Rogue DOJ Investigation Of Columbia Protestors Alarmed Federal Judge

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An important new report by the New York Times uncovers that senior Trump DOJ official Emil Bove instructed the Civil Rights Division to investigate pro-Palestinian protestors at Columbia University. The majority of the article focuses on career prosecutors’ discontent over the politically motivated and baseless investigation.

One striking incident from the report is a federal magistrate judge in Manhattan rejecting a search warrant against the protestors. Judge Sarah Netburn not only denied the warrant but also imposed a special condition that requires any future applications to include a transcript of the court discussions. This implies a significant breakdown at the DOJ regarding the initial search warrant application.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s on-record response to the NYT story is highly unusual and troubling. He confirmed the investigation, discussed evidence, and criticized career prosecutors in a single statement, calling the story false and accusing DOJ attorneys of negligence.

In another development, it has been revealed that Chris Krebs lost his Global Entry status and is now under federal investigation. Krebs previously served as the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency until being fired by President Trump for affirming the security of the 2020 election.

Senate Republicans are showing reservations about the nomination of acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin to the permanent position due to his lack of prosecutorial experience and questionable actions. However, no GOP senator has openly opposed the nomination yet.

Additionally, a U.S. District Judge ruled on President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act against Venezuelan nationals, finding that the invocation exceeded the wartime statute’s scope but leaving room for presidential discretion in crafting future invocations.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson condemned political attacks on the judiciary during a conference in Puerto Rico, highlighting the threats to democracy and the rule of law.

President Trump’s executive orders targeting public broadcasting, USAID, and IMLS have led to disruptions, while a profile by Ben Terris sheds light on the decline of Senator John Fetterman. The Pentagon inspector general has expanded its investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s misuse of Signal to include group chats involving his family.

Furthermore, Mike Waltz’s shift from national security adviser to a UN ambassador nomination underscores the ongoing twists and turns in the current administration.