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‘Pedophile protector!’ Ex-cop gets in Dan Bongino’s face over Epstein probe failures
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was confronted in public Saturday over his handling of the criminal probe into Jeffrey Epstein and potential co-conspirators, with one heckler issuing Bongino an especially brutal nickname, as seen in a clip of the confrontation that went viral on Sunday.
Details of the event Bongino was confronted are sparse, though the conservative news website The Gateway Pundit reported Sunday that it took place Saturday evening. Far-right lawyer and Army veteran Ivan Raiklin also confirmed details of the incident after refuting claims that he had been the one to confront the former FBI deputy director. Bongino has also shared at least 10 posts on social media Sunday morning mocking the group that apparently confronted him.
In the video, an unidentified individual recording the encounter approached Bongino and immediately began insulting the ex-FBI official.
“You’re a pedophile protector!” the individual can be heard shouting. “A pedophile protector, pedophile protector!”
A visibly angry Bongino fired back and could be heard shouting “go volunteer to do something!"
“I was a cop for nine years, you’re a pedophile protector, f-----!” the individual said, using a homophobic slur. “You’re a pedophile protector, f--- you, dude, f--- you!”
Raiklin was initially attributed as having been the one to confront Bongino by several prominent X users, an attribution he refuted several times.
“I wasn't the one who said that nor caused the scene,” Raiklin wrote in a social media post Sunday. “It was some former cop.”
Another clip of the encounter filmed from a different angle – shared by the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers – shows Bongino lashing out at the group, shouting “you didn’t do s—!”
Bongino has faced MAGA outrage in the wake of his resignation from the FBI over his agency’s handling of its probe into Epstein and potential co-conspirators. Despite having hyped up theories around Epstein prior to his role at the agency, he later signed off on a memo that concluded Epstein had died by suicide and that no evidence existed to prosecute potential co-conspirators of Epstein.Tom Homan scrambles to explain ICE airport duties after Trump puts him under the gun
Donald Trump’s impulsive weekend decision to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the nation’s airports to do the jobs of TSA agents not being paid by the administration, put his border czar on the spot on CNN.
Early Sunday morning, the frustrated president said ICE would pulled from their jobs grabbing immigrants off the street to help out at airports plagued by TSA sick-outs and that Homan would be responsible for getting it done.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tom Homan, who inherited former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s duties after she was fired, was pressed by host Dana Bash over training for agents who have no airport security experience .
According to Homan, it is a “work in progress” and details are still be worked out before the Monday deadline.
“Are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports?” the CNN host asked.
“Ice agents receive high-level training,” Homan insisted. “And, you know, ICE agents are assigned at many airports across the country already. They do a lot of investigation, criminal investigation on smuggling reports. But, you know, there's, I mean, there's a lot TSA agents covering exits, you know, people that enter through the exits. You know, certainly a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit that makes people don't go through those exits entering the airport, through the exits. That stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to, to reduce those lines. “
“I don't see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine because they're not trained in that,” he admitted.
After the Trump official elaborated, “So hopefully we'll have all those answers here by this afternoon, but we're working on it. And when we deploy tomorrow, we'll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” the skeptical CNN host asked, “With respect, if you're doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be?”
“Again, ICE has been at airports across the country for a long time. It's just expanding those things,” Homan pushed back. “Look, it does it –– how much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit, to make sure no one comes through that exit? And we're talking about security options. And these officers are well-trained in security and they're well-trained in identification. And we're going to do what we can to help TSA move those people through the line.”
- YouTube youtu.be
‘Did DEI play a role?’ House GOP lawmaker suggests diversity to blame for D.C. plane crash
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee suggested Thursday that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts could be to blame for a mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport that was suspected of killing more than 60 people Wednesday night.
In an interview on Fox Business News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Ogles to react to the tragedy as a House Homeland Security Committee member.
"Well, you know, at this time, you hate to jump to any conclusions," Ogles said. "Obviously, we'll look at everything, check all the boxes."
"Prayers go out to all those impacted," he continued. "But, you know, to your point, I think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened. You know, human error, was it some sort of equipment failure? Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?"
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
DEI programs have been a major target of Republicans and the incoming Trump administration. However, there is no evidence that DEI efforts were to blame for the crash.
Bourbon Street area designated as ‘enhanced security zone’ for Super Bowl
Heightened security restrictions will be in effect for the busiest section of the French Quarter starting next Wednesday through at least the day after Super Bowl LIX is played, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday.
The additional safety measures follow a Jan. 1 terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured 57 others. They apply to the first seven blocks of Bourbon Street and the parallel streets one block on each side. All blocks between Royal and Dauphine streets will become an “enhanced security zone,” where certain items will be prohibited and personal accessories could be searched or seized.
Ice chests and backpack coolers will not be allowed inside the zone. People are also discouraged from bringing standard backpacks, large purses, suitcases, fanny packs, large shopping bags and camera bags into the area. Any bags larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches – roughly the size of a clutch purse – will be subject to search, Landry said.
Anyone who refuses a police search will be denied entry to the security zone. Police also have the authority to search bags within the area, and they will remove anyone who doesn’t comply.
“We want cooperation with the public and balancing freedoms to enjoy the Quarter, with the need for these heightened security measures based upon the threat level that we saw on January 1,” the governor said during a news conference at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Ice chests have been singled out for exclusion after Shamsud-Din Jabbar placed homemade explosive devices in two coolers and left them at separate locations in the midst of Bourbon Street revelers in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The FBI said a third bomb and a detonating device were found inside Jabbar’s rented pickup that he drove down three crowded blocks of Bourbon before crashing into a mobile lift platform.
Police killed Jabbar, a 42-year-old IT worker and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, in a shootout. He flew an Islamic State flag from the truck and had posted videos online ahead of the attack professing his extremist beliefs.
Landry created the security zone and provided police with enhanced powers inside of it through an executive order. It renewed the state of emergency he declared Jan. 1 for New Orleans, and its language indicates it could potentially be extended into Carnival season.
Read the governor’s order below
“We are going to focus on the Super Bowl right now,” the governor said. “We then will pivot once we get through the Super Bowl to Mardi Gras,” implying there will be heightened safety measures in place again for the French Quarter and potentially along parade routes.
Gov. Jeff Landry addresses reporters Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, on extra security precautions in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges, left, took part in the new conference with the governor at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness in Baton Rouge. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
The governor’s order does not apply to the Superdome, where the NFL and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are handling security precautions for the Super Bowl. Landry said state and city law enforcement officers will be working within their perimeters, however.
“As you move closer to the Superdome, the security restrictions are enhanced,” Landry said.
Several streets in the vicinity of the stadium and Smoothie King Center are already closed to traffic. More will be blocked when pre-Super Bowl events take place at other downtown locations, including the Morial New Orleans Convention Center and the Saenger Theater.
The NFL championship game takes place Sunday, Feb. 9.
In addition to local, state and federal law enforcement, there will be 350 members of the Louisiana National Guard dispatched to New Orleans to assist with traffic control and security checkpoints, according to the governor.
In addition to heightened security, the temporary homeless Landry established near the Gentilly neighborhood will be used through Mardi Gras, he said. There are currently 176 people staying at a contractor-staffed Port of New Orleans storage facility on France Road, the governor said.
Landry clashed with some city officials when directed Louisiana State Police to remove unhoused people from encampments in close proximity to the Superdome. He used his emergency powers to award a contract to operate the temporary shelter, where he said residents are receiving services that “are exponentially better than the ones they were receiving on the street.”
Trump’s ‘uniquely depraved’ first 10 days part of a broader strategy: report
President Donald Trump's first ten days back in the Oval Office have included wildly controversial decisions such as granting full pardons to violent criminals who attacked a coequal branch of government on his behalf four years ago, expelling transgender service members from the United States military, and unilaterally stripping birthright citizenship from the United States Constitution.
As Rolling Stone reports, Trump and his team have concocted a strategy to "flood the zone" with "uniquely depraved" orders and policies in the hopes of mentally overwhelming a demoralized Democratic Party.
"Trump and his officials were confident the general public would grow numb — and stay numb — to this opening onslaught," the publication writes. "Trump appears to be taking that mentality to heart. The first 10 days of the administration have been marked by an unprecedented barrage of barbaric policy moves and casual executive depravity. In many cases these actions have flown in the face of the law, decades of tradition, and even the constitution."
ALSO READ: 'It's racist': Republican governor shamed for defunding state's lone Black college
The publication then throughly documents all of the actions Trump has taken over just the last ten days, which have resulted in multiple lawsuits being filed by blue-state attorneys general.
At least one Trump executive order has come back to bite him, however, as his decision to shut off all federal loans and grants this week led to mass chaos throughout the country that temporarily shut down Medicaid portals in all 50 states.
This led to a federal judge in the District of Columbia to block the freeze until at least next week.
‘No I am not!’ Elizabeth Warren yells at RFK Jr. as he dodges questions on self-dealing
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) raised her voice to yell back at Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his confirmation hearing on Wednesday as the Heath and Human Services nominee tried to twist her question in knots.
Warren pointed out that Kennedy has made over $2 million from a law firm that is searching for plaintiffs to sue over vaccines. Warren asked if Kennedy would agree that he would not accept any cash payments while serving as secretary of HHS.
Kennedy twisted the comment into Warren asking if he won't sue drug companies, putting the words in her mouth.
ALSO READ: RFK Jr. botched his financial reports — omitting $500,000 in anti-vax and law income
"You're asking me to not sue drug companies. And I'm not going to agree to that," Kennedy said.
Warren shouted over him, "No, I am not!"
"So, let's do a quick count here of how, as secretary of HHS, if you get confirmed, you could influence every one of those lawsuits," Warren, a former Harvard professor and lawyer, continued. "Well, let me start the list. You could publish your anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on us government letterhead, something a jury might be impressed by."
"I don't understand," Kennedy fumbled.
"You could appoint that vaccine panel who share your anti-vax views and let them do your dirty work," Warren continued. "You could tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccine schedule. You could remove vaccines from special compensation programs, which would open up manufacturers to mass torts. You could make more injuries eligible for compensation, even if there is no causal evidence. You could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits. You could turn over FDA data to your friends at the law firm and they could use it however, it benefited them. You could change vaccine labeling. You could change vaccine information rules. You could change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program."
She demanded to know if he would refrain from taking a financial cut from those lawsuits while at HHS and in the four years after.
All Kennedy would commit to is to follow current ethical guidelines.
See the clip below or at the link here.
- YouTube youtu.be
‘I will implement those policies’: RFK Jr. vows to ban abortion drugs if Trump says so
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to enact a ban on the abortion drug mifepristone if President Donald Trump told him to do so after he was confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) asked Kennedy about medical abortion policies during a Wednesday Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing.
"The FDA has been under scrutiny and brought to court for failure to properly assess this drug as well as subsequent deregulations," Daines opined. "Some of these deregulations included ending the requirement that these drugs be prescribed by a doctor, ending reporting requirements for adverse events, and allowing these pills to be obtained through the mail."
"In fact, the FDA's own prescribing label mentioned that three to five percent of women taking this drug end up in the emergency room," the senator continued. "My question is, if confirmed as Secretary of HHS, will you commit to working with the FDA Commission to review these deregulatory actions that are threatening the safety of women?"
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
Kennedy called the current policies on abortion drugs "immoral."
"President Trump has asked me to study the safety of mifepristone," the nominee added. "He has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it."
"Whatever he does, I will implement those policies."
‘Strongly agree’: Major law enforcement group lines up behind DeSantis and Trump
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis got an assist from a leading law enforcement organization as his push to see through a sweeping illegal immigration package in his state is being met with resistance – including from Republicans.
The Florida Sheriffs Association on Tuesday threw its support to DeSantis and President Donald Trump, who have both placed illegal immigration at the top of their legislative priorities list.
“Removing illegal immigrants who commit crimes in our Florida communities is an issue that affects all of us, and we are grateful that the Governor and the Legislature were willing to address it immediately,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, who also serves as organization president, said in a statement. “The Sheriffs of Florida strongly agree on the importance of assisting President Trump and ICE in accomplishing this vision quickly.”
Prummell added that the Florida Legislature has “worked closely” with the longtime sheriff's organization for decades “to ensure our concerns are heard so we have the tools we need to effectively and efficiently remove criminal aliens from our communities across the State of Florida, thus protecting Floridians and visitors of our great State. We are thankful for their support.”
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's 'most immediate' priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
The development comes as DeSantis has been engaged in a showdown with GOP leaders in the Florida Legislature over their conflicting views on immigration. The governor on Monday called lawmakers’ threat to rip him of immigration enforcement powers “bizarre.”
That followed DeSantis’ own threat to state lawmakers last week when he warned them, “It would be very, very hazardous politically” if they rebuffed his legislative demand.
NBC News national politics reporter Matt Dixon told his followers on X Tuesday that the FSA coming out to back DeSantis is a “pretty big deal.” He added that the sheriff’s organization is a “powerful group that aligns with Republicans, and has done a lot with DeSantis over the years.”
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‘Pedophile protector!’ Ex-cop gets in Dan Bongino’s face over Epstein probe failures
Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was confronted in public Saturday over his handling of the criminal probe into Jeffrey Epstein and potential co-conspirators, with one heckler issuing Bongino an especially brutal nickname, as seen in a clip of the confrontation that went viral on Sunday.
Details of the event Bongino was confronted are sparse, though the conservative news website The Gateway Pundit reported Sunday that it took place Saturday evening. Far-right lawyer and Army veteran Ivan Raiklin also confirmed details of the incident after refuting claims that he had been the one to confront the former FBI deputy director. Bongino has also shared at least 10 posts on social media Sunday morning mocking the group that apparently confronted him.
In the video, an unidentified individual recording the encounter approached Bongino and immediately began insulting the ex-FBI official.
“You’re a pedophile protector!” the individual can be heard shouting. “A pedophile protector, pedophile protector!”
A visibly angry Bongino fired back and could be heard shouting “go volunteer to do something!"
“I was a cop for nine years, you’re a pedophile protector, f-----!” the individual said, using a homophobic slur. “You’re a pedophile protector, f--- you, dude, f--- you!”
Raiklin was initially attributed as having been the one to confront Bongino by several prominent X users, an attribution he refuted several times.
“I wasn't the one who said that nor caused the scene,” Raiklin wrote in a social media post Sunday. “It was some former cop.”
Another clip of the encounter filmed from a different angle – shared by the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers – shows Bongino lashing out at the group, shouting “you didn’t do s—!”
Bongino has faced MAGA outrage in the wake of his resignation from the FBI over his agency’s handling of its probe into Epstein and potential co-conspirators. Despite having hyped up theories around Epstein prior to his role at the agency, he later signed off on a memo that concluded Epstein had died by suicide and that no evidence existed to prosecute potential co-conspirators of Epstein.Tom Homan scrambles to explain ICE airport duties after Trump puts him under the gun
Donald Trump’s impulsive weekend decision to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the nation’s airports to do the jobs of TSA agents not being paid by the administration, put his border czar on the spot on CNN.
Early Sunday morning, the frustrated president said ICE would pulled from their jobs grabbing immigrants off the street to help out at airports plagued by TSA sick-outs and that Homan would be responsible for getting it done.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tom Homan, who inherited former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s duties after she was fired, was pressed by host Dana Bash over training for agents who have no airport security experience .
According to Homan, it is a “work in progress” and details are still be worked out before the Monday deadline.
“Are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports?” the CNN host asked.
“Ice agents receive high-level training,” Homan insisted. “And, you know, ICE agents are assigned at many airports across the country already. They do a lot of investigation, criminal investigation on smuggling reports. But, you know, there's, I mean, there's a lot TSA agents covering exits, you know, people that enter through the exits. You know, certainly a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit that makes people don't go through those exits entering the airport, through the exits. That stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to, to reduce those lines. “
“I don't see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine because they're not trained in that,” he admitted.
After the Trump official elaborated, “So hopefully we'll have all those answers here by this afternoon, but we're working on it. And when we deploy tomorrow, we'll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” the skeptical CNN host asked, “With respect, if you're doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be?”
“Again, ICE has been at airports across the country for a long time. It's just expanding those things,” Homan pushed back. “Look, it does it –– how much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit, to make sure no one comes through that exit? And we're talking about security options. And these officers are well-trained in security and they're well-trained in identification. And we're going to do what we can to help TSA move those people through the line.”
- YouTube youtu.be
