Today in Politics, Bulletin 252. 11/17/25

… Judge William Fitzpatrick issued a scathing ruling today against former Trump personal attorney, now interim US Attorney, Lindsay Halligan for her conduct in front of the grand jury that indicted former FBI Director James Comey. Halligan was installed by Trump to indict Comey and NY AG Letitia James after previous prosecutors were replaced because they found insufficient evidence to proceed.

… The judge found that Halligan likely used a combination of illegally obtained evidence, privileged information, and two false statements of the law to grand jurors while she was alone in the room with them and presented the testimony of a single witness. The court ordered all grand jury materials to be turned over the defense as they seek dismissal of the indictment with prejudice. From the order:

• “The govt presented this case to the grand jury on Sept 25, 2025. The same day, prior to the grand jury presentment, Agent-2 alerted the lead case agent (hereinafter referred to as Agent-3) and an attorney with the FBI’s Office of General Counsel that ‘evidence obtained in the Govt’s investigation of James Comey may constitute attorney-client privileged or attorney-client confidential information. It is also possible that [the agents] may have obtained evidence that constitutes attorney work-product information.’”

• “Agent-2 gave Agent-3 and the FBI attorney ‘a limited overview of the [privileged] communications.’ Agent-3, rather than remove himself from the investigative team until the taint issue was resolved, proceeded into the grand jury undeterred and testified in support of the pending indictment. In fact, Agent-3 was the only witness to testify before the grand jury in support of the pending indictment. The govt’s decision to allow an agent who was exposed to potentially privileged information to testify before a grand jury is highly irregular and a radical departure from past DOJ practice.”

• “Materials seized from the Richman warrants were the cornerstone of the govt’s grand jury presentation. The govt substantially relied on statements involving Comey and Richman in support of its proposed indictment. Agent 3 referred to these statements in response to multiple questions from the prosecutor and from grand jurors and did so shortly after being given a limited overview of privileged communications between the same parties. The govt’s position that privileged materials were not directly shared with the grand jurors ignores the equally unacceptable prospect that privileged materials were used to shape the govt’s presentation and therefore improperly inform the grand jury’s deliberations.”

… The judge then found Halligan made two misstatements of the law to the grand jury in response to their questions: 1. She made false statements about 5th amendment rights; 2. She made another statement that “clearly suggested to the grand jury that they did not have to rely only on the record before them to determine probable cause but could be assured the govt had more evidence–perhaps better evidence–that would be presented at trial.”

• “The nature and circumstances surrounding the government’s potential violations of the 4th Amendment and court orders establish a reasonable basis to question whether the govt’s conduct was willful or in reckless disregard of the law.”

• “The facts provide a reasonable basis for the defense to show that they were prejudiced by the govt’s use of the Richman materials in the grand jury, particularly if the government’s conduct was willful or reckless, given the centrality of these materials to the govt’s presentation.”

• “The facts establish a reasonable basis for the defense to challenge whether the govt took sufficient steps to avoid the collection and review of privileged materials, including the reasons why Comey was never afforded the opportunity to assert a privilege over his communications until after the indictment was obtained.”

• “The facts establish a reasonable basis for the defense to challenge whether privileged information was used, directly or indirectly, by the govt to prepare and present its grand jury presentation. This is particularly troublesome because the govt’s sole witness before the grand jury was exposed to a ‘limited overview’ of privileged material shortly before he testified.

• “The nature and circumstances surrounding the disclosure of potentially privileged information establish a reasonable basis to question whether the govt’s conduct was willful or in reckless disregard of the law. This is particularly significant because Agent-3, after having been exposed to potentially privileged info, chose to testify before the grand jury rather than separate himself from the investigation to contain any further exposure to privileged information and limit any prejudice to Comey.”

• “The prosecutor made statements to the grand jurors that could reasonably form the basis for the defense to challenge whether the grand jury proceedings were infected with constitutional error.”

• “The Court recognizes that the relief sought by the defense is rarely granted. However, the record points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding. Therefore, in this case, 'the Court has before it a rare example of a criminal defendant who can actually make a ‘particularized and factually based’ showing that grounds exist to support the proposition that irregularities may have occurred in the grand jury proceedings and may justify the dismissal of one or more counts of the indictment.”

… Ouch. The former insurance lawyer’s law license is now in serious jeopardy, along with the indictment. It also completely discredits a US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of VA that used to be one of the most highly respected prosecutors offices in the world.

… WaPo legal analyst Carol Leonnig: “Fed Reserve Gov Lisa Cook’s lawyer today writes AG Pam Bondi complaining there’s zero evidence his client intended to lie in her mortgage application. He notes that DOJ is NOT investigating cases where Republicans have possibly misrepresented their home in mortgage applications, including Dep AG Todd Blanche.”

… NYT Mag did a lengthy story on how DOJ has been completely corrupted by Trump and Bondi in a short period of time. They interviewed over 60 prosecutors who recently resigned or were fired: “They described being asked to drop cases for political reasons, to find evidence for flimsy investigations and to take positions in court they thought had no legitimate basis. They also talked about the work they and their colleagues were told to abandon - investigations of terrorist plots, corruption and white-collar fraud.”

… These are just a few examples from the story:

• Katie Chamblee-Ryan, Civil Rights Division: “When Bondi’s 14 emails started coming in, one was crazier than the next. It’s hard to explain how shocking that was. In the Biden admin, there were all these checks in place to make sure we weren’t acting on our political biases. It was so by the book. It was too slow, to be honest. Now that seemed farcical.”

• Lawyer, Federal Programs Branch, which defends legal challenges against govt agencies: “Bondi’s memo on zealous advocacy suggested we could be disciplined or fired for pushing back on legal or factual claims we believed were unsupported. That threw up red flags for me. It was just completely improper.”

• Dena Robinson, Civil Rights Division: “Some of us referred to them as ‘Pam Bondi’s mixtape,’ both because they were so random and there were so many dropped all at once. One thing that stuck out to me was her insistence that we served at the pleasure of the president and that we were enforcing the president’s priorities. We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.”

… Trump pardoned a series of white-collar offenders, including Charles Scott, who had been convicted last year in Ohio of ​​helping the chief executive of his company manipulate its stock value.

• Prosecutor, Ohio: “Scott was sentenced to 42 months for a multimillion-dollar fraud. His family was wealthy. He spent all of two weeks in jail. That put a damper on a lot of the work we were doing, to know that someone who defrauded everyday folks in Ohio was able to find their way to a pardon. Afterward, defense attorneys are telling us they can’t get their clients to take good or reasonable plea offers because they felt they’re better off spending their money on a political donation, drawing Trump’s attention, and getting the case dismissed or going to trial and getting a pardon.”

• Dena Robinson, Civil Rights Division: “I wouldn’t even call it the Justice Department anymore. It’s become Trump’s personal law firm. I think Americans should be enraged. We all deserve better than this. I keep telling my colleagues still working in the division that I’m holding the line with them from the outside. But I feel guilty that I’m not holding the line with them from the inside.”

… NYT: “Trump has started his own cryptocurrency business and vowed to make the US the world’s ‘crypto capital.’ Crypto companies have declared themselves safe and secure. And a procession of major industries, from Wall Street banks to online retailers, have experimented with digital coins. But even as the crypto industry gains mainstream acceptance, at least $28 billion tied to illicit activity has flowed into crypto exchanges over the last two years.”

… “The money came from hackers, thieves and extortionists. It was traced to cybercriminals in N. Korea and scammers whose schemes stretched from Minnesota to Myanmar. Over and over, these groups have moved money onto the world’s largest exchanges, which are online marketplaces where people can convert US dollars or euros into Bitcoin, Ether and other digital coins.”

… “Among the recipients of this ‘dirty money’ was Binance, which participated in a $2 billion business deal with Trump’s crypto firm in May. Binance pleaded guilty to money-laundering violations in 2023 and agreed to pay a $4.3 billion penalty to the US govt after processing transactions for terrorist groups like Hamas and Al Qaeda.”

… “At the same time, Trump has made crypto a cornerstone of his family business and ended a regulatory clampdown on the industry. Shortly before the 2024 election, he and his sons founded World Liberty Financial, a crypto start-up that is poised to generate tens of millions of dollars a year from the business deal involving Binance. Last month, Trump granted a pardon to Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s founder.”

… Hours, weeks and months after multiple business deals were announced between the Saudi global wealth fund and Trump Org on everything from golf courses, to hotels, resorts and crypto, and various other things, Trump announced today that he is selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia despite concerns from the Pentagon that they will allow the Chinese to steal the technology.

… CNN: “Trump is pulling out all the stops to welcome the Saudi crown prince for first WH visit since the killing of Khashoggi. Their meeting has all the trappings of a state visit (pomp and ceremony, black tie dinner, etc), though it can’t be formally considered one given Prince MBS is not Saudi Arabia’s head of state.”

… The Street: “Trump Org, the Trump family-owned real estate conglomerate, is planning to build a tokenized luxury resort in the Maldives. Trump Org and Dar Global announced the real estate plan on Nov. 17. Dar Global is a Saudi real estate development company that is headquartered in Dubai. Called the Trump Intl Hotel Maldives, it is the group’s first property in the Maldives and is the first tokenization initiative tied to the project.”

… “Tokenization is the process of leveraging blockchain technology to represent real-world assets like stocks, funds, etc. as digital tokens. What is unique to this initiative is that while most models tokenize completed assets, the Trump Intl Hotel Maldives will be tokenized in the development phase itself. It means prospective investors can participate in a luxury real estate project from the earliest stage.”

… Eric Trump: “We are delighted to bring the Trump brand to the Maldives in collaboration with Dar Global. This development will not only redefine luxury in the region but also set a new benchmark for innovation in real estate investment through tokenization.”

… MSNBC: “FBI Director Kash Patel’s country music performer girlfriend currently enjoys the protection of an FBI security detail to shield her from potential threats, prompting concerns that the arrangement may delay law enforcement from responding to other incidents.”

… “Alexis Wilkins has a security detail made up of elite FBI agents usually assigned to a SWAT team in the FBI field office in Nashville, where Wilkins spends time for her work. She and Patel first met in Nashville and while they travel together at times, they do not share a residence. Patel often travels to Washington for work but keeps a legal residence in Las Vegas.”

… “People familiar with FBI security protocols said they were unaware of any instance in which the girlfriends of top FBI officials received govt-staffed security details. SWAT team agents on a detail with Wilkins would presumably be unable to respond or delayed in responding to crises that might develop in their territory, such as mass shootings or terror attacks.”

… Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): “I don’t want anything to happen to Kash Patel or his girlfriend. Protect her if she’s threatened. It’s just F’d up that he REFUSES to protect me and my kids from MULTIPLE specific death threats. Same for other Dem colleagues. I can only conclude he wants us dead.”

… Trump posted last night that he now wants Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat “Shutdown.” The House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!”

… “Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory. Some ‘members’ of the Republican Party are being ‘used,’ and we can’t let that happen. Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein ‘TRAP,’ which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us.”

… Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA): “Okay, then release the files…you have the power to do it this very second. WHY WAIT, Donny?”

… NYT reporter Annie Karni: “Troy Nehls, who days ago said he was a hard ‘no’ on the release of the ‘Epstein hoax,’ designed by Democrats to ‘distract us from the winning of President Trump and his administration,’ tells me he will vote to release. This means it is likely unanimous.”

… There has never been a clearer example of the fact that we do not have a legislature in the United States right now. Trump tells them to vote no, so they all vote no. Then Trump changes his mind and they all change their votes. That is autocracy. Vote them out! Because you are usually lucky to only get one shot at an election after an autocrat make his move to consolidate power - this one is ours.

… Two of the leading Republican candidates challenging Sen. Jon Ossoff in GA - Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins, both announced they are reversing their positions after Trump’s post and will now vote to release the files.

… Trump was asked about Thomas Massie’s comment that he thinks Trump ordered the Epstein case to be reopened as a smokescreen for DOJ to block release of the files: “I don’t want to talk about it because fake news like you. You’re a terrible reporter - they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump admin.”

… Dep. AG Todd Blanche on the new Epstein “investigation” ordered by Trump: “We’re going to find out if there’s anybody that hasn’t been held accountable and if they’re out there, we’ll find them.”

… He doesn’t have to look very hard. Check 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

… Trump was asked today if he wants both the House and Senate to pass the Epstein bill and if he would sign it if they did: “We have nothing do with Epstein. The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats. I want people to recognize the great job I’ve done affordability.”

… Trump was asked why he thinks this only involves Democrats: “They were with Epstein all the time. I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all.”

… Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) on MSNBC: “My hunch is that Bondi, having just been ordered on social media by the president to open an investigation into a series of high-profile Democrats, will promptly say, ‘No, there’s an ongoing investigation, we can’t disclose any of this,’ and the president will back that up.”

The rampant, naked and blatant corruption of this admin is astounding - everything is for sale. Military assets, security guarantees, tech, policy, lifting of tariffs - the word is out to the worst people on the planet that if they bribe Trump they can get anything they want. Maybe even more disgusting than that is the fact that congressional Republicans remain silent about all of it so there is zero oversight or hearings.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, which started out with a lengthy list of quotes showing how MAGA is coming apart at the seams, you can find that here.

… Trump also looked and sounded like shit in the Oval Office today, he could barely keep his eyes open and his voice was hoarse and raspy. He was asked about it: Q - “Your voice sounds a little rough. Are you feeling alright? Trump: I feel great. I was shouting at people because they were stupid about something. I blew my stack.”

… He was then asked what it was all about: “A country wanted to try to renegotiate the