Author: NOVA Corp

A U.S. judge in Maryland rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, using an otherwise procedural order Tuesday to scold the Justice Department for its conduct and for attempting, in the judge’s view, to “dictate” the actions of the court.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis took umbrage at the government’s demand that she rule by mid-April on their request for her to dissolve her injunction keeping Abrego Garcia in the U.S. for now, and allowing them to deport him to Liberia.

She sharply disputed the Justice Department’s assertion that the court “must” rule by that date, at risk of having the injunction ignored. 

“Respondents cannot dictate the Court’s schedule or the outcome of the motion,” Xinis said. “Nor can they appeal a judicial order that does not exist.”

ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT

Ultimately, Xinis said Tuesday, the request was “not ripe” for the court to rule on the government’s removal of Abrego Garcia, and set new briefing dates for both parties.

She also set a new briefing schedule, with filings due on April 20, and a new hearing date, scheduled for April 28.

Lawyers for the Trump administration told the court during a hearing hours earlier that they still intend to deport Abrego Garcia to the African country of Liberia, despite a new agreement between the U.S. and Costa Rica that would allow him to be sent there. 

Acting ICE director Todd Lyons argued that allowing Abrego Garcia to be sent to Costa Rica, his preferred country of removal, would be “prejudicial” to the U.S., citing what Lyons described as the “significant” government resources and capital the U.S. has invested in negotiating his removal and the removal of certain other migrants to Liberia.

Another official suggested Abrego Garcia could “remove himself” to Costa Rica, should he choose to live there, which the judge noted was a “fantasy.”

ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS ASK US JUDGE TO ORDER RETURN TO MARYLAND AMID ONGOING CRIMINAL CASE

Abrego Garcia’s status has been at the center of a legal and political maelstrom since March 2025, when he was deported to his home country of El Salvador, despite a 2019 order from an immigration judge. He was returned by the Trump administration to the U.S. late last spring. 

Xinis, who has presided over Abrego Garcia’s civil cases for the last 13 months, has developed a reputation for her careful, methodological style of questioning — a process she previously likened to “eating an elephant, one bite at a time.” But the laborious review process has sparked criticism from Trump allies and Justice Department lawyers alike, who have expressed frustration with the lengthy timeline and what they argue are undue delays to removal efforts.

ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT

The Justice Department has bitterly disputed Abrego Garcia’s current status in the U.S. for months, as well as the injunction keeping him in the country, for now.

His case has been further complicated by several details, including the November 2025 determination that Abrego Garcia had not been issued a final notice of removal needed to deport him to a third country.

Still, Xinis’ unusually pointed order lays out what the judge described as a “careful recapitulation” of the case history, before concluding that “if anyone, Respondents bear the responsibility for substantial delay.”

Trump administration officials have for months sparred over the final notice of removal in question, as well as whether the court should consider a retroactive removal order that an immigration judge issued in December. Other hearings have focused on what, if any, assurances the four African nations previously identified for Abrego Garcia’s removal had provided, should he be deported there. 

Lawyers for the Trump administration have suggested on multiple occasions that Xinis lacks jurisdiction to review Abrego Garcia’s case, citing matters involving diplomacy and foreign sovereigns, an area where presidential powers are at their strongest. 

Senior Trump administration officials have assailed Xinis and other district judges as “activist” judges whom they say have overstepped their powers in halting or pausing some of the president’s biggest policy priorities, including on immigration issues and enforcement.

Xinis, for her part, has proceeded unfazed. She said in February that the government had failed to provide the court with any “good reason to believe” that they plan to remove Abrego Garcia to a third country in the “reasonably foreseeable future.” 

Instead, she said, the government “made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success.”

A federal judge declined to block the Trump administration’s Medicaid funding deferral to Minnesota, finding the state’s challenge was premature and giving the White House a temporary legal win as it expands its anti-fraud push.

Judge Eric Tostrud, an appointee of President Donald Trump, concluded this week that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could, for now, withhold more than $259 million in Medicaid funds from Minnesota and require the state to provide piecemeal evidence that Medicaid reimbursements were legitimate before receiving them. 

The order was a boon to the Trump administration’s new, aggressive anti-fraud campaign that was largely spurred by a recent multimillion-dollar welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota.

Tostrud said in a 42-page order that Minnesota’s lawsuit challenging the deferral was premature and that a preliminary injunction was unwarranted for numerous reasons.

VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR

“Some of the legal theories Minnesota asserts are novel, and the law does not support them,” Tostrud said.

The White House announced an anti-fraud task force in March, saying in an executive order that “staggering fraud and waste in Minnesota alone is a case in point.” Trump tapped Vice President JD Vance as the fraud czar, and the task force has taken a multi-agency approach to its crackdown.

CMS, led by Administrator Mehmet Oz, was enlisted to be more proactive with Medicaid by temporarily withholding reimbursements to states over potential instances of fraud rather than proven fraud. In addition to Minnesota, CMS is also eyeing Medicaid deferrals in California, New York and Maine, meaning more litigation could arise and lead to federal judges across the country weighing in and a potential escalation to higher courts.

Minnesota’s notorious $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal first broke onto the national radar in 2022 and drew renewed national attention in 2025 as convictions piled up and the state became a flashpoint in the broader fight over public-benefits fraud.

A state-commissioned review of Minnesota’s Medicaid program report became a major flashpoint this year in the Trump administration’s broader “war on fraud.” The report highlighted vulnerabilities in 14 “high-risk” Medicaid services during a four-year period and flagged that $1.7 billion could have been “potentially improper.”

NEW AUDIT EXPOSES FLAWED SYSTEM CRITICS SAY LET MINNESOTA FRAUD TO SLIP THROUGH CRACKS: ‘DIDN’T ACT FOR YEARS’

In the state’s lawsuit against the Trump administration and CMS, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison alleged that “the federal government has … weaponized Medicaid against Minnesota as political punishment” in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act and due process under the Constitution.

“Deferral has never been used to categorically deny funds to a state across entire service areas, as is being done here,” Ellison’s complaint read.

Citing the 2019 Supreme Court case Department of Commerce v. New York, Tostrud said that even if the Trump administration’s motives were, in part, political, that would not necessarily deem the Medicaid deferral unlawful.

“A court may not set aside an agency’s policymaking decision solely because it might have been influenced by political considerations or prompted by an Administration’s priorities,” Tostrud wrote, quoting a concurring opinion in the case. “Agency policymaking is not a rarified technocratic process, unaffected by political considerations or the presence of Presidential power.”

Ellison’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rebuked media outlets for running with an Iranian narrative that President Donald Trump had agreed to a wildly slanted 10-point peace plan from Tehran on Wednesday.

Leavitt made the comments while speaking to reporters at a press conference, saying the version of the 10-point plan Iran had released publicly was very different from the one Trump and the U.S. had agreed to.

“So let me be clear and correct the record,” Leavitt said. “The Iranians originally put forward a 10-point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded. It was literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team,” Leavitt said.

“Many outlets in this room have falsely reported on that plan as being acceptable to the United States. And that is false,” she added.

WHITE HOUSE ERUPTS OVER CNN REPORT CLAIMING TRUMP TEAM UNDERESTIMATED IRAN RESPONSE ON HORMUZ

Leavitt said negotiations with Iran are taking place behind closed doors, and she did not offer details about the version of the agreement that Trump described as “workable” prior to the Tuesday night truce.

The plan Iran released publicly makes several eyebrow-raising demands, including that the U.S. end all primary and secondary sanctions against Tehran. The plan also demands that Iran gain full control over the Strait of Hormuz, something it did not enjoy even before the war began.

The plan also demands compensation for damage sustained by Iran during the war and a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East.

TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT

Trump publicly blasted that version of the plan in a statement on Wednesday.

“Numerous Agreements, Lists, and Letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the U.S.A. / Iran Negotiation, in many cases, they are total Fraudsters, Charlatans, and WORSE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“There is only one group of meaningful “POINTS” that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these Negotiations. These are the POINTS that are the basis on which we agreed to a CEASEFIRE,” Trump wrote.

In a rapid turn Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran just hours after warning the regime would face devastating consequences. 

But within hours of the agreement, Gulf states already were reporting drone attacks and officials signaled the agreement may already be under strain.

The two-week ceasefire, brokered with help from Pakistan, was framed by the White House as a step toward broader negotiations, and defense officials said U.S. strikes on Iran had halted following Trump’s announcement Tuesday night.

But within hours, Israel launched its largest strike yet on Hezbollah in Lebanon — which is not covered by the ceasefire — and Iranian state media signaled Tehran could again restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz as fighting in Lebanon continues.

GEN JACK KEANE ‘SKEPTICAL’ THAT IRAN CEASEFIRE WILL HOLD, WARNS TEHRAN WILL ‘DELAY AND OBFUSCATE’

“The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement posted to X. “The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.” 

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed nine drones in recent hours, while the United Arab Emirates reported intercepting 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones. Kuwait’s military said it intercepted 42 drones and four ballistic missiles launched since early Wednesday, some targeting oil facilities, power stations and other critical infrastructure. 

Bahrain also reported injuries and damage after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone fell in a residential area.

The regional attacks came after Iran launched missile barrages toward Israel in the hours surrounding the ceasefire announcement Tuesday night, triggering sirens across major cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson told Fox News Digital that there were launches toward Israel from Iran after the ceasefire took effect. 

“This is a fragile truce,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday when asked about reported violations at a White House press briefing. “Ceasefires are fragile by nature. We’ve seen this with respect to the 12-day war with Iran in Israel last year. It takes time sometimes for these ceasefires to be fully effectuated.” 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the ceasefire, said Wednesday “violations of ceasefire have been reported at few places,” urging all sides to exercise restraint and preserve the agreement.

“It takes time sometimes for ceasefires to take hold,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned in a news conference Wednesday morning. “We’re prepared if necessary, but we hope and believe it will hold.”

He said the Pentagon was monitoring attacks that happened Tuesday night “in real time.” 

“Iran would be wise to find a way to get the carrier pigeon to their troops out in remote locations, not to shoot any longer, one way attacks or missiles,” he said. 

U.S. Central Command declined to say whether any Iranian activity has continued since the ceasefire took effect, offering no additional details beyond remarks from War Department leadership earlier Wednesday.

IRAN CONFLICT TESTS PAKISTAN AMID OWN BORDER CLASHES AS ISLAMABAD TOUTED AS VENUE FOR US-TEHRAN TALKS

Trump said he agreed to pause strikes on Iran on the condition of “complete, immediate, and safe” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in longer-term negotiations. 

But the Iranian navy told ships anchored near the key global shipping route Wednesday they still need Iran’s permission to pass, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“The president was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium,” Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “That is completely unacceptable. And again, this is a case of what they’re saying publicly is different. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. And I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately.” 

Trump suggested Wednesday to ABC that both Iran and the U.S. may collect tolls from the Strait in a “joint venture,” though details remain unclear. 

Vice President JD Vance, White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head Pakistan for the first round of peace talks with Iran on Saturday, the White House said. Any discussions could be complicated by reports of continued attacks across the region.

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

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not sit for a planned deposition before the House Oversight Committee as part of its probe into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the panel’s Republican majority said Wednesday. 

“The Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General,” a House Oversight Committee spokeswoman told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The Committee will contact Pam Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”

The committee has not withdrawn the subpoena, meaning Bondi could still be required to sit for a deposition.

Democrats on the committee pushed back on the Justice Department’s explanation in a statement to Fox News Digital.

EPSTEIN’S ACCOUNTANT AND LAWYER REVEAL DOJ NEVER QUESTIONED THEM ABOUT DISGRACED FINANCIER’S CRIMES

“Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight Committee about the Epstein files and the White House cover-up,” Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., fired back Wednesday. “Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the Attorney General or not.”

President Donald Trump ousted Bondi from the Justice Department last week after she faced bipartisan scrutiny of her handling of the Epstein files. 

Garcia added that he would move to hold Bondi in contempt of Congress if she does not comply with the subpoena to appear before the panel. 

The House Oversight Committee could recommend criminal charges against Bondi for defying a subpoena, but the measure would be subject to a chamber-wide vote and would ultimately be up to the DOJ whether to file charges.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to weigh in on whether Bondi should comply with the subpoena during a news conference Tuesday.

“What happens now that she’s the former attorney general and there’s the subpoena out there is, I think I’ll leave to Chairman Comer and others to figure out. I don’t have an answer to that,” the nation’s new top prosecutor said.

The brewing legal battle comes after five Republicans voted with Democrats to subpoena Bondi as part of the committee’s Epstein probe over Comer’s objections in March. The lawmakers were Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Michael Cloud, R-Texas.

BONDI OUSTER IGNITES BIPARTISAN UPROAR: ‘PARTISAN, PETULANT, POLITICAL HACK’

Mace and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., another member of the powerful committee, sent Comer a letter Wednesday asking him to “publicly reaffirm” Bondi’s “legal obligation” to testify before the committee in the April 14 deposition.

“Bondi’s removal as Attorney General doesn’t erase her obligation to testify,” the bipartisan duo wrote. “If anything, it makes her sworn testimony even more critical. Congress’s oversight doesn’t stop when an official leaves office.”

“Pam Bondi was subpoenaed by name, not by title,” Mace added in a separate statement.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr and former Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Acosta, who served in Trump’s Cabinet during his first term, have testified before the Oversight Committee as part of its Epstein probe.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment. 

The U.S. Navy is requesting $3 billion in additional funding to replenish its stores of Tomahawk missiles after depleting its stores in the war against Iran.

The Navy made the order as part of the Pentagon’s wider $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027 released this week. The Tomahawk missile request represents a 1,200% increase in production compared to last year.

Last year, Congress approved the Navy to purchase 58 of the missiles at a total price of $257 million. This year’s request is enough to finance 785 missiles.

According to a report from the Washington Post last month, the U.S. had launched at least 850 Tomahawk missiles since the war against Iran began on Feb. 28.

IRAN CONFLICT COULD BE PUSH GOP NEEDS FOR 2ND ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

The Pentagon says its wider $1.5 trillion budget request is needed to address growing threats from China, Russia and other adversaries.

The request includes about $1.1 trillion in base discretionary funding for the Department of War, along with an additional $350 billion in mandatory funding to support priorities such as munitions production and expansion of the defense industrial base.

If enacted, the plan would represent one of the largest increases in U.S. defense spending in decades, though the total includes a mix of discretionary funding and mandatory resources that are not typically combined in standard Pentagon budget comparisons.

A-10 WARTHOG GIVEN NEW MARITIME ROLE TARGETING BOATS IN IRAN AFTER EFFORTS TO RETIRE AIRCRAFT

The budget places heavy emphasis on rebuilding weapons stockpiles and strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity, areas that defense officials have identified as key vulnerabilities in recent years.

Shipbuilding is another major focus, with $65.8 billion requested to procure 18 Navy battle force ships and 16 non-battle force vessels as part of a broader effort to expand maritime capacity.

The proposal also continues funding for the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which aims to develop a layered homeland defense using space-based sensors and interceptors.

The budget also highlights investments in artificial intelligence, drones and counter-drone systems, and next-generation aircraft, including continued development of the F-47 — a sixth-generation fighter designed to operate alongside autonomous systems — with the program targeting a first flight as early as 2028.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., isn’t ruling out a potential 2028 White House bid, but says she is focused on helping Democrats secure the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who previously served in the House, was asked about a presidential run while visiting Iowa this week to stump for local Democrats.

“I’m not so arrogant as to think it has to be me,” Slotkin told the Des Moines Register. “Midterms are what I’m focused on right now, but if it comes to the point afterwards that I think there’s not anyone else who’s on the right path, I guess I wouldn’t say no forever.”

During a town hall event, Slotkin lamented the divisive politics in Washington, noting she has heard from voters across the country about their disappointment in the partisan divide.

KAMALA HARRIS TEASES SHE ‘MIGHT’ RUN FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 2028

“I want to win in November,” Slotkin said at the event, as reported by The Associated Press. “That means being honest about where the Democratic Party needs to go.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Slotkin for further comment.

The senator’s national profile has grown after she narrowly won her Senate seat and frequently voiced opposition to certain Trump administration policies. She was one of six Democrats who participated in a video urging military service members to resist “illegal orders.” President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition, prompting a Justice Department investigation into the matter.

Slotkin first entered Congress following her 2018 election to the House, where she flipped a Republican-held seat in a key swing state against former U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop.

In her interview with the Des Moines Register, Slotkin urged Democrats not to forget Midwestern states like Michigan, citing the state’s electorate and potential for early voting.

“I would get in a cage match with Iowa versus Michigan in order to have that first [primary slot],” Slotkin told the Register. “I’m not going to lie and say, like, I’m going to give it over to Iowa when really I want it to be Michigan.”

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., suggested that higher-earning Americans were the real “enemy” during a campaign rally headlined by a far-left social media influencer on Tuesday.

“I see other people who are fighting like hell to make you feel like your enemy is sitting next to you,” Lee said in a video posted by The Washington Free Beacon. “That your enemy is somebody who worships differently than you are, or looks differently than you are, comes from a different socioeconomic background than you, unless they are the upper class.”

“They only have the politics of fear and division and destruction and disruption. They need us to keep our focus away from the people who have participated in the biggest sex trafficking ring in our country,” Lee continued, appearing to reference the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I need you to instead lead and learn and live in your power.”

Lee, a left-wing lawmaker affiliated with “the Squad,” made the remarks during a campaign event she participated in to boost Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., another “Squad” member who is supporting El-Sayed, was in attendance.

ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT CONDEMNS PARTY MEMBERS RALLYING WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER HASAN PIKER

El-Sayed, who is running with the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is viewed as the most progressive candidate in the state’s three-way Democratic primary.

Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said “America deserved 9/11,” headlined the rally. Piker has also drawn backlash from both parties over his comments on the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the Israeli government and the Chinese Communist Party, which critics have called antisemitic and anti-American.

Lee, who has repeatedly advocated for pro-Palestinian causes, doubled down on her decision to appear at the campaign event with Piker in a statement obtained by the outlet City & State Pennsylvania.

“At a moment when Donald Trump is threatening catastrophic violence against Iran and saying ‘a whole civilization will die tonight,’ our priorities are deeply out of step if this is what some choose to focus on,” Lee said in a statement, referring to the president’s comments on Truth Social on Tuesday. “We need to invite young people in, take them seriously, and recognize that our politics are strongest when everyday people have a real hand in shaping them.”

“If reporters have questions about Hasan Piker’s statements, they should ask Hasan Piker,” Lee added.

El-Sayed also sought to distance himself from Piker’s statements during an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday.

WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS

 “Of course I oppose rape. Of course I don’t think 9/11 was justified,” El-Sayed said. “[Just] because you appear with somebody doesn’t mean you agree with them on everything.”

El-Sayed also floated Lee as a potential leftist challenger to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., if he decides to seek reelection in 2028. Fetterman has faced criticism from some Pennsylvania Democrats for voting with Republicans to support Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation, among other instances where he has crossed party lines.

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Mich., El-Sayed’s primary opponents, sharply criticized his decision to campaign with Piker.

“It is unacceptable for a candidate wanting to represent all Michiganders to campaign with Hasan Piker, a person who is unapologetic about a career of making hurtful and anti-Semitic comments,” Stevens said in a statement. “With all that’s at stake in this election, we should be focused on the challenges Michiganders are facing and how to fight for them.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Lee’s office for comment.

As concerns about rampant fraud continue to grow nationwide, particularly in California, federal authorities announced the guilty plea of a man charged in a scheme to defraud taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, California, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after local authorities say he billed Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, more than $269 million and was paid out more than $178 million for “19 expensive, non-contracted drugs containing low-cost, generic ingredients that were not medically necessary, not provided, or both.”

Randall and his co-conspirators took advantage of a temporary rule change in Medi-Cal that removed the need for pre-approval on certain drugs. Using a pharmacy they controlled, they billed Medi-Cal huge amounts each month for expensive generic medications that normally would’ve required approval.

Randall and his associates then laundered the illegal proceeds by routing money through a third party, using it to pay kickbacks to Anderson, further the scheme and hide the transactions from law enforcement.

VANCE REVEALS $19B FRAUD UNCOVERED IN MINNEAPOLIS, HINTS CALIFORNIA IS NEXT TARGET

“This defendant used a public health program as his personal piggy bank,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a press release.

“This guilty plea should send a message that this administration — consistent with the President’s war on fraud — will not turn a blind eye while criminals fleece taxpayers.”

The press release says that Randall will be sentenced in August and will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

DEPUTY AG TODD BLANCHE SHEDS LIGHT ON NEW DOJ FRAUD DIVISION TO ADDRESS ‘INSANE’ PROBLEM

California has been at the center of fraud concerns in recent weeks and has been called out by the federal anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance, which recently revealed a staggering increase in California hospice and healthcare providers that were suspended as part of the task force’s efforts.

Last week, a federal sweep in southern California dubbed “Operation Never Say Die” resulted in eight local arrests and unsealed charges against 15 individuals allegedly tied to a $60 million fraudulent Medicare billing scheme, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.

News of the guilty plea quickly spread on social media, with conservatives making the case that there is much more work to be done to combat fraud in California.

“California is without question the Fraud Capital of the United States,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, an Independent congressman from California, posted on X. “We are finally seeing accountability.”

“You can submit 300 million dollars in claims in under a year and actually obtain that money?” Conservative commentator Mike Cernovich posted on X.

“This is Gavin Newsom’s empire of fraud,” journalist Christopher Rufo posted on X.

MAN CHARGED IN $90M MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME; DOJ SAYS SUSPECT MAY HAVE ENTERED US ILLEGALLY

“Well done and thank you for protecting taxpayers and those in need,” Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Special Services & LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government, posted on X. 

“We need to focus on the front end of the payment systems – how did a $250M get stolen in the, first place?   The systems are antiquated, lack front end identity verification, rely on self reported information and don’t do third party audits or use Spectrum.”

“Put him in chains and lock him up,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., posted on X.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pointed Fox News Digital to a post on X where they pushed back on the DOJ’s press release saying there is a “small fact missing.”

“This alleged fraud was first discovered by state officials and referred for criminal prosecution,” Newsom’s office wrote. “We’d appreciate the acknowledgment of the long-standing partnership the state has in working with the feds to fight fraud — and end this misinformation effort driven by the current Administration. Folks can see how California has taken action: StopFraud.CA.Gov.”

Essayli responded in a post on X that referred to Newsom as the “fraud king.”

“Not good enough,” Essayli wrote. “You know what would be better than referring fraud cases to my office to clean up your mess? Stopping the fraud from happening in the first place.”

Newsom’s office has responded to critics in general in recent weeks by saying the state is “leading the nation in preventing fraud.”

“Since @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom took office: — $125 billion+ in fraud STOPPED — 1,200+ criminals ARRESTED — 83% reduction in EBT fraud in one year — New hospice licenses BANNED beginning in 2022,” Newsom’s press office posted on X earlier this month.

The Democratic nominee for a Senate seat in Arkansas is trying to distance herself from messaging ties to the mainstream Democratic Party, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, as she wages an uphill bid to flip a Republican Senate seat.

“Arkansas is a very independent state. In fact, if you look at our voting history, we are often split-ticket voters,” Hallie Shoffner told Fox News Digital.

“I feel that both of the parties just walked away from rural America — Democrats included,” added Shoffner, who is pushing back on claims that she invited Harris to campaign with her.

Her comments come as Harris plans to deliver keynote remarks at the Arkansas Shackelford Dinner in Little Rock later this month — the first campaign event she has headlined since she lost the 2024 presidential election.

STEVE DAINES’ HANDPICKED SENATE SUCCESSOR KURT ALME VOWS TO KEEP MONTANA IN REPUBLICAN HANDS IN 2026

Shoffner strongly denied she had any intention of campaigning with Harris at her upcoming appearance.

“We had nothing to do with bringing the former vice president here. She’s speaking at a Democratic Party of Arkansas event, an event I will not be attending,” Shoffner said.

“This woman is coming, and she’s going to be here for all of two hours,” she said.

Shoffner believes the party should focus on its future, rather than highlighting high-profile names of the past. She blasted Republican attempts to link Harris’ appearance to her Senate bid.

“The Republican Party of Arkansas is talking like I’m the one who’s responsible. Why? Tom Cotton and the Republican Party, why are we relitigating the 2024 election right now?” Shoffner said, referring to her political opponent, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Instead, Shoffner said she is trying to emulate different Democrats who have used middle-of-the-road platforms to attract rural voters.

“If I were Hallie Shoffner, I’d pretend like I didn’t know Kamala Harris either,” Joseph Wood, the chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas, said in a fiery response to her comments. “But Shoffner can’t hide two very important things: her 25 donations to Harris, or that Harris is coming to Arkansas to raise money that will be used to try and help her failing campaign.” 

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Shoffner mentioned former Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who was defeated in 2024, as an example of a different Democrat.

“One of the things I really like about Sen. Tester is he takes the same approach when he’s going into diverse political communities in Montana,” Shoffner said.

“We’re all Arkansans. We’re all Montanans. You know, we want to be able to buy our groceries. We want to put gas in our car. We want to know that our job is going to be there the next day,” Shoffner said.

Tester represented Montana as a senator from 2007 to 2025. He lost his re-election bid to newcomer Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

Despite asserting confidence in charting her own course, Shoffner faces an uphill race against Cotton, the current chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Cotton, who was handpicked by former Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to run for the Senate in 2014, has come to the defense of President Donald Trump’s military engagement against Iran.

REPUBLICAN MAJORITY AT RISK? A LOOK AT THE 6 GOP SENATE SEATS MOST IN JEOPARDY IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Shoffner believes that’s a weakness she can exploit.

“Does it work for the people of Arkansas? That’s the point of Congress. That there should have been an Arkansan up there in D.C. who said, ‘Now, wait a minute, they need diesel and fertilizer prices to be low.’ That is when a senator or a representative from a state is supposed to step in and say, ‘My people at home will be affected,’” Shoffner said.

Shoffner will face off against Cotton in the state’s general election on Nov. 3.