Monday, February 23, 2026

Jack Smith Defends Anti-Trump Lawfare Amid Congressional Probe, Possible Indictment.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations into President Donald J.Trump, denying claims of political motivation despite facing a pending congressional probe and possible indictment over his actions.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jack Smith, President Trump, Biden-era Attorney General Merrick Garland, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, and U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones.

📍WHEN & WHERE: October 2025, at University College London, and ongoing developments in the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The idea that politics would play a role in big cases like this, it’s absolutely ludicrous and it’s totally contrary to my experience as a prosecutor.” – Jack Smith

🎯IMPACT: The former special counsel and spearhead of the former Biden government’s anti-Trump lawfare campaign is facing potential serious legal jeopardy, making his arrogant public comments unusual.

IN FULL

Former Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith, who led the Democrat lawfare efforts against President Donald J. Trump before they were dropped following Trump’s landslide 2024 election victory, is publicly defending his investigations in the face of a new congressional probe and possible indictment early next year in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Speaking in London, England, last week, Smith claimed his team acted independently and downplayed serious allegations that his goal was to interfere in the 2024 presidential election. “These are team players who don’t want to do anything but good in the world. They’re not interested in politics,” Smith claimed of his special counsel staff. Notably, neither Smith nor his team of investigators received a pardon from former President Joe Biden in the waning days of the Biden White House.

Smith went on to argue that it was “absolutely ludicrous” to imply that his investigations were politically motivated. Appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022, possibly unlawfully, Smith oversaw investigations into Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riots.

The former special counsel and spearhead of the former Biden government’s anti-Trump lawfare campaign is facing potential serious legal jeopardy, making his arrogant public comments unusual. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has called for Smith to testify behind closed doors by October 28, accusing him of overseeing “politically motivated investigations.”

This includes allegations that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents, under Smith’s direction, obtained phone toll records of Republican lawmakers during the January 6 probe. Smith’s team reportedly used a grand jury subpoena for these records, although there is no indication that the lawmakers were targets of the investigation. Meanwhile, the independent Office of Special Counsel has opened an inquiry into whether Smith violated the Hatch Act, a rarely investigated matter for former prosecutors.

Also of concern for Smith is a legal filing from late September, which revealed Miami, Florida’s U.S. Attorney, Jason Reding Quiñones, has empaneled a grand jury in Fort Pierce, where Smith’s document case prosecution against President Trump took place. Set to begin reviewing evidence in an unknown case on January 12, 2026, the grand jury empanelment has led to significant speculation that Smith could be facing prosecution for actions taken during the documents case—including the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.

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D.C. Bar Association Continues Its Anti-Trump Lawfare, Recommends Jeff Clark Be Disbarred.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Acting Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Director Jeff Clark has been recommended for disbarment in a politically motivated case brought before the District of Columbia Bar. The complaint against Clark dates back to the 2020 election when he drafted an unpublished letter outlining legal paths for certain lawmakers to challenge the election results.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jeff Clark, the D.C. Bar, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Bar Association determination was issued Thursday, 31, 2025.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “A majority of the Board recommends that Respondent be disbarred. We recognize that there are no factually comparable prior disciplinary cases.” — The D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility

🎯IMPACT: Unless the District of Columbia Court of Appeals intervenes, Clark will face the suspension of his ability to practice law within 30 days as his case continues to proceed.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump‘s Acting Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) director, Jeff Clark, has been recommended for disbarment in a politically motivated case brought before the District of Columbia Bar. The complaint against Clark dates back to the 2020 election when he drafted an unpublished letter outlining legal paths for certain lawmakers to challenge the election results. At the time, Clark was serving at the Department of Justice (DOJ) as Assistant Attorney General.

“A majority of the Board recommends that Respondent be disbarred. We recognize that there are no factually comparable prior disciplinary cases. But that is not surprising given the underlying facts. In making this recommendation, we are mindful of the need to maintain the integrity of the legal profession and deter the respondent and other attorneys from engaging in similar misconduct,” the D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility wrote in their recommendation, issued on Thursday.

“Lawyers must observe the highest standard of professional conduct. At a minimum, they must be honest. While dishonesty is always intolerable, the facts here are significantly aggravating to warrant disbarment: Respondent was prepared to cause the Justice Department to tell a lie about the status of its investigation of an important national issue (the integrity of the 2020 Presidential election),” it continues.

“Lawyers cannot advocate for any outcome based on false statements, and they certainly cannot urge others to do so. Respondent persistently and energetically sought to do just that on an important national issue. He should be disbarred as a consequence and to send a message to the rest of the Bar and to the public that this behavior will not be tolerated,” the D.C. Bar recommendation concludes.

Critics soundly argue that the recommendation is a clear and disturbing attempt to punish an attorney for simply stating their legal opinion, a point that was repeatedly brought up and acknowledged by the board during a hearing last year. Even more troubling, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—under the former Biden government—never provided a reason for their raid on Clark’s home, an incident some contend was thinly veiled political harassment.

Unless the District of Columbia Court of Appeals intervenes, Clark will face the suspension of his ability to practice law within 30 days as his case proceeds. Notably, former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who lied on a FISA warrant targeting the Trump campaign, only received a sentence of 12 months’ probation and 400 hours of community service, along with only losing his law license for one year. Clinesmith is currently an “active member” in “good standing” with the Bar.

Curiously, it was controversial U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg who issued the unusually light punishment to Clinesmith.

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Businessman, Police Chiefs Indicted for Obtaining Visas for Illegals.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal prosecutors have filed a 62-count indictment against a Louisiana businessman and four senior law enforcement officials over an alleged scheme to use false police reports to obtain U-Visa status for illegal immigrants who paid them tens of thousands of dollars.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local Louisiana businessman Chandrakant “Lala” Patel; Chad Doyle, Chief of Police for the City of Oakdale; Glynn Dixon, Chief of Police for the City of Forest Hill; Tebo Onishea, former Chief of Police for the City of Glenmora; Michael “Freck” Slaney, Marshal of the Ward 5 Marshal’s Office in Oakdale; and unnamed illegal immigrants.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The indictment was revealed on July 16, 2025; the scheme is alleged to have taken place from at least December 26, 2015, until July 15, 2025.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), “[T]he defendants each face a sentence of up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years on the visa fraud charges; up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge; and Patel faces up to 10 years on the bribery charge. In addition, they could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. “

🎯IMPACT: The federal charges raise questions regarding the legitimacy of U-Visa status and the potential for the program’s abuse.

IN FULL

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana has moved to indict three local Louisiana police chiefs, a city marshal, and a prominent business leader over an alleged immigration fraud scheme that gamed the U nonimmigrant status (“U-Visa”) system.

According to the 62-count indictment, local Louisiana businessman Chandrakant Patel—also known as “Lala”—conspired from at least December 26, 2015, until July 15, 2025 with Chad Doyle, Chief of Police for the City of Oakdale; Glynn Dixon, Chief of Police for the City of Forest Hill; Tebo Onishea, former Chief of Police for the City of Glenmora; and Michael “Freck” Slaney, Marshal of the Ward 5 Marshal’s Office in Oakdale to fabricate crimes in which illegal immigrants or legal immigrants with expiring status would be named as victims or witnesses. This allowed the immigrants to falsely obtain a U-Visa, allowing them to remain in the United States legally.

Federal prosecutors allege that illegal and legal immigrants would contact Patel either directly or through an intermediary to request to be named as “victims” in false police reports, paying Patel tens of thousands of dollars for the criminal act. Subsequently, after payment, Patel would proceed to contact either Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, or Onishea in order to have a false police report, usually regarding armed robbery, created with the immigrant’s name listed as the victim or witness. This would then allow the immigrant to file an application for a U-Visa, with the police report nearly guaranteeing they would secure status.

Notably, the U nonimmigrant status or U-Visa was created in 2000 through Congress’s adoption of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. The law’s intent is to aid law enforcement investigations by granting the ability to provide certain legal protections to illegal immigrants who are either victims or material witnesses to a crime—effecively removing the threat of deportation in exchange for their cooperation.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), “[T]he defendants each face a sentence of up to 5 years in prison on the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years on the visa fraud charges; up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge; and Patel faces up to 10 years on the bribery charge. In addition, they could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. “

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These FBI Emails Prove Biden DOJ Targeted Trump Over J6 Choir.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Internal Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) emails revealed the Biden Justice Department’s effort to target President Donald J. Trump over a January 6 defendant choir.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor J.P. Cooney, FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and President Donald J. Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: March 2023, emails were obtained in June 2025 and reviewed by Senator Grassley in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Can we do some work to nail down Trump’s role in this,” wrote JP Cooney in an email to DOJ colleagues.

🎯IMPACT: Senator Grassley called it a “clear example” of the federal government weaponizing the DOJ against Trump.

IN FULL

Internal Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) emails obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have revealed that the Joe Biden-era Department of Justice (DOJ) targeted President Donald J. Trump over a choir involving January 6 defendants. The emails show what was described as an “obsession with piling on Trump charges.”

An email from March 8, 2023, written by DOJ prosecutor J.P. Cooney, stated, “Can we do some work to nail down Trump’s role in this,” with the subject line “J6 Prisoner Choir/DJT.” The email included a Forbes article reporting that Trump collaborated on a song with January 6 defendants. Cooney noted that Trump recorded the Pledge of Allegiance at Mar-a-Lago, with Kash Patel and Ed Henry also involved.

Cooney’s email also mentioned that profits from the song were directed to an LLC run by Ed Henry, with proceeds intended for the families of incarcerated January 6 defendants. Cooney instructed DOJ colleagues to preserve related information and investigate Trump’s role further. The email was sent to eight DOJ staff members, including FBI Special Agent Walter Giardina.

Grassley highlighted Giardina’s involvement in what he called “overzealous” actions against Trump and his allies, including the investigation of Trump advisor Peter Navarro and Giardina’s role in the now-debunked Russia collusion hoax. Grassley stated that Giardina was the “initial recipient of the Steele Dossier” and accused him of improperly destroying government records while working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Grassley criticized the DOJ and FBI, saying, “Instead of focusing on DOJ and FBI’s core law enforcement responsibilities, partisan prosecutors and agents were surfing the web to find any shred of information they could use to spin another baseless case against Trump. Their actions are a disservice to Americans, who pay their salaries and depend on DOJ and FBI to keep them safe.”

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Bannon Reveals Jack Smith’s Lawfare Team ‘Quite Upset’ Biden Didn’t Grant Them Pardons.

Former White House chief strategist and War Room host Stephen K. Bannon revealed former Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith and his team of federal attorneys, who waged a partisan lawfare campaign against President Donald J. Trump, are “quite upset that they didn’t get pardons” before former President Joe Biden left office last month. According to Bannon, the Biden DOJ lawfare specialists fear they will be the target of investigations by the department’s new leadership appointed by President Trump. Bannon believes this fear is justified.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of people that go to prison. I mean, I think a lot of people are going to go to prison for many, many years,” Bannon said in a recent interview with GBN America. He argued a sense of “arrogance” blinded Jack Smith and his team to the likelihood that Trump would win the 2024 presidential election.

“And I hear that Jack Smith’s team is quite upset that they didn’t get pardons,” Bannon revealed while offering Smith some advice: “I will just tell them, lawyer up. You know, you might want to check countries that don’t have [extradition] treaties with the United States, right? You might want to look at living the rest of your life there because investigations are going to happen.”

Bannon, himself a target of the Biden DOJ’s lawfare campaign against Trump and his allies, indicated that the beginnings of these investigations could already be underway, given who Trump appointed to the DOJ.

However, the former White House chief strategist cautioned that reviewing the Biden government’s lawfare efforts is a monumental task, and that President Trump and his DOJ may be better served appointing a special prosecutor to oversee the investigations and impanel a grand jury.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Former White House chief strategist and War Room host Stephen K. Bannon revealed former Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith and his team of federal attorneys, who waged a partisan lawfare campaign against President Donald J. Trump, are "quite upset that they didn't get pardons" before former President Joe Biden left office last month. According to Bannon, the Biden DOJ lawfare specialists fear they will be the target of investigations by the department's new leadership appointed by President Trump. Bannon believes this fear is justified. show more

Trump’s DOJ Ends Biden Govt Lawfare Against Journalists Who Exposed Ashley Biden Diary.

President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to end a Biden government-initiated grand jury investigation targeting Spencer Meads, Eric Cochran, and James O’Keefe for their efforts to expose and publish the diary of former President Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden. In the course of its investigation, the Biden DOJ directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct predawn raids against the three men, seizing their electronic devices in violation of their rights as journalists under the First Amendment.

Critics contend that the lawfare effort was intended to chill independent journalists who sought to uncover details about Joe Biden and his family. During his four-year tenure in the White House, Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, faced a bevy of accusations that they profited from the 82-year-old Democrat’s positions in public office and laundered their ill-gotten gains through other family members.

The Ashely Biden diary notably contained details suggesting she may have been sexually molested by a family member as a child. Additionally, the diary alludes to her father, Joe Biden, showering naked with her at an age that was “probably not appropriate.” In a letter filed with a federal U.S. District Court, Ashley Biden confirmed the diary’s authenticity.

Last year, Aimee Harris, a Florida resident, was sentenced in a federal court to one month in prison and three months of home detention for stealing and selling the diary. Harris turned the diary over to Project Veritas in return for $20,000. Biden’s daughter had left her diary at a friend’s residence in Delray Beach, Florida.

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President Donald J. Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to end a Biden government-initiated grand jury investigation targeting Spencer Meads, Eric Cochran, and James O’Keefe for their efforts to expose and publish the diary of former President Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden. In the course of its investigation, the Biden DOJ directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct predawn raids against the three men, seizing their electronic devices in violation of their rights as journalists under the First Amendment. show more

DOJ Ends Suit Against Virginia for Removing Noncitizens from Voter Rolls.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is withdrawing its lawsuit against Virginia, initially filed by the Biden government, seeking to bar the removal of noncitizens from the Commonwealth’s voter rolls. The move comports with a number of recent legal filings ramping down the Biden government’s lawfare actions following President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

The lawsuit was initiated in October following Virginia’s efforts to exclude approximately 1,600 individuals identified as potential non-citizens from its voter rolls. A federal judge had previously mandated Virginia reverse this decision and reinstate those individuals onto the voter lists. However, the U.S. Supreme Court later intervened by lifting the federal judge’s injunction, effectively allowing Virginia to proceed with its maintenance program for the voter registration rolls.

This ruling enabled the state to continue its policy of excluding non-citizens from voter eligibility, aligning state and federal law.

The Department of Justice’s recent decision to dismiss its lawsuit signals an acceptance of the current legal position outlined by the Supreme Court. Without this federal case hanging over it, Virginia is now free to maintain its voter roll practices as currently implemented.

During the 2024 election, The National Pulse documented numerous instances of noncitizens unlawfully casting ballots in American state and federal elections. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress attempted to close several legal loopholes by advancing the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act but were blocked by the then-Democrat-controlled Senate.

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is withdrawing its lawsuit against Virginia, initially filed by the Biden government, seeking to bar the removal of noncitizens from the Commonwealth's voter rolls. The move comports with a number of recent legal filings ramping down the Biden government's lawfare actions following President Donald J. Trump's inauguration on January 20. show more

Trump Drops Biden Govt Charges Against Doctor Who Exposed Clandestine Transing of Kids.

President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to dismiss the federal prosecution initiated by the Biden government against Texas doctor and whistleblower Eithan Haim. Last summer, the Biden DOJ filed charges against Dr. Haim after he exposed a Texas hospital’s clandestine program administering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and other sex-change operations on minors.

“The United States, appearing through its undersigned attorneys, and the defendant, Eithan David Haim, hereby move this Court for an order dismissing the Second Superseding Indictment and all open counts with prejudice,” the filing reads.

In 2023, Haim had alerted several media outlets, including City Journal, that the Texas Children’s Hospital transgender medicine program included minor children among its patients, despite the hospital publicly stating otherwise. The ensuing controversy led the Texas state legislature to ban transgender medical procedures from being conducted on minors altogether.

Following the disclosure, the Biden government sent federal agents to Haim’s residence to question him and inform him he was under federal investigation. Nearly a year later, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Ansari indicted Haim on four felony counts for violating federal HIPAA statutes.

In response to the charges, Haim’s attorney insisted that the doctor went to great lengths to comply with HIPAA standards, even in his leaks to the media, redacting any patient-identifying information from the documents he provided reporters. The Biden government’s persecution of the medical whistleblower drew outrage from activists who oppose the medical community’s negligence regarding the radical and controversial transgender procedures.

Image by Gage Skidmore. 

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President Donald J. Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to dismiss the federal prosecution initiated by the Biden government against Texas doctor and whistleblower Eithan Haim. Last summer, the Biden DOJ filed charges against Dr. Haim after he exposed a Texas hospital’s clandestine program administering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and other sex-change operations on minors. show more

President Trump Pardons Pro-Life Activists Imprisoned by Biden.

President Donald J. Trump is issuing pardons for 23 pro-life activists who were prosecuted and imprisoned by the Biden-Harris government. The move comes on the heels of Trump’s mass clemency order for over 1,500 January 6 Capitol riot defendants shortly after he was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday.

“This is a great honor to sign this,” Trump said while signing the executive order:


The pardons come just before Friday as the 52nd annual March for Life is held in Washington, D.C. Among those receiving clemency are John Hinshaw, Jonathan Darnell, Lauren Handy, Calvin Zastrow, Herb Geraghty, Jean Marshall, Heather Idoni, Paulette Harlow, Bevelyn Williams, and Joan Bell. Each was sentenced to around two years or more in prison for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), a statute signed into law by former President Bill Clinton that has dubiously been used to prosecute peaceful protesters outside abortion clinics.

“I had a great conversation this morning with [President Donald J. Trump] about the pro-life prisoners unjustly persecuted and imprisoned by the corrupt Biden Administration,” wrote Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a close ally of Trump, on Thursday, just hours before the President announced the clemency orders. “I urged him to pardon them swiftly. They have done nothing wrong!”

During Joe Biden’s term in the White House, his Department of Justice (DOJ) aggressively persecuted pro-life activists under the direction of Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s civil rights division. Clarke became infamous for pushing highly partisan prosecutions and stretching legal statutes to create the appearance of a crime when arguably none existed.

The radical assistant attorney general went so far as to prosecute an 89-year-old Yugoslavian communist concentration camp survivor for her participation in a pro-life protest.

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President Donald J. Trump is issuing pardons for 23 pro-life activists who were prosecuted and imprisoned by the Biden-Harris government. The move comes on the heels of Trump's mass clemency order for over 1,500 January 6 Capitol riot defendants shortly after he was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday. show more

WATCH: This Is What Is Delaying January 6 Defendant Releases, According to GOP Congressman.

Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ) says a group of federal judges who presided over the prosecutions of January 6 Capitol riot defendants are causing the delay in their release. Earlier this week, President Donald J. Trump, just after taking the Oath of Office, granted a sweeping pardon to almost every individual charged—nearly 1,600 in total—by the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) for participating in the 2021 riots.

“I just got off the phone with a pretty high-ranking official within the administration who has intimate knowledge of the situation and is also fighting to get these individuals released, who told me that the holdup—and many of you already know this—is a couple of the judges,” Rep. Crane says in a video he posted to X (formerly Twitter). The Arizona Republican continues: “Two that were mentioned are Judge Nichols and Judge Kelly. Keep in mind that these are some of the same individuals that put these individuals behind bars.”

“And one of the things I found most interesting about what this source told me was that these are the same guys that repeatedly will not hold gangbangers that are caught with guns that they’re not supposed to have on pre-trial detentions. So many of the most dangerous criminals here in Washington, D.C. are being given a pass while these judges will not comply, and they’ve been slow-rolling the release of these January 6 prisoners.”

‘PAPERWORK ISSUES.’

Rep. Crane claims the Bureau of Prisons is “ready to go” on releasing the remaining individuals pardoned by President Trump but is still awaiting the signed paperwork from the federal judges overseeing the January 6 cases. While a number of the pardoned January 6 defendants have been released, many still remain in prison.

Since the clemency announcement, social media has been rife with speculation that Washington, D.C.’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, or the Metropolitan Police Department are behind the delays. However, Rep. Crane’s claim adds credence to speculation that paperwork issues and certification of the pardons are the main reason why some January 6 defendants remain in prison.

WATCH:

Image by Tyler Merbler.

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Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ) says a group of federal judges who presided over the prosecutions of January 6 Capitol riot defendants are causing the delay in their release. Earlier this week, President Donald J. Trump, just after taking the Oath of Office, granted a sweeping pardon to almost every individual charged—nearly 1,600 in total—by the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) for participating in the 2021 riots. show more