Tag Archives: Stephen Miller

Daily Beast: MAGA Demanded ‘Holy Hell Fire’ Before Judge’s Home Exploded

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A judge who had outraged the Trump administration received an onslaught of violent threats before an explosion tore through her home.

South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein was walking her dogs on the beach when her $1.1 million Edisto Beach home went up in flames Saturday. The fire, now under investigation by authorities, left three people severely injured—including Goodstein’s son and her husband, former Democratic state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein.

Before the explosion Goodstein, 69, had come under fire from the Trump administration because she issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Justice from accessing voter registration data held by the South Carolina Election Commission.

On Sept. 5, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump appointee, posted on X that the DOJ “would not stand” for Goodstein’s ruling.

“This [DOJ’s] Civil Rights will not stand for a state court judge’s hasty nullification of our federal voting laws,” Dhillon wrote. “I will allow nothing to stand in the way of our mandate to maintain clean voter rolls.”

What followed was a barrage of threatening replies, some calling for Goodstein’s disbarment, others suggesting imprisonment—or worse.

“Thank you. I’m so sick of these activist ‘judges’ thinking they run the country. Isn’t there something that can be done about them?” wrote one X user with more than 6,000 followers.

Another user with over 11,000 followers replied: “Rain Holy hell fire onto these judges who interfere with the Executive branch.”

“Diane S. Goodstein, may all your evil wishes and evil deeds directed towards Trump and the MAGA boomerang back and stick to you and yours a thousandfold. Shmsm. Amen,” another wrote.

According to local outlet FITSNews, Goodstein had reportedly been receiving death threats for several weeks before the fire.

The incident comes as Trump officials continue to lean on public intimidation tactics to pressure judges who rule against the administration. Trump himself has referred to members of the judiciary as “USA hating” and “monsters.”

On Saturday, the same day as the blaze, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller posted on X that “left-wing terrorism” is being “shielded by far-left Democrat judges,” in a message viewed more than 6.8 million times.

“There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general,” Miller wrote.

“The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks.”

Democratic congressman and attorney Daniel Goldman, who served as lead counsel during Trump’s first impeachment, tagged Miller in a post containing footage of the fire on Sunday.

Stephen Miller and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein,” Goldman wrote.

Miller fired back, calling Goldman “vile.”

“While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest,” Miller replied.

While the cause of the fire remains undetermined, the threats facing members of the judiciary are increasingly coming into public view. Since Trump returned to office in January, a number of judges have begun speaking out about the harassment and intimidation they’ve faced.

From October 2024 through September 2, more than 500 threats were logged against federal judges—an increase from the previous year—according to U.S. Marshals Service data.

Earlier this year, the chief federal judge for Rhode Island told NPR his court received 400 “vile, threatening voicemails,” including half a dozen “credible” death threats, after he issued a ruling that blocked President Trump’s freeze on federal aid.

Even members from the highest court have weighed in. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts voiced his own concerns at the American Law Institute’s annual meeting in 2023. “A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear. The rule of law depends on judges being able to do their jobs without intimidation or harm,” he said.

MAGA Demanded ‘Holy Hell Fire’ Before Judge’s Home Exploded
A judge who had outraged the Trump administration received an onslaught of violent threats before an explosion tore through her home. South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein was walking her dogs on the beach when her $1.1 million Edisto Beach home went up in flames Saturday. The fire, now under investigation by authorities, left three people severely injured—including Goodstein’s son and her husband, former Democratic state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein. Before the explosion Goodstein, 69

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maga-demanded-holy-hell-fire-173257060.html

Daily Beast: Stephen Miller’s Own Cousin Disowned Him in Wrenching Post

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Stephen Miller’s own cousin has disowned him for becoming “the face of evil” as the architect of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown.

Alisa Kasmer penned a lengthy Facebook post publicly severing her ties to the top Trump aide in July, just as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were carrying out hotly contested raids in Los Angeles, where she lives. Her post made fresh rounds on social media over the weekend.

Kasmer, who described herself as Miller’s cousin on his dad’s side, recalled growing up with and babysitting an “awkward, funny, needy middle child who loved to chase attention” but was “always the sweetest with the littlest family members.” She described him as “young, conservative, maybe misguided, but lovable and harmless.”

Images that accompanied the emotional post showed Kasmer and Miller going from young children donning turtlenecks and overalls to young adults dressed up in dresses and suits.

“I am living with the deep pain of watching someone I once loved become the face of evil,” Kasmer wrote. “I grieve what you’ve become, Stephen… I will never knowingly let evil into my life, no matter whose blood it carries—including my own.”

Kasmer points out that she and Miller were raised Jewish with stories about surviving pogroms, ghettos, and the Holocaust.

“We celebrated holidays each year with the reminder to stand up and say ‘never again.’ But what you are doing breaks that sacred promise. It breaks everything we were taught,” she said.

“How can you do to others what has been done to us? How can you wake up each day and repeat the cruelty that our people barely escaped from?”

Kasmer wondered out loud what happened to her cousin, who is widely credited with orchestrating the divisive immigration policy of both Trump administrations. Miller was also among the top Trump officials who set a lofty quota of at least 3,000 ICE arrests per day.

Though the quota has triggered tense clashes throughout the country between protesters and federal agents who were determined to deliver, data show that ICE arrests have fallen well below targets.

The Trump administration has consistently maintained that its immigration blitz is aimed at weeding out violent criminals. But official data show that immigrants with no criminal record make up the largest number of people in ICE detention.

“Where does this hateful obsession end? What are you trying to build besides fear? Immigrants were a part of your upbringing. Is this cruelty your way of rejecting a part of yourself?” Kasmer asked, musing that Miller’s evolution was “a perfect storm of ego, fear, hate, and ambition—all of it mangled into something cruel and hollow, masquerading as strength.”

“You’ve destroyed so many lives just to feed your own obsession and ego and uphold an administration so corrupt, so vile, I can barely comprehend it,” she went on. “Being this close to such deep cruelty fills me with shame. I am gutted. My heart breaks that this is the legacy you have brought to our family. A legacy I never asked to share with you, and one I now carry like a curse.”

In a separate Threads post over the weekend, Kasmer revealed that most of Miller’s extended family had also disowned him except for his immediate relatives, whom she said were supportive of the MAGA agenda.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Miller is no stranger to getting disowned by his family members. In 2018, his uncle David Glosser penned a scathing diatribe for Politico magazine where he was described as an “immigration hypocrite.”

Like Kasmer, Miller’s uncle—who is related to him on his mother’s side—underscored the irony of a descendant of immigrants crafting anti-immigrant policies.

“I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, an educated man who is well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country,” Glosser wrote.

Stephen Miller’s Own Cousin Disowned ‘Face of Evil’ in Wrenching Post
Stephen Miller’s own cousin has disowned him for becoming “the face of evil” as the architect of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown. Alisa Kasmer penned a lengthy Facebook post publicly severing her ties to the top Trump aide in July, just as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were carrying out hotly contested raids in Los Angeles, where she lives. Her post made fresh rounds on social media over the weekend. Kasmer, who described herself as Miller’s cousin on his d

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/stephen-miller-own-cousin-disowned-004403550.html

Daily Beast: Stephen Miller Loses the Plot as MAGA Is Blamed for Judge Attack

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Stephen Miller Melts Down as MAGA Is Blamed for Fire at Judge’s House

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller was called out for MAGA’s violent rhetoric after a fire tore through a South Carolina judge’s house.

Judge Diane Goodstein, who ruled against the Trump administration in a high-profile voter registration case, had been walking her dogs on a beach when her $1.1 million Edisto Beach home went up in flames around midday on Saturday.

Goodstein had reportedly been receiving death threats for a few weeks, the local FITSNews reported.

Three people were hospitalized after the blaze, which is being investigated by authorities.

Her husband, Arnold Goodstein, was forced to jump from the first floor to escape the blaze. He is understood to have suffered multiple broken bones. He is a former Democratic state congressman and state senator.

Trump, @StephenM and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein.

Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son.

Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this?? https://t.co/Dl8JcUted7— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) October 6, 2025

Two others were rescued by neighbors and paramedics from a marshy area at the rear of the house. Goodstein’s son, Arnold Goodstein II, is also in the hospital, but the extent of his injuries is not known.

Last month, Judge Goodstein issued a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s Department of Justice from getting access to the South Carolina Election Commission’s voter registration data.

Democratic congressman and attorney Daniel Goldman, who served as lead counsel in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, was quick to tag Miller on X with footage of the fire.

“Stephen Miller and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein,” Goldman wrote on X.

“Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son. Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this??”

Miller was quick to respond, calling Goldman “deeply warped and vile.”

MAGA mouthpiece Miller posted on X, “There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general.”

“The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks,“ Miller wrote.

“While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest,” Miller said. “Despicable.”

Goldman replied, saying that Miller was being evasive by avoiding a direct answer to his question.

“If you are trying to combat political violence, why don’t you condemn the political violence against a judge who ruled against you and your admin? It’s pretty simple: do you condemn all political violence or only that against your supporters?”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

Stephen Miller Melts Down as MAGA Is Blamed for Fire at Judge’s House
A judge’s $1.1 million beach home has gone up in flames.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-miller-loses-the-plot-as-maga-is-blamed-for-judge-attack

Daily Beast: Newsom Mocks Stephen Miller’s Meltdown Over Legal Defeat

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The governor ridiculed the top White House official after a judge halted Trump’s National Guard deployment plans.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom went on a wild posting spree mocking Stephen Miller after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deploying out-of-state National Guard troops into Portland.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump, issued an order preventing the administration’s plans to move troops from California and Texas into the Democratic stronghold of Portland, Oregon.

Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, melted down in a lengthy X post over the ruling, calling it “one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen.”

“A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the U.S. military to defend federal lives and property,” Miller added.

Newsom, a rumored Democratic 2028 contender who has taken to trolling MAGA figures online, targeted Miller with a barrage of social media posts.

In response to Miller’s 219-word X rant, Newsom posted the “I ain’t reading all that” meme–a screenshot of a direct message commonly used to dismiss long online tirades.

The Newsom’s press office account piled on after the ruling, posting “Live look at Stephen Miller tonight” alongside a photo of Voldemort, the Harry Potter villain–a common nickname for the top Trump ally seen as the architect behind many of the president’s hardline immigration plans.

Elsewhere, Newsom’s office mocked Miller after he clashed online with Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, who asked whether ordering National Guard troops from GOP-led states into Democratic states was a “red line” for Republicans.

“US Senator thinks troops can only serve in one state,” Miller wrote. In response, Newsom’s press office posted, “Stephen Miller thinks governors can ship National Guard troops across state lines to be used AGAINST American citizens. RT if you think Stephen Miller should be FIRED!”

Newsom also hit out at Trump’s plan to deploy the Texas National Guard into Chicago, as revealed by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power by the President of the United States,” Newsom wrote. “America is on the brink of martial law. Do not be silent.”

In response, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said no one “cares” what Newsom says on X. However, polls suggest that the governor’s trolling tactic is seen as more favorable than unfavorable, and is improving Newsom’s national profile ahead of a potential White House bid.

On Saturday, Judge Immergut also halted the Trump administration’s deployment of Oregon’s own National Guard into Portland, ruling the president’s claims that it was justified to tackle unrest in the city were “untethered to facts.”

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” Immergut wrote.

Newsom has publicly rebuked Trump for months following the president’s controversial decision in June to deploy the National Guard and Marines into Los Angeles to assist law enforcement during protests against ICE raids.

In September, a federal judge ruled that the deployment was illegal, blasting Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for “moving toward creating a national police force with the President as its chief.”

Newsom Mocks Stephen Miller’s Meltdown Over Legal Defeat
The governor ridiculed the top White House official after a judge halted Trump’s National Guard deployment plans.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gavin-newsom-mocks-stephen-millers-meltdown-over-legal-defeat

Newsweek: Judge Diane Goodstein’s Home Burns To Ground After Ruling Against Trump

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The home of a South Carolina judge was destroyed after it went up in flames on Saturday.

A fire engulfed the home of Judge Diane Goodstein, who serves on the state Circuit Court, and led to three people being hospitalized with injuries, including her husband, according to a report from The Post and Courier. 

The cause of the fire is not immediately known, and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said it is investigating the incident.

Newsweek contacted SLED via email on Monday outside regular working hours.

Goodstein later said she is “alright” in her first comments since the fire, made to the Daily Mail.

Why It Matters

The fire comes weeks after Goodstein issued a ruling against the Trump administration.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze, and there is currently no evidence to suggest it was an act of arson. The incident quickly sparked online conversation hostility toward members of the judiciary who rule against Trump and his allies.

What To Know

The judge’s husband, former Democratic state Senator Arnold Goodstein, was among those injured after he reportedly jumped from the house and had to be rescued from a marshy area behind the property, a neighbor said.

The neighbor, Tom Peterson, told The Post and Courier that the judge told him she was walking her dogs on the beach when the home caught fire.

Captain K.C. Campbell with the Colleton County Fire Rescue told the outlet that three people had been hospitalized, one of whom was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina.

Goodstein issued a ruling last month temporarily blocking South Carolina from handing over millions of voters’ personal data to the Trump administration.

The state’s Republican Governor Henry McMaster and DOJ official Harmeet Dhillon criticized the ruling.

Democratic Representative Daniel Goldman of New York said in a post on X that Republicans including President Donald Trump and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have been “doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein.”

Miller responded by calling Goldman “deeply warped and vile” and accused him of spreading “libelous madness,” while countering that the Trump administration has launched a “government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing.”

In recent weeks, Trump allies have ramped up their criticism of judges they accuse of being politically biased against conservatives.

Miller wrote in a post on X on Saturday that “far-left Democrat judges” were shielding a “large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country.”

And X CEO Elon Musk, who formerly served as a top adviser to Trump, on Sunday shared his agreement to a post which called to impeach “corrupt judges.”

What People Are Saying

A SLED spokesperson told FITSNews: “SLED is investigating a house fire in Colleton County. The investigation is active and ongoing. More information may be available as the investigation continues.”

The director of communications for Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, Izzy Gardon, wrote on his personal X account: “A few weeks ago, one of Trump’s top DOJ officials publicly targeted this judge. Today, the judge’s home is on fire.”

Online political commentator Wajahat Ali wrote on X: “.@elonmusk, any thoughts about South Carolina Judge Goodstein’s home burning to the ground in an apparent act of arson that almost killed her family? You just tweeted against judges today, so I’m curious if you feel you engaged in some dangerous hateful rhetoric?”

What Happens Next

An investigation into the fire at Goodstein’s home is ongoing.

Judge Diane Goodstein’s home burns to ground after ruling against Trump
Judge Diane Goodstein’s husband was among those injured after he jumped from the burning house.

https://www.newsweek.com/judge-diane-goodsteins-home-burns-to-ground-after-ruling-against-trump-10831834

Atlantic: Stephen Miller Is Going for Broke

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The White House aide equates opposition to Trump’s agenda with terrorism—and pushes for the use of state power to suppress it.

Stephen Miller spent his weekend, as he is wont to do, describing American politics as if the nation were in the advanced stages of civil war and as if he were dictating a message while racing to a mountain hideout to escape bloodthirsty guerillas. “There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded,” he wrote on X. “And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general. The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks.”

The provocation for this latest sweaty missive was an unfavorable judicial ruling (by a judge contravening President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of 200 National Guardsmen in Oregon). But violent defiance has become the animating vision through which Miller—and, therefore, on account of his sweeping influence over domestic politics, the Trump administration—views his conflict with Democrats, the media, the judiciary, or any entity that stands in his path.

The most consistent theme in Trump’s career is that any word or deed that he deems contrary to his political interests is illegitimate. Any unfavorable news story is libel, any election he loses is rigged, any unflattering fact pattern is a hoax, and almost anybody who opposes him should be locked up.

Miller’s career was defined, in its early stages, by a fanatical hatred of immigration. Over time, as Miller has emerged as the chief architect of Trump’s second-term agenda, his worldview and Trump’s have blended together.

“The Democrat Party is not a political party,” he said in August. “It is a domestic extremist organization.” Several weeks later, Trump seized on Charlie Kirk’s assassination to depict his own political opponents as accessories to murder. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said, in remarks reportedly written by Miller. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”

Kirk’s death became the immediate pretext for using state power to crush political opposition. As the shock of that murder has worn off, Miller is shifting to a more durable pretext: the political and legal backlash against Trump’s expansive deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The executive branch certainly has the right, and indeed the obligation, to enforce immigration law. Trump, though, has redefined the boundaries of this enforcement in numerous ways: by detaining people without due process, some of whom have inevitably turned out to be citizens; by seizing law-enforcement powers from states and localities; by employing masked agents who don’t always identify their agency, and who have frequently attacked journalists and bystanders.

These actions have generated public pushback, and even isolated and horrifying acts of violence—but hardly an insurrection. As the ruling turning down Trump’s demand to federalize law enforcement in Oregon notes, the administration’s assertion that Portland is in a state of revolution musters a total of four episodes of threatening behavior by protesters to justify this claim. One of the incidents is “protesters setting up a makeshift guillotine to intimidate federal officials.” Another was “someone posting a photograph of an unmarked ICE vehicle online.” The other two involved flashlights being shone in the faces of agents driving vehicles. These incidents may be regrettable, but they do not even constitute actual violence, let alone terrorism.

In the Miller-Trump formulation, however, Trump embodies both the public will and the only force standing between the public and rampant criminal anarchy. It follows that opposition to Trump in any form, including by judges issuing legal rulings, constitutes an illegal rebellion. “The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, not an Oregon judge. Portland and Oregon law enforcement, at the direction of local leaders, have refused to aid ICE officers facing relentless terrorist assault and threats to life,” Miller asserted on X. “This is an organized terrorist attack on the federal government and its officers, and the deployment of troops is an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order and the Republic itself.”

Trump’s remarks on the night of Kirk’s murder redefined violent incitement to include harsh criticism of judges. (“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law-enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.”) Now Miller himself is going after judges.

To call this “hypocrisy” is to engage Miller’s reasoning at a level upon which it does not operate. The essence of post-liberalism is the rejection of the notion that some neutral standards of conduct apply to all parties. Miller, like Trump, appears to believe his side stands for what is right and good, and his opponents stand for what is evil. Any methods used by Trump are ipso facto justified, and any methods used against him illegitimate.

A couple of weeks ago, Miller claimed that a disturbed gunman shooting Charlie Kirk impelled the government to crack down on the left. Now he says a handful of activists protesting ICE impel the government to crack down on the left.

Violence is not the cause of Trump and Miller’s desire to use state power to crush their opposition. It is the pretext for which they transparently long.

Stephen Miller Is Going for Broke
The White House aide equates opposition to Trump’s agenda with terrorism—and pushes for the use of state power to suppress it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/miller-insurrection/684463

Independent: Trump admin discussed sending the battle-ready 82nd Airborne Division into Portland, leaked texts reveal

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly considered deploying an elite Army unit to Portland, Oregon, to address protests President Donald Trump called “lawless mayhem,” according to text messages

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth considered deploying an elite Army unit to Portland, Oregon, to address what President Donald Trump called “lawless mayhem,” according to text messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Last weekend, in a crowded public setting, high-ranking Trump administration officials reportedly exchanged messages about potentially deploying the Army’s 82nd Airborne, a division historically sent into combat in both World Wars, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.

Any move to send the unit domestically would likely face legal challenges under federal restrictions on the use of military forces within the United States.

Ultimately, the administration opted to deploy 200 federalized National Guard troops to Portland rather than active-duty Army forces. The state of Oregon and the city of Portland have filed suit in federal court seeking to block that deployment.

While traveling in Minnesota, Anthony Salisbury, deputy to White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, reportedly used the private messaging app Signal to send the texts, which were visible to people nearby.

Concerned by the public discussion of sensitive military plans, a source, fearing retaliation, anonymously provided the Star Tribune with images of the texts. The newspaper confirmed Salisbury as the sender using photos, video, and facial recognition, while verifying the authenticity of the messages, it reports.

The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of War on Saturday for comment.

Over dozens of messages, Salisbury spoke candidly, sometimes profanely, with Hegseth’s adviser, Patrick Weaver, and other officials, claiming that Hegseth wanted Trump’s explicit approval before sending troops into the city.

“Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss if anything goes sideways with the troops there,” Weaver allegedly wrote.

He recognized the political risks of sending Army troops to a U.S. city, adding that Hegseth preferred deploying the National Guard instead.

“82nd is like our top tier [quick reaction force] for abroad. So it will cause a lot of headlines,” Weaver added. “Probably why he wants potus to tell him to do it.”

When approached for comment by the Star Tribune, the White House reportedly declined to address the substance of the texts, but defended Salisbury, noting he was in Minnesota to serve as a pallbearer at a family funeral.

“Despite dealing with grief from the loss of a family member, Tony continued his important work on behalf of the American people,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the outlet in a written statement. “Nothing in these private conversations, that are shamefully being reported on by morally bankrupt reporters, is new or classified information.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to answer questions for this report, but stated that the messages reflect officials “working around the clock.” A spokesperson also criticized the Star Tribune for refusing requests to provide access to the images or transcripts of the texts.

“The Department of War is a planning organization and does not speculate on potential future operations,” Parnell said. “The Department is continuously working with other agency partners to protect federal assets and personnel and to keep American communities safe.”

Trump officials considered deploying 82nd Airborne to Portland, texts show
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly considered deploying an elite Army unit to Portland, Oregon, to address protests President Donald Trump called “lawless mayhem,” according to text messages

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-portland-82-airborne-texts-b2839399.html

Daily Beast: Trump Goon Spills Bonkers Plan to Deploy 82nd Airborne to Blue City

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A senior White House aide’s messages were shared with a newspaper after he used Signal in a crowded public place.

A senior White House official accidentally disclosed that the Trump administration was considering deploying an elite army strike force into Portland by using Signal in a public place.

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Friday that Anthony Salisbury, one of Stephen Miller’s top deputies, was observed discussing the plans via Signal in view of members of the public while traveling in Minnesota. The newspaper was then contacted by one member of the public who was troubled to see sensitive military plans discussed so openly.

In the messages, senior White House officials discussed the potential deployment of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, an elite unit that specializes in parachuting into hostile territory. The division has been deployed in both world wars, including the Battle of the Bulge, as well as Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Across several conversations, the Star Tribune reports, Salisbury spoke about a range of matters with Pete Hegseth adviser Patrick Weaver as well as other officials.

In one of the messages, Weaver revealed that Hegseth wanted Trump to explicitly instruct him to send soldiers to Portland.

“Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss if anything goes sideways with the troops there,” Weaver reportedly said.

Noting the potentially disastrous optics around sending an elite division into an American city, Weaver told Salisbury, “82nd is like our top tier [quick reaction force] for abroad. So it will cause a lot of headlines. Probably why he wants potus to tell him to do it.”

Ultimately, Trump opted to send 200 National Guard soldiers into Portland, following a similar playbook used in other Democrat-controlled cities like Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Both the state of Oregon and the city of Portland have sued to stop the deployment.

Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, told the Daily Beast, “Tony recently traveled to Minnesota to serve as a pallbearer in his uncle’s funeral who passed away from cancer. Despite dealing with grief from the loss of a family member, Tony continued his important work on behalf of the American people.“

“Nothing in these private conversations, that are shamefully being reported on by morally bankrupt reporters, is new or classified information,” Jackson continued. “Frankly, this story just shows the entire Trump Administration is working around the clock—and even through funerals—to make America safe again.”

The incident marks the second time in six months that the Trump administration has experienced issues as a result of insecure lines of communication.

Earlier this year, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal chat where several high-ranking government officials discussed the logistics of a strike on Yemen’s Houthis.

The fiasco was quickly dubbed “Signalgate” and ultimately led to national security adviser Mike Waltz, who was responsible for adding Goldberg to the chat, leaving his role at the National Security Council. President Trump later appointed him Ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump has consistently asserted that sending soldiers into cities is the only way to address rampant crime. Meanwhile, the White House has admitted to “reconfiguring” crime statistics to suit Trump’s agenda after claiming that other official statistics are “phony.”

The president’s crime crackdown, which has been concentrated entirely on blue cities, is proving more and more unpopular with the American public. After looking at recent polling on Monday, CNN data guru Harry Enten told viewers, “If Donald Trump thinks that potentially sending in the National Guard into cities like Portland is a winning political issue, the polling says you’re wrong, Mr. President!”

Trump also faced a significant blow after a federal judge ruled that his deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles was illegal, with Judge Charles Breyer finding that the president had violated the Posse Comitatus Act by requiring armed soldiers to carry out domestic law enforcement activities.

Trump Goon Spills Bonkers Plan to Deploy 82nd Airborne to Blue City
A senior White House aide’s messages were shared with a newspaper after he used Signal in a crowded public place.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-goon-spills-bonkers-plan-to-deploy-82nd-airborne-to-blue-city

Raw Story: ‘Who?’ Pam Bondi and Kash Patel fail to name a single terrorist group they plan to target

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FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday failed to name one terrorist organization they plan to investigate during a news conference at the Oval Office with President Donald Trump.

Trump signed a memorandum on the implementation of the death penalty in Washington, D.C, then a series of press questions followed after claims that “this is a very safe city right now, we don’t play games.”

“Who do you specifically want to target?” a reporter asked.

The three leaders were unable to respond to the questions, saying that they would “follow the money” and investigate “any organized group.”

But they still didn’t specifically name anything or anyone.

When pressed again, he responded, “antifa Soros… Well, [billionaire Democratic donor George] Soros is a name certainly that I keep hearing… I hear a lot of different names. I hear names of some pretty rich people that are radical left people, Maybe I hear about a guy named Reid Hoffman.”

Trump reportedly demanded that Soros, a longtime villain to conservatives, be thrown in prison, and the senior DOJ official’s directive lists possible charges – from arson to material support of terrorism – that prosecutors could file, according to a copy of the document viewed by The New York Times, which noted the memo suggests department officials are targeting individuals on the president’s orders.

“I don’t know, maybe, and maybe could be him, could be a lot of people,” Trump said.

Trump indicated that he wants to stop these unnamed groups or individuals from “performing acts of violence.”

“We’re looking at the funders of a lot of these groups. You know, when you see the signs, and they’re all beautiful signs, made professionally. These aren’t your protesters that make the sign in their basement late in the evening because they really believe it,” Trump claimed.

“These are anarchists and agitators — professional anarchists and agitators — and they get hired by wealthy people, some of whom I know, I guess, you know, probably know ’em. And you wouldn’t know it. You’re at dinner with them, everything’s nice and then you find out that they funded millions of dollars to these lunatics.”

Trump also invited his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, to say a few words.

“This is a very historic and significant day,” Miller said. “This is the first time in American history that there is an all-government effort to dismantle left-wing terrorism, to dismantle antifa, to dismantle violence and terrorism.”

Last week, Trump designated antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The loose-knit group does not have a leader and is comprised of people who generally describe themselves as anarchists, socialists, communists, and don’t generally share their identities to avoid retaliation from right-wing conservatives.

Miller argued that the government was looking at Black Lives Matter, Charlie Kirk’s killing, and attacks on ICE agents as “not lone, isolated events, this is part of an organized campaign of radical left terrorism… there is really no parallel like this…”

He claimed that a feeder organization was isolating public officials, doxxing government officials and attempting political assassinations.

“It is terrorism on our soil. Because of this executive order, Kash and Pam are going to have the tools they need working with Scott to take these organizations apart piece by piece, and the central hub of that effort is going to be the Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF, which sits inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Miller said.

Miller added that the investigation of terrorists, although it’s unclear who they are, would have the full support of the U.S. government.

“But for those at home who are worried about terrorism, understand because of President Trump’s strength, because of his vision, because of his leadership, we are now going to use the entire force of the federal government to uproot these organizations root and branch,” Miller said.

‘Who?’ Pam Bondi and Kash Patel fail to name a single terrorist group they plan to target

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2674040913

Daily Beast: Top Trump Aide Ditches the White House as Exodus Speeds Up

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MAGA deputy chief of staff has spent years honing Donald Trump’s message.

One of Donald Trump’s most high-profile staffers has joined the growing line of people leaving the White House.

Taylor Budowich has spent years helping to build and lead Trump’s messaging to his MAGA faithful and the world.

Budowich—a deputy chief of staff who ran communications, cabinet affairs, and speechwriting, and was a close ally of Vice President JD Vance—is departing at month’s end, multiple outlets have reported.

He plans to return to the private sector after years at Trump’s side, including helming the main pro-Trump super PAC through most of 2023 and 2024, according to Axios and The New York Times.

The departure is striking, given his close relations with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ operation, and his years leading Trumpworld messaging.

When the Daily Beast contacted the White House for comment, they provided quotes from four of Budowich’s former colleagues.

While Trump was notable by his absence, Wiles said, “Taylor is a dear friend, and I know that President Trump holds him in very high regard. I hate to see him go, personally and professionally, but obviously wish him well in whatever he decides is next.”

Vance said Budowich is “someone I’ve personally relied on countless times during an amazing first year in office.”

Stephen Miller, a fellow deputy chief of staff, also praised him for his loyalty to Trump.

Another deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, described Budowich as a “vital asset in Trump 2.0.”

His exit follows a string of high-profile departures from Trump’s second-term power structure.

The White House’s principal deputy communications director, Alex Pfeiffer, quietly walked last week having joined the White House in January.

The MAGA supporter left to join PR shop Watchtower Strategy, whose partner Arthur Schwartz said, “Alex is one of the most effective communicators in the Republican Party, and we’re thrilled to share his talents with our clients.”

On the national-security side, retired Green Beret Mike Waltz—who flamed out as national security adviser in May after a Signal-chat fiasco—was confirmed two days later as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Beyond the West Wing, personnel turbulence has rippled through the administration.

It was reported this week that DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle—an ally of Stephen Miller—is set to depart after just 10 months, having helped drive attorney general Pam Bondi’s hard-edge agenda before deciding to return to Florida.

The comings and goings follow Elon Musk’s brief, chaotic imprint on Trump’s bureaucracy as the head of DOGE—as well as its messy fall-out that saw other high-visibility figures purged, before the government begged hundreds of government workers fired by DOGE to come back.

Top Trump Aide Ditches the White House as Exodus Gathers Pace
MAGA deputy chief of staff has spent years honing Donald Trump’s message.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-donald-trump-aide-ditches-the-white-house-as-exodus-speeds-up