deliveries to their homes," Durbin wrote in a letter to Bondi and Patel on Tuesday. "These deliveries are threats intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses. The targeted individuals reportedly include Supreme Court justices, judges handling legal cases involving the Administration, and the children of judges. Some of these deliveries were made using the name of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl, who was murdered at the family’s home by a former litigant who posed as a deliveryman."

JUDGE WHOSE SON WAS KILLED REACTS TO SHOCKING ATTACK ON NEVADA JUDGE 

"These incidents threaten not only judges and their families, but also judicial independence and the rule of law," Durbin wrote. "It is imperative that the Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate these anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and that those responsible be held accountable to the full extent of the law."

Durbin asked that Bondi and Patel provide "information on any steps that DOJ or the FBI have taken to protect the judges and their families who have received anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and to prevent further anonymous or pseudonymous deliveries and other threats." His letter also highlighted "the essential role that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) plays in protecting the federal judiciary and urge you to ensure that the size of the USMS workforce is not reduced." 

The Democrat said USMS Acting Director Mark P. Pittella reportedly sent a letter on April 15 to more than 5,000 USMS employees offering them the opportunity to resign. 

"In the midst of increasing threats of violence against judges, it is inappropriate and unacceptable to reduce the size of the agency tasked with protecting the federal judiciary and the judicial process," Durbin wrote. "Accordingly, I ask you to commit to fully supporting USMS and to maintaining or increasing its current number of employees." 

The letter further asked that Bondi and Patel brief the committee and provide responses to a series of questions by May 20, including how many anonymous pizza deliveries have been sent to judges' homes or the homes of their family members since Jan. 20 – President Donald Trump's Inauguration Day; whether each matter prompted an investigation and if not, why; and how many suspects have been identified and if there's any reason to suspect coordination. 

Durbin said any responses with "classified or law-enforcement sensitive material" should be sent to the committee Democrats under a separate cover.

‘60 MINUTES’ SEGMENT PAINTS TRUMP AS THREAT TO COUNTRY'S LEGAL SYSTEM AMID LAWSUIT 

The letter only named one impacted judge – U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. 

Salas' 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, was murdered on July 19, 2020, at the family's home in North Brunswick, New Jersey. The gunman, who posed as a FedEx delivery driver, also critically wounded Salas' husband. The suspect was identified as Roy Den Hollander, a self-proclaimed anti-feminist lawyer who previously appeared in Salas' courtroom. Authorities said Den Hollander died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in upstate New York days after killing Daniel. 

Before the shooting, Salas had handled high-profile cases, including those involving Jeffrey Epstein and the Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice.

Last month, Salas told news outlets that she and other judges have received strange pizza deliveries at their homes, with at least 10 of them having her son's name on the order. 

In March, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's family members reported receiving strange pizza deliveries to separate households, Newsweek reported. Authorities said Barrett's sister also received a bomb threat. 

J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit also claimed in a podcast last month that a mysterious pizza delivery had arrived at her door. 

"Federal judges are receiving anonymous deliveries as an intimidation tactic. It’s an ongoing threat… and it’s increasing," Durbin wrote on X. "Some deliveries are even using the name of a judge’s son who was murdered by a former litigant posing as a deliveryman. Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel must investigate." 

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"Judges are facing ongoing and increasing threats… even against their families," Senate Judiciary Democrats said on X. "Pam Bondi must commit to fully supporting the Marshals Service and—at minimum—maintaining the current size of its workforce." 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the FBI for comment early Wednesday but did not immediately hear back. 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's regime does not direct the activities of the Tren de Aragua, according to a newly public memo released by U.S. intelligence agencies last month.

The memo, published Monday by the New York Times, undercuts President Donald Trump's justifications for using the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate deportations. The report represents the "sense of the community" of the National Intelligence Council and states they have not found a direct link between Maduro's regime and TdA leadership.

"While Venezuela’s permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States," the report states.

"The IC bases this judgment on Venezuelan law enforcement actions demonstrating the regime treats TDA as a threat; an uneasy mix of cooperation and confrontation rather than top-down directives [that] characterize the regime's ties to other armed groups; and the decentralized makeup of TDA that would make such a relationship logistically challenging," the memo continues.

FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

While the memo cuts against the claim that support for TdA is a direct policy from Maduro's regime, it does note that FBI analysts agree that "some Venezuelan government officials facilitate TDA members' migration from Venezuela to the United States and use members as proxies … to advance what they see as the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety in these countries."

NOEM RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER SUPPORT FOR DEPORTED MIGRANT

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has been invoked three times, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

Trump's administration declared in March that all Venezuelan citizens 14 years or older who are members of TdA, are within the U.S. and are not naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the U.S. may be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed as "alien enemies."

Key to the White House's argument is its claim that TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela.

In 2020, Maduro and other regime members were charged with narco-terrorism and other crimes in an alleged plot against America.

Fox News' Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is calling for the notorious prison and now historical landmark, Alcatraz, in San Francisco, California, to be rebuilt larger and reopened to house the country’s most ruthless and violent criminals.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening.

"REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!" the president said. "For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.

"When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm," Trump continued, adding that it's supposed to be this way. "No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets."

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, AUGUST 11, 1934, AMERICA'S MOST NOTORIOUS PRISONERS ARRIVE AT ALCATRAZ

Trump said he is directing the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Homeland Security to reopen a "substantially enlarged and rebuilt" Alcatraz, "to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders."

"We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally," he said in the post. "The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Alcatraz opened in 1934, but the prison, located on a 22-acre spit of rock, was shuttered after 29 years.

THE ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: WHAT HAPPENED, BIGGEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES SURROUNDING THE INFAMOUS PRISON BREAK

Considering its 1.25-mile distance to shore, the Bay Area island was considered practically escape-proof, although there were 14 documented attempted escapes.

The most notorious one was the June 11, 1962, escape by John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, which inspired "Escape from Alcatraz."

It remains a mystery whether the three reached the shore and survived. The FBI concluded the escapees drowned due to harsh conditions.

BUILDING ALCATRAZ: AMERICA'S INESCAPABLE, ISLAND-RIDDEN PRISON

The three prisoners chiseled an escape route from their own jail cells and built makeshift, papier-mâché heads.

The final attempted escape from the prison, almost six months later, inspired what has become the swimming route of the "Escape from Alcatraz" triathlon.

Its most notorious inmates included gangsters James "Whitey" Bulger, Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly, plus infamous "Birdman of Alcatraz" Robert Stroud and "Public Enemy No. 1" Alvin Karpis. 

Alcatraz ultimately closed in 1963 after its island operations proved far more costly than mainland-based prisons.

Alcatraz Island today is a popular San Francisco tourist attraction operated by the National Park Service. 

Fox News Digital’s Kerry J. Byrne and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard referred two intelligence community professionals to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution Wednesday over alleged leaks of classified information, Fox News Digital has learned. 

An ODNI official told Fox News Digital that the intelligence community professionals allegedly leaked classified information to the Washington Post and the New York Times. A third criminal referral is "on its way" to the DOJ. 

GABBARD ESTABLISHES NEW INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE TO RESTORE TRANSPARENCY

The official told Fox News Digital that intelligence community professionals should take the move "as a warning." 

"Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end," Gabbard told Fox News Digital. "Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law." 

"Today, I referred two intelligence community leakers to the Department of Justice for criminal referral, with a third criminal referral on its way, which includes the recent illegal leak to the Washington Post," Gabbard said. "These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine President Trump's agenda." 

Gabbard added: "I look forward to working with the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate, terminate and prosecute these criminals."

An ODNI official said the move to refer for criminal prosecution is the first step in the process of "holding these individuals accountable." 

TULSI GABBARD REVOKES SECURITY CLEARANCES, ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION FOR BIDEN, HARRIS, CLINTON, OTHERS

The official explained the process in their decision-making, telling Fox News Digital that they conducted an internal review and then sent the criminal referral to the Justice Department. The DOJ would then send the referral to the FBI to begin a formal, criminal investigation. 

"We are aggressively investigating other leaks and will pursue further criminal referrals as warranted," the official told Fox News Digital. "Any intelligence community bureaucrat who is considering leaking to the media should take this as a warning." 

The official added that the Trump administration "will identify leakers and leakers will face legal consequences." 

DNI TULSI GABBARD MOVES TO TERMINATE, REVOKE SECURITY CLEARANCES OF NSA EMPLOYEES TIED TO EXPLICIT CHATROOMS

Earlier this month, Gabbard established a new task force to restore transparency and accountability in the intelligence community. Fox News Digital first reported on the Director’s Initiative Group (DIG), which started by investigating weaponization within the intelligence community.

Officials said the group will also work to root out politicization and expose unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence. In addition, it will work to declassify information "that serves a public interest." 

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Gabbard also has held employees who participated in sexually explicit NSA chatrooms accountable, and is pursuing action on those who have made unauthorized leaks of classified information within the intelligence community. 

FIRST ON FOX: The Justice Department is charging a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua on terrorism and international drug distribution charges—the first time the U.S. government is using terrorism charges to prosecute a member of the violent gang. 

A five-count superseding indictment was unsealed Wednesday, and first obtained by Fox News Digital, charging 24-year-old Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, also known as "Chuqui," with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. 

VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT USES TREN DE ARAGUA AS PROXIES TO UNDERMINE US PUBLIC SAFETY, FBI ASSESSMENT FINDS

Flores is allegedly a high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua, who allegedly serves as a Plaza Boss in Bogota, Colombia. He is allegedly a part of the inner circle of senior Tren de Aragua leadership, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Flores was also charged with conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. 

"TdA is not a street gang—it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration," Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital. "Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities." 

FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that Tren de Aragua is a "violent arm of the Maduro regime operating inside our borders." 

"With these charges, we are using every available tool to confront them as the transnational threat they are," Patel told Fox News Digital. "From drug trafficking and human smuggling to brutal violence, this group has inflicted chaos on American communities." 

Patel added: "Today's indictment is a critical step in dismantling their network and holding its members accountable." 

Colombian authorities arrested Flores in Colombia in March 30, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant the United States had been requesting.

The Trump administration’s State Department designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Feb. 20. 

"This is the first time the DOJ has used terrorism charges to prosecute members of TdA," a DOJ official told Fox News Digital. "President Trump’s Foreign Terrorist Organization designation means that we have a fuller suite of legal options to use against these groups." 

The indictment comes after the Trump administration filed its first racketeering charges — also known as RICO charges, which include conspiring to commit murder, sex-trafficking, assault, dealing drugs and more — against Tren de Aragua members and its associates in New York Tuesday. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

That case was part of "Operation Take Back America," which it said is a "nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."

The charges filed against 27 alleged current and former Tren de Aragua members include human smuggling, sex trafficking and murder.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that 21 of the 27 alleged gang members and associates are currently in federal custody. The statement said that 16 were already in federal criminal, immigration or state custody, and five were arrested in the past couple of days.

The indictment also comes after Fox News Digital exclusively reported that the FBI assesses that Venezuelan government officials "likely facilitate" the migration of members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua from Venezuela to the United States to advance the Maduro regime’s objective of undermining public safety in the U.S. 

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI assesses that some Venezuelan government officials "likely facilitate" the migration of members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua from Venezuela to the United States to advance the Maduro regime’s objective of undermining public safety in the U.S., Fox News Digital has learned. 

A senior administration official exclusively shared with Fox News Digital Wednesday unclassified portions of the FBI’s classified intelligence assessment of the Venezuelan government’s relationship with Tren de Aragua.

TRUMP ISSUES WARNING TO MADURO AS VENEZUELAN LEADER ENTERS THIRD TERM, US EXPANDS SANCTIONS

President Donald Trump, upon taking office, designated Tren de Aragua, as well as several other migrant gangs present throughout the U.S., as a foreign terrorist organization. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI assesses that some Venezuelan government officials are likely using Tren de Aragua members as proxies for the Maduro regime in an effort to destabilize Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and the United States. The official said the FBI assesses that this demonstrates Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s willingness to violate the territorial sovereignty of Venezuela’s neighbors to advance his regime’s policies. 

The FBI assesses that in the next six to 18 months, Venezuelan government officials likely will attempt to leverage Tren de Aragua members in the United States as proxy actors to threaten, abduct and kill members of the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States who are vocal critics of Maduro and his regime. 

The FBI expects an expansion of similar activities throughout South America. 

TRUMP ADMIN FILES FIRST RACKETEERING CHARGES AGAINST MASSIVE MIGRANT TERRORIST GROUP PRESENT IN US

"These findings should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community," a senior administration official told Fox News Digital. "They reflect the sentiments of numerous other intelligence assessments across multiple agencies." 

Any further details or specific examples remain classified.

"Nicholas Maduro is a Marxist dictator who hijacked a once-prosperous Venezuela and brought in nothing but total economic collapse and gang takeover," the official said. "He crumbled Caracas, now overrun with drugs and violence, and wants to do the same across the United States by sending his most violent and dangerous criminals into our communities." 

The Venezuelan leader, deemed a "dictator" by American lawmakers, is set to hold office until 2031.

"The Trump administration will continue to use every authority in our power to make sure these TdA terrorists, who are some of the worst in the world, are kept out of our country," the U.S. official said. "The American people voted overwhelmingly to make America safe again, and that is exactly what we will do." 

Fox News Digital also spoke to an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Wednesday, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The ODNI official told Fox News Digital that the FBI’s assessment is based on its domestic law enforcement operations against Tren de Aragua in America. 

"This information and intelligence are the most robust and accurate given their focus on domestic security and crimes, versus limited intelligence assessments from other intelligence elements who by law focus solely on foreign intelligence collection and who, until President Trump took office, had very limited resources focused on TdA," the official said. 

Meanwhile, the ODNI official briefed Fox News Digital on unclassified information from its assessment on Tren de Aragua’s relationship with the Venezuelan government. 

The official said ODNI assesses that Tren de Aragua leaders historically have been "located and broadly benefited from conditions in Venezuela created by the Venezuelan government." 

"The Venezuelan government gives sanctuary to TdA, aiding and abetting their crimes and terrorist activities against the United States by enabling them to thrive," the ODNI told Fox News Digital. 

The official said that unlike most countries, the Maduro regime has "been eager to welcome violent TdA criminals back to Venezuela, providing further proof they see them as allies. Again, this mirrors the behavior of the Taliban in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern failed states like Syria and Libya that have welcomed terrorists with open arms." 

The Associated Press recently reported on a classified assessment from the National Intelligence Council, citing anonymous sources, that its assessment found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government. 

But Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard blasted the report, saying the officials who illegally shared the classified information weaponized the intelligence to undermine Trump. 

"The weaponization of intelligence to undermine the President's agenda is an assault on democracy," Gabbard said. "Those behind this illegal leak of classified intelligence, twisted and manipulated to convey the exact opposite finding, will be accountable under the full force of the law."

The ODNI official said the unclassified assessment information shared with Fox News Digital Wednesday "are facts based on intelligence that the illegal leakers and propaganda media conveniently did not include because it gets in the way of their biased narrative and attempt to deceive the American people." 

The release of the unclassified information to Fox News Digital comes after the Trump administration filed its first racketeering charges — also known as RICO charges, which include conspiring to commit murder, sex-trafficking, assault, dealing drugs and more — against Tren de Aragua members and its associates in New York Tuesday. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

That case was part of "Operation Take Back America," which it said is a "nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."

The charges filed against 27 alleged current and former Tren de Aragua members include human smuggling, sex trafficking and murder.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that 21 of the 27 alleged gang members and associates are currently in federal custody. The statement said that 16 were already in federal criminal, immigration or state custody, and five were arrested in the past couple of days.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the RICO charges, saying: "Today’s indictments and arrests span three states and will devastate TdA’s infrastructure as we work to completely dismantle and purge this organization from our country." 

"Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang," said Bondi. "It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities."

EXCLUSIVE: Sens. Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley are demanding information from the Justice Department’s inspector general on whether any unassigned or "untasked" confidential human sources (CHSs) from DOJ agencies beyond the FBI were in or around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

In 2024, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed that there were more than two dozen FBI confidential human sources in the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but only three were assigned by the bureau to be present for the event. 

One of the three confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol. If a confidential human source is directed to be at a certain event, they are paid by the FBI for their time.

WERE UNDERCOVER SOURCES FROM OTHER DOJ AGENCIES PRESENT ON JAN. 6? GRASSLEY, JOHNSON DEMAND ANSWERS

Horowitz, in that report, said none of the sources were authorized or directed by the FBI to "break the law" or "encourage others to commit illegal acts." 

In December, and after the release of Horowitz’s report, Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., demanded information on whether confidential human sources from DOJ agencies beyond the FBI were used on Jan. 6, 2021. 

In an April 7 letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, Horowitz notified the senators that he found no evidence the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), or the Bureau of Prisons deployed confidential human sources to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

"We can confirm that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) did not have any undercover employees in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6," Horowitz wrote in his response. "This includes in or around the Capitol or in the restricted area of the Capitol." 

"We can also confirm that the ATF, DEA, USMS, and BOP did not have any tasked CHSs in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6," Horowitz continued. "This includes in or around the Capitol or in the restricted area of the Capitol." 

However, Horowitz could not conclusively say whether any of those agencies had "untasked" confidential human sources – or those who traveled on their own initiative – present on Jan. 6, 2021. 

"With respect to whether any DOJ law enforcement components other than the FBI had untasked CHSs in Washington, D.C. on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6, unlike the FBI, we have no information at this time as to whether the ATF, DEA, USMS, or BOP conducted a post-January 6 canvass to determine if any of their CHSs traveled on their own initiative (untasked) to D.C. in connection with the January 6 events," Horowitz wrote. 

Horowitz notified Grassley and Johnson that after conversations with their Senate staff on the matter, the DOJ inspector general’s office is inquiring those agencies further on whether they have any information to indicate whether any of their confidential human sources were in Washington, D.C., "on their own initiative (untasked) for the events on January 6." 

"We will supplement this response when we receive that information," Horowitz wrote. 

Grassley and Johnson, in a letter to Horowitz obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, demanded Horowitz provide that information, saying his investigative work appeared to be "narrowly focused" on just the FBI's use of CHSs, and said his response on "untasked CHSs from DOJ components other than the FBI" was "less definitive." 

Additionally, Grassley and Johnson are demanding further information on confidential human sources, noting that "the term ‘undercover agent’ can mean many things." 

Grassley and Johnson are now reiterating their request for information on whether "any federal law enforcement components, including FBI, ATF, DEA, USMS, or BOP had employees or contractors wearing civilian clothing in the Washington D.C. area; at the Capitol Building; and in restricted areas on J6 in an official or unofficial capacity." 

Meanwhile, Grassley and Johnson, in December, also questioned whether Horowitz thoroughly reviewed classified and unclassified communications between handlers and their sources, warning that without that review, there may be a "major blind spot" in his findings. 

Horowitz, in his April letter to the senators, said he reviewed the "relevant portions of CHS files in the FBI’s electronic record-keeping system for CHS management" and obtained "relevant portions of those files," including underlying text messages, photographs and videos. 

Horowitz said he obtained emails documenting the FBI’s Washington Field Office communications with CHS handlers of the tasked CHSs, and emails of CHS handling agents of "untasked" CHSs who contacted the Washington Field Office during the events of Jan. 6, 2021. 

"We flagged certain additional documents to be produced, including 1023s, documentation of unauthorized illegal activity (which generated a negative response), approvals for the tasked CHSs, and some underlying text messages and photographs referenced in 1023s, including text messages sent and shared between CHSs and their handlers," Horowitz wrote, adding that he also obtained instant messages from the FBI’s classified and unclassified communication platforms. 

DOJ IG REVEALS 26 FBI INFORMANTS WERE PRESENT ON JAN. 6

"As with all reviews, we sought the information that was most relevant to our review, one aspect of which was to confirm that no FBI handling agent, FBI Headquarters personnel, or WFO personnel authorized any CHS to engage in illegal activity on January 6, 2021," Horowitz stressed. "Given this scope, and the fact that the OIG did not receive any information indicating that any individual handling agent had inappropriate communications with a CHS, the OIG requested and reviewed relevant text messages between handling agents and CHSs, but did not request all of the text messages for all of the 26 CHSs and their handlers." 

Horowitz explained that for many of the confidential human sources in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, "the handling agents did not know of the CHSs’ presence in Washington, D.C. until after the events of that day." 

"We further note that, in the hundreds of prosecutions that took place in connection with the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the extensive discovery that took place during those prosecutions, we are not aware that any CHS (or other person) provided text messages to a Court indicating that a FBI agent had encouraged or instructed (with or without authorization from their Field Office, WFO, or FBI headquarters) anyone to engage in illegal activity on January 6, 2021," Horowitz wrote. 

However, Grassley and Johnson say Horowitz’s response falls short, noting he "did not request all of the text messages for all of the 26 CHSs and their handlers."

"It’s well past time the American people received complete transparency and clarity regarding the full extent of the Justice Department and its component agencies’ involvement in the events of J6," Grassley and Johnson told Fox News Digital in a joint statement. "Inspector General Horowitz must be thorough in his approach and shed light on every corner of the department he oversees." 

Grassley and Johnson added, "We expect Horowitz to bring finality to this investigation by fully complying with our requests." 

A spokesperson for Horowitz did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

A Virginia-based judge has granted the Justice Department's motion to dismiss its illegal firearm case against a Virginia-based Salvadoran national accused of being an MS-13 leader.

The FBI announced the arrest of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos on March 27 in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel describing him as the top MS-13 leader on the East Coast. 

Villatoro Santos was charged with an illegal firearm charge at the time of his arrest. 

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick said he would stay his decision until Friday morning to allow for Villatoro Santos' counsel to explore other avenues, including appealing the decision. 

The DOJ initially moved to drop the case on April 9, shortly after his arrest. 

Counsel for Villatoro Santos, Muhammad Elsayed, said during the April 15 hearing that the government had not clarified what would happen to his client once the case was dismissed, suggesting Villatoro Santos would likely be "summarily deported" without any due process. 

His counsel noted a similar case from Maryland, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, was erroneously deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. 

ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER NABBED BY PATEL'S FBI TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY FOR NOW, JUDGE RULES

Elsayed also claimed during the hearing that the decision to dismiss the case came from high up in the Trump administration. 

"They have already determined the outcome, that he’ll go to the worst prison in the western hemisphere," Elsayed said.

Fitzpatrick said he has been cautious of not overstepping into the executive branch's purview, saying, "It wouldn’t be appropriate [for me] to inquire about the deliberative process of prosecutors."

The judge noted Elsayed has been a good advocate for Villatoro Santos but said the case is straight-forward and the government has the authority to drop the case. Fitzpatrick proceeded to suggest the defense might want to bring a separate case with the Department of Homeland Security as a party, "where you can inquire what kind of treatment your client will get."

Villatoro Santos' counsel responded in a court filing shortly after the DOJ filed to dismiss the case earlier this month that he understands "the Government now intends to pursue the deportation of Mr. Villatoro Santos in lieu of prosecution."

"The above is a fairly straightforward procedural history," the filing read. "But in the background of this routine legal process, the United States government, at its highest levels, has been publicly and loudly propagating allegations that Mr. Villatoro Santos ‘is one of the top leaders of MS-13’ and ‘one of the leaders for the East Coast, one of the top in the entire country,’ claims made by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a high-level press conference on March 27, 2025."

"As a terrorist, he will now face the removal process," Bondi told Fox News at the time.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter of the Eastern District of Virginia made an April 1 ruling to keep Villatoro Santos in custody. The defense was not seeking release at the time of the hearing. 

Fox News' David Spunt and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has become the latest government agency to join President Donald Trump’s deportation push, showing the president’s whole-of-government approach to keeping a key campaign promise.

"This is the Trump administration using every tool it has in its toolbox to crack down on illegal immigration," Tom Jones, the executive director of the American Accountability Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

The comments come as the SSA sifts through the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are in the country under "temporary parole" status that was granted during the Biden administration and allowed those migrants to have Social Security numbers in order to work.

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

Trump administration officials claim that more than 6,300 of those people are on the FBI terrorist watch list or have FBI criminal records, according to a report from Axios.

The SSA began moving the names of those migrants on the terrorist watch list to its "Death Master File," its current database of dead people, the report notes, adding that the agency has since moved those names to the "Ineligible Master File."

The move to tap the SSA comes as Trump has used every resource at his disposal to continue his deportation push, coming after the president used military forces to help secure the border and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to begin cross-checking information for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

But not everyone has been fully on board with Trump’s aggressive push, with the IRS and ICE partnerships leading to the resignation of IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause last week.

BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS

Similar scenarios could play out at the SSA, with some of the agency’s staff expressing concern over the data-sharing agreement.

"Some agency staff have since checked the names and Social Security numbers of some of the youngest immigrants against data the agency typically uses to search for criminal history and found no evidence of crimes or law enforcement interactions," some staffers told the Washington Post.

Jones believes the defections are an example of why Trump’s shakeup of the federal workforce is long overdue.

"The fact that IRS leadership resigned over cooperating with ICE shows exactly why there needs to be a concerned effort to ensure that the federal workforce is composed of leaders who are willing to implement the president's agenda," Jones said. "For every three senior officials who resign, there are dozens of civil servants below the radar screen who are in place and still able to obstruct the president's agenda."

Nevertheless, Jones expects Trump to continue using whatever resources possible to make good on his immigration agenda.

"The Social Security Administration is just one example. I suspect we will also see places like OSHA, which has staff on job sites, using their inspectors to target illegal alien workers and the businesses that employ them," Jones said. "This administration has been waiting years to deploy an aggressive America First playbook they built during four years in the wilderness."

A Maryland federal judge lambasted government attorneys Friday during a hearing over efforts to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, from a prison in El Salvador. 

Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to El Salvador last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member. His attorneys, however, have maintained that he does not have any ties to the violent gang. 

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis questioned DOJ attorney Drew Ensign as to Abrego Garcia's whereabouts after the Supreme Court upheld Xinis' order that federal officials must coordinate his return back to Maryland.

Xinis asked Ensign where Abrego Garcia was, and under "whose authority," to which Ensign responded, "I do not have that info."

MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES

"I do not have that knowledge, and therefore I cannot relay that info to the court," Ensign said. "They have not provided that confirmation before this hearing."

The judge was unsatisfied with the government's answer. "I’m not asking for state secrets. I’m asking where one man is," Xinis responded. "The government was prohibited from sending him to El Salvador, and now I’m asking a very simple question: ‘Where is he?’"

After Ensign again said he did not have the information on hand, Xinis said, "That is extremely troubling."

In a Thursday order, the Supreme Court noted that "The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal." 

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

The high court proceeded to say that Xinis' order "properly requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."

Ensign made clear during the Friday hearing that the government intended to comply with the Supreme Court's order. When asked what had been done thus far to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, Ensign said it was "unclear."

"That means they haven’t done anything," Xinis responded. 

Xinis and Ensign engaged in a back-and-forth over their reading of the high court's order. Ensign said the government had understood the order to require that it must "hear what the executive branch says in a brief."

"We read the Supreme Court’s order differently," Ensign said. "It said deference to the executive branch."

Xinis, instead, said her reading was that the government take all the necessary steps to facilitate the return as soon as possible.

"I hear you and disagree," Xinis responded. 

ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER NABBED BY PATEL'S FBI TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY FOR NOW, JUDGE RULES

Xinis proceeded to request daily updates as the case continued "from a person with direct knowledge," saying she would be issuing an order that delineated the request. 

"My message, for what it’s worth is, if you can do it, do it tomorrow. I don’t understand why it can’t be done," Xinis said. 

Ensign noted that he thought the orders were "impractical" but reemphasized that the government would be complying with the Supreme Court's order. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to weigh in on the matter during a Friday briefing in light of El Salvador's president visiting the White House next week. 

"The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it's the administration's responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return," Leavitt said. 

"The District Judge made clear that she’s not going to let the government continue to play games while a man’s life is at stake," Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, counsel for Abrego Garcia, told Fox News Digital. "They need to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia home, and until then, they need to provide meaningful status updates showing their progress in doing so."

Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working his shift as a sheet metal apprentice. The complaint states that he had also picked up his now-five-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmother’s house before his arrest. 

Abrego Garcia had initially fled El Salvador to escape gang violence, according to court documents. Beginning in 2006, gang members "stalked, hit, and threatened to kidnap and kill him in order to coerce his parents to succumb to their increasing demands for extortion."

He eventually entered the United States illegally in 2011 and began living in Maryland with his brother, who is an American citizen. 

Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

Chinese officials acknowledged behind closed doors at a December meeting that their government was responsible for a series of cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, according to a Wall Street Journal report based on information from people familiar with the matter.

The news comes as the two countries continue to spar over tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and reciprocated and upped by President Xi Jinping.

In an exclusive, the Wall Street Journal reported that those who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed Chinese officials connected the cyberattacks on U.S. ports, airports, utilities and other important targets to America’s support for Taiwan.

The report noted that Biden administration officials learned of the discovery first hand during a summit in Geneva, as their Chinese counterparts blamed the campaign, referred to as Volt Typhoon, on a criminal organization.

CHINA ATTACKED US WITH HACKERS. WE NEED TO HIT BACK HARD

Chinese officials also accused the U.S. of pointing blame at China based on their imagination.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital the State Department has made clear to Beijing that the U.S. will continue to take actions in response to Chinese malicious cyber activity targeting the U.S.

"Chinese cyber threats are some of the gravest and most persistent threats to U.S. national security," the spokesperson said. "The United States will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure from irresponsible and reckless cyberattacks from Beijing. President Trump is committed to protecting the American people and U.S. critical infrastructure from these threats."

The Chinese Embassy told FOX Business that China "firmly opposes" the smear attacks against it without any factual basis.

BIDEN ADMIN DOUBLING TARIFFS ON CHINESE SOLAR PANEL PARTS AFTER REPORTED 'INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE'

"Cyberspace is characterized by strong virtuality, difficulty in tracing origins, and diverse actors, making the tracing of cyberattacks a complex technical issue," Embassy spokesperson Mr. Liu Pengyu said. "We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyber incidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations.

"The US needs to stop using cybersecurity to smear and slander China, and stop spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats," he added.

The Biden administration warned state leaders in March 2024 that cyberattacks by hackers linked to Iran and China could take down water systems across the U.S. if cybersecurity measures were not taken out of precaution.

FORMER GOOGLE ENGINEER INDICTED FOR STEALING AI SECRETS TO AID CHINESE FIRMS

Then Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael S. Regan and Jake Sullivan, the assistant to Biden for national security affairs, said in an email to state governors that cyberattacks were targeting water and wastewater systems throughout the U.S.

In the letter, the two Biden administration officials said the attacks could disrupt clean and safe drinking water and impose significant costs on affected communities.

While one attack was linked to Iran, the other threat came from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hacker group, Volt Typhoon, which compromised information technology of critical infrastructure systems, including drinking water facilities in the U.S. and its territories.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WARNS STATES OF POSSIBLE ATTACKS ON WATER SYSTEMS FROM FOREIGN HACKERS

As U.S. officials issued warnings about Volt Typhoon’s effort, they also accused the PRC of attempting to get into U.S. computer networks in an effort to unleash cyberattacks during any unforeseen conflicts in the future.

The FBI said in December that hackers in Beijing infiltrated networks of "multiple" telecommunication companies, gaining access to customer call records and private communications of "a limited number of individuals." But the targets, the FBI noted in December, were Americans involved in government and politics.

A federal investigation uncovered a massive cyber-espionage campaign by the Chinese government, targeting U.S. telecommunications networks to steal Americans' information. A top White House official confirmed in December that at least eight U.S. telecom companies had been affected by the hacking spree. 

The campaign was believed to have started a year or two ago, The Associated Press reported.

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was tapped to serve as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), replacing FBI Director Kash Patel, who was appointed to the role in February, according to a U.S. defense official.

Driscoll was notified of the appointment on Wednesday while traveling in Europe, the defense official told Fox News.

He will fulfill both roles, continuing to serve as the Army secretary while overseeing the ATF.

DEMOCRATS PRESS ARMY SECRETARY NOMINEE IF ‘READINESS’ AFFECTED BY SOUTHERN BORDER DEPLOYMENTS

A source close to Patel told Fox News Digital that the ATF was taken off his plate because he wanted to focus on the bureau.

"It was never supposed to be a long-term thing. He was happy to serve, of course, but his job is the director of the FBI," the source said.

Hailing from North Carolina, Driscoll, an Army veteran and venture capitalist, was chosen by Trump to serve as secretary of the Army. Driscoll, who is a senior advisor to Vice President JD Vance, fought with the 10th Mountain Division as a cavalry scout platoon leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL SWORN IN AS ACTING ATF CHIEF, VISITS DC HQ

Patel was sworn in to lead the ATF days after taking an oath to head the FBI following a contentious confirmation process in which Democrats raised alarms about his lack of management experience, among other claims. 

President Donald Trump hasn't made clear what his plans are for the ATF, which has long been a target for congressional Republicans. The agency is charged with enforcing the nation’s laws with respect to firearms, explosives and arson. 

It's also charged with licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Left-wing movie director Oliver Stone slammed Democrats for weaponizing federal law enforcement and "lying" in their attempts to charge the president with Russian collusion during the 2016 election.   

Stone, meanwhile, applauded President Donald Trump for taking steps to find out what really happened, adding that he is "absolutely" right that the federal government has been weaponized to attack political opponents.

Trump recently signed a new executive order directing the FBI to immediately declassify files concerning Crossfire Hurricane, the initial investigation launched in 2016 that sought information on whether members of the Trump campaign were colluding with the Russians to undermine the election. The president has also taken steps to go after the law firms involved in the scandal, including by suspending the security clearances for their attorneys and barring them from entering any federal buildings. 

‘ABSURD’: WHITE HOUSE BLASTS LAW FIRM THAT HELPED FUEL RUSSIA HOAX AFTER CHALLENGING TRUMP ORDER

"Russiagate – we paid for it," Stone said. "I applaud [what Trump is doing], and I hate what they did with Russiagate, I really do. I think it's – again, the lying, the lying, the lying, and selling that to the American people."

When asked if he felt Trump was right about there being weaponization of the federal government against conservatives, Stone responded: "There was."

Stone, who has produced several documentaries supporting Russian narratives about Ukraine, added that the underlying premise behind Russiagate – that Russia is a nefarious actor – is wrong and "un-American."

TRUMP CUTS OFF FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR LAW FIRM THAT HELPED FUEL 2016 RUSSIA HOAX

"They are potentially our best partners, as are the Chinese. I mean, we have this mentality that they're the enemy," Stone said. "That's all been inculcated by propaganda. If you go out there to China, and you go out to Russia, you don't hear that kind of vituperative dialogue."

However, while Stone said he agreed with Trump's approach to taking on those involved with Russiagate, he did lament the president's attacks on pro-Palestinian protesters over alleged antisemitism.  

"I don't like this new thing about censorship coming from Trump," said Stone. "Against the anti – what he calls ‘antisemitic news’ – I mean, I don't agree. I don't know where he's coming from, and it's not what he promised."

A district court judge awarded $6.6 million combined to four whistleblowers who sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on claims he fired them in retaliation for reporting him to the FBI.

Blake Brickman, David Maxwell, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar notified Paxton and his office on Oct. 1, 2020, that they had reported him to the FBI for allegedly abusing his office. The four were all fired by mid-November.

Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled Friday that by a "preponderance of the evidence," the whistleblowers proved liability, damages and attorney's fees in their complaint against the attorney general's office.

The judgment says the former aides made their reports to federal law enforcement "in good faith" and that Paxton's office did not dispute any claims or damages in the lawsuit.

FBI FLOODED WITH RECORD NUMBER OF NEW AGENT APPLICATIONS IN KASH PATEL'S FIRST MONTH LEADING BUREAU

"Because the Office of the Attorney General violated the Texas Whistleblower Act by firing and otherwise retaliating against the plaintiff for in good faith reporting violations of law by Ken Paxton and OAG, the court hereby renders judgment for plaintiffs," Mauzy wrote in her judgment.

The court found that the four former aides of the attorney general were fired in retaliation for reporting allegations that he was using his office to accept bribes from Austin real estate developer and political donor Nate Paul, who employed a woman with whom Paxton was having an extramarital affair.

Paxton has denied allegations that he accepted bribes or misused his office to help Paul.

"It should shock all Texans that their chief law enforcement officer, Ken Paxton, admitted to violating the law, but that is exactly what happened in this case," Tom Nesbitt, an attorney representing Brickman, and TJ Turner, an attorney representing Maxwell, said in a joint statement.

Paxton said in a statement that the judge's ruling is "ridiculous" and "not based on the facts or the law." He said his office plans to appeal the ruling.

The attorney general was probed by federal authorities after eight employees reported his office to the FBI in 2020 for bribery allegations. He agreed to settle the lawsuit for $3.3 million that would be paid by the legislature, but the state House rejected his request and conducted its own investigation.

Paxton was impeached in the House in 2023 before he was later acquitted in the Senate.

TEXAS AG PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES: 'THE TRUTH PREVAILED'

In November, the state Supreme Court overturned a lower-court ruling that would have required Paxton to testify in the lawsuit.

The U.S. Justice Department declined to pursue its investigation into Paxton in the final weeks of the Biden administration, according to The Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.