Trump Moves the Overton Window on Gaza 

Trump Moves the Overton Window on Gaza 

A new strategy: more land for more peace.

(MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump hasn’t just shifted the Overton Window, the zone of what’s understood to be possible in politics; he’s blown it wide open. It’s now the Overton Vista. As the close Trump ally Marc Andreessen declared on January 25, “The last week has totally reset my conception of what’s possible.” Coming from a tech bro steeped in Schumpeterian disruption, that’s saying something. 

Bank on it: If the conventional wisdom thinks one thing, Trump thinks something else. Case in point: Gaza. In the wake of 15 months of carnage, the familiar assumption is that there will be some sort of “peace process,” as diplomats shuttle back and forth, securing a minimally worded agreement, to which the combatants are minimally adhered. Then comes the insertion of United Nations peacekeepers, and an international consortium of foreign-aiders, contractors, and perhaps even nation-builders. 

Such a scheme was never likely to work in Gaza. After all, in the wake of fighting far less primordially severe than in Gaza, U.N. troops dot the Middle East, the legacy of previous shuttle diplomacies. They accomplish nothing

Yet all this busybody peace-processing allows usual-suspect diplomats, activists, and financiers to do their international thing, gaining headlines, Foreign Affairs bylines—and oftentimes making good money from contracts and kickbacks. 

The result: The underlying fight is papered over for a few years. But soon enough, the political arrangements fall apart, the warriors return to warring, and sometimes, the peacekeepers become outright targets—as is happening, in real time, in Africa. (Those with long memories will recall the terrible fate of the U.S. Marines sent on that forlorn peacekeeping mission in Beirut.

Yet by the time everything turns to bleep, the earlier tranche of “peacemaking” diplomats and NGOs has gone on to new gigs and sinecures. So with the coming of the next round of the crisis, the cycle starts anew—high hopes followed by low blows. 

Dismissive of this dolorous precedent, Trump has a different idea; he wants off the treadmill of eternal return. Hence the January 26 headline from the Associated Press: “Trump wants Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees and floats plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza.” 

“Something has to happen,” Trump said. “It’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” According to estimates, in addition to the tens of thousands of fatalities, 90 percent of Gazans have been displaced. As for the remaining 10 percent, they might ponder the implications, for them, of Trump’s approval of sending 1,800 one-ton bombs to Israel, which the Biden administration had paused. 

Yet Trump’s point wasn’t hurting; it was helping. “I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”

Live in peace for a change. Surely that’s a good goal, even if it ignores Woodrow Wilson’s idea of ethnically based “autonomous development,” the dictum that has guided American pronouncements for more than a century. Yet the collective volition of Gazans has been hijacked by the martyr-makers of Hamas—there’s no autonomy when held at gunpoint. 

“Gaza is interesting,” Trump continued. “It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it.” 

Hmm. Does that sound like the beginning of a Trump Resort? Maybe. But it could also be the start of a larger, broader development—housing for the masses, too, a sort of Florida-on-the-Med.

CNN quoted an Israeli analyst saying that Trump’s words were “not a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader move than it seems, coordinated with Israel.” 

But of course, there can’t be a single condo or casino on the Gaza Riviera if Hamas is still on the scene. And if Hamas is still calling (and firing) the shots, then the next Gaza war could be all the bloodier and more horrific. 

So maybe that means Gazans, many of them at least, for their own good, have to go. But where would they go? That’s a puzzle. The pre-war population of the Strip was about 2 million; between fatalities and flight, it’s no doubt lower now, but not by that much. 

In his calculatedly off-the-cuff remarks, Trump talked about sending them to adjoining Egypt, or perhaps to Jordan. Yet those countries are not enthused. Indeed, every government in the Middle East is on guard against the sort of jihadism Hamas epitomizes. Perhaps Trump could make those countries an intake offer they can’t refuse, and yet it does the U.S. no good if the relocated Gazans do what exiled Palestinians did to Lebanon beginning in the 1970s—plunge that once-happy land into a civil war that smolders to this day. 

Meanwhile, the liberal democracies of the West have turned illiberal—there are no more Merkels, Trudeaus, or Bidens to open the door to migrants and hand out the benefit checks. In fact, given the radicalism of at least some of the Gaza population, we have to wonder: Would any country, anywhere, want them? 

So what to do? This author has a suggestion, which he published back in November 2023: move the Gazans out of Gaza. Pay them, in fact, to move; as Churchill might have said, pay-pay is cheaper than war-war. Without a doubt, relocation as a permanent solution is a better investment than reconstruction as a prelude to the next round of destruction. 

But money aside, move to where? To an island, which would help with security and monitoring. The world boasts, in fact, more than 600,000 islands, of which only 11,000 are inhabited. 

But it’s also possible that an island could be built to Gazan specifications, perhaps in the Mediterranean or Red Seas. Such a topographical feature could be made, in fact, out of carbon captured from the atmosphere, and then solidified—so the new island could be a win for the environment, as well as for humanity.

To be sure, land reclamation from the ocean is a proven technique. The Dutch have been doing it for eight centuries; some 17 percent of their total territory was diked and drained. The Europeans are now too green to do much of that useful engineering, and yet many other places, including, most spectacularly, the states of the Persian Gulf, are into island-making. 

In an e-book, Create Gaza 2, Protect Israel, Build Peace, Dr. Joyce Starr and I argued, “Our solution, difficult as it might be, is hopeful and achievable. Providing protection and prosperity for ten million Israelis and two million Gazans is indeed possible…more land for more peace.” 

But okay, before we get to the “hopeful,” we have to get past the “difficult.” 

For openers, those who say they speak for the Gazans say they don’t want the huddled masses to leave Gaza. Immediately after Trump’s comment, the Palestinian Authority told Al Jazeera: “We emphasize that the Palestinian people will never abandon their land or their holy sites, and we will not allow the repetition of the catastrophes (Nakba) of 1948 and 1967. Our people will remain steadfast and will not leave their homeland.” 

One has to wonder: Is this really what the average Gazan thinks? Has anyone actually asked them, honestly and without duress, what they want? Perhaps it can be arranged that the man and woman on the street can register an opinion—and make a move—without fear of death. 

Okay, but what’s the opinion of the average American, including American conservatives of the kind who might be reading this article? Trump’s ideas on the Middle East are not the same as the vision of restraint championed by many in and around The American Conservative. But then, Trump has won the presidency, twice—not Ron or Rand Paul. 

Yet still, there’s some important overlap between Trump and the Pauls; notably, a distaste for endless wars. As TAC’s Jude Russo wrote recently of Trump, “His tools of choice in the Middle East have been cruise missiles and diplomacy, not boots on the ground.” 

Indeed, maybe the best way to keep American GIs from occupying sand dunes—or, shudder, sitting as ducks in a Beirut-type barracks—is to find ways of fending off conflicts that could magnetize U.S. involvement, if not under this president, then the next. So if we want to avoid Bush Doctrine–ing, nation-building, and democracy-promoting, maybe we should support creative approaches that obviate the intervention temptation. 

So we’re back to the idea of moving the Gazans. Is that really so bad? Literally every people or population group on Earth has moved and migrated. Sometimes voluntarily, sometimes involuntarily; the common thread is that moving is the better option—it’s better than immiseration or death. 

In the last decade or so, some 1 million Rohingya have been pushed out of Burma into Bangladesh. It has been, for sure, a humanitarian debacle, and yet absent some intervener’s boots on the ground, there wasn’t anything to be done to stop Burma’s ethnic cleansing. For the Rohingyans, expulsion was better than extermination. 

Indeed, the U.N. today counts 122.6 million people as having been forced from their homes; if we reach back into just recent history, we see hundreds of millions more forced to flee China, India, Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Africa, Vietnam, and yes, the Middle East. All unfortunate, even tragic, situations, but Uncle Sam’s ability to do anything was somewhere between minimal and doubtful. 

With all these people in motion, maybe Gaza should be next. We might think of an island for them as an ark—a permanent ark. 

Oh, and one other thing: If we could get good at island-developing, maybe even island-building, it would be a heckuva business opportunity, as the need for new homes and living spaces, carved out of the natural environment, er, trumps the greens and Malthusians. 

In fact, Donald Trump has long had such visions in mind. In 2023, he highlighted a plan for new cities, so that Americans could spread out and flourish. So now that plan could be extended beyond the U.S. To Greenland, of course, and maybe, as well, to Gaza Island.

An ark that saves lives, builds peace, and makes money for somebody. Art of the deal, baby

The post Trump Moves the Overton Window on Gaza  appeared first on The American Conservative.

Here’s How Trump Can Make a Strong Deal With Iran

Here’s How Trump Can Make a Strong Deal With Iran

The president will find Tehran more amenable than ever if he tries to drive a bargain.


Credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Donald Trump built his reputation as the ultimate dealmaker—someone who turns chaos into opportunity and delivers results where others fall short. Now, with the Middle East still reeling from tenuously paused conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and U.S.–Iran tensions at a critical juncture, Trump has the chance to cement his place in history by achieving what no president before him could: a bold, transformative deal with Iran. 

Such a deal would not just stabilize a turbulent region, but could unlock economic opportunities for American workers, bolster U.S. security, and showcase Trump’s unique ability to outmaneuver the Washington establishment and deliver a historic win.

For decades, American presidents have stumbled when it comes to Iran. George W. Bush plunged the Middle East into chaos with disastrous regime-change wars, spurred on by advisors like Dick Cheney who had their sights set on Iran after Iraq. Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal was a limited step that left other issues for future resolution, while a multi-layered U.S. sanctions architecture continued to sideline American businesses, leaving economic opportunities in Iran largely untapped. Following Trump’s withdrawal from that deal, Joe Biden showed little resolve or vision, allowing tensions to simmer without a coherent strategy for deescalation. Trump has the chance to break this cycle of missteps and half-measures.

Such a deal wouldn’t just accomplish Trump’s vital goal of preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon—it would also keep America out of another endless, costly war, fulfilling Trump’s inaugural speech promise to avoid the disastrous foreign entanglements of past administrations. But the real genius of this opportunity lies in the prosperity it could bring: a deal with Iran could open the door to billions of dollars in untapped markets, giving American businesses a competitive edge and creating thousands of jobs for hardworking Americans. This isn’t just about diplomacy—it’s about delivering real, tangible benefits for America’s economy and solidifying Trump’s legacy as a dealmaker who puts America first.

The potential for economic cooperation with Iran is enormous, as even some Iranian reformist voices have recently highlighted. The leading Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh, aligned with the administration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, recently ran a headline about the potential for U.S.–Iran relations under Trump: “A $2 Trillion Agreement Benefiting All.” The article outlined bold economic possibilities, such as U.S. participation in major infrastructure projects: selling 1,500 Boeing airplanes, manufacturing 8 million cars, building refineries, and investing in agriculture, IT, and pharmaceuticals.

This may sound like a lofty dream, but history shows it’s not far-fetched. In the 1990s, Iran offered major oil contracts to U.S. companies before being rebuffed by sanctions from the Clinton administration. Similarly, after the 2015 nuclear deal, Boeing secured a groundbreaking $20 billion contract with Iran, projected to support nearly 100,000 American jobs. However, this opportunity fell apart when the nuclear deal collapsed—a collapse fueled in part by the agreement’s fatal flaw: It excluded most U.S. businesses from direct engagement with Iran, leaving the door wide open for European and Asian competitors to dominate the Iranian market. Trump himself pointed this out in 2015, tweeting: “Everybody’s involved now with Iran selling them stuff. We’re probably (going to) be the only ones that won’t be selling them anything.”

A new deal—crafted with Trump’s signature savvy—could fix these mistakes and open the door for American companies to capitalize on one of the world’s last untapped markets. Iran, with the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves, fourth-largest oil reserves, and a population of nearly 90 million eager for global engagement, offers a massive market for American investment.

Critics might argue that hardline elements in Iran have historically opposed business with the United States, even going so far as to sabotage such opportunities. Nevertheless, there is growing momentum among pragmatic forces in Iran advocating for a more mutually beneficial approach. There is also precedent for this shift: As recently as 2016, Iran’s oil minister openly welcomed U.S. investment in its energy sector. Today, figures in the Pezeshkian government, like Ali Abdolalizadeh, the president’s representative for maritime development policies, have stated that U.S. companies would be welcome to invest in Iran if sanctions are lifted. This pragmatism suggests that, with a well-crafted strategy, the barriers to U.S.–Iran economic cooperation can be overcome.

Still, another natural question arises: Would Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—long known for his distrust of the United States—ever greenlight a historic shift in U.S.–Iran relations? While skepticism is warranted, his recent rhetoric and the statements of his closest advisors suggest the possibility is very real. Khamenei has, in fact, shown a willingness to support foreign investment that directly benefits Iran’s infrastructure and economic growth. For example, in a 2016 speech, he stated, “The benefit of the visits by these [foreign] delegations should be investment, the creation of production, and bringing in new technologies in areas where we need them.” 

More importantly, his top advisors are signaling readiness for a new chapter. Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and a trusted confidant of Khamenei, recently declared, “Tehran is ready for negotiations,” while making clear that Iran’s actions would depend on the U.S. adopting a constructive approach. Ali Larijani, another senior advisor and former parliamentary speaker, went further, stating in an interview on Khamenei’s official website that Iran is prepared for nuclear talks and open to a “new agreement” with the United States.

The Pezeshkian government, a reformist administration elected on a promise to prioritize diplomacy in foreign relations, has made its stance clear. Pezeshkian himself recently reiterated Iran’s readiness for talks in an NBC News interview, and emphasized that Iran has not and will not target Trump personally.

Pezeshkian’s foreign policy team has also been clear and consistent in their support for diplomacy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has repeatedly highlighted Iran’s readiness for constructive negotiations, and Strategic Vice President Javad Zarif reinforced this message at the World Economic Forum in Davos, emphasizing Iran’s preference for an agreement. Their united stance signals that the Pezeshkian government is prepared to pursue meaningful dialogue. This presents a unique opportunity for the U.S. to secure a historic deal under Trump’s leadership—advancing American interests, avoiding conflict, and solidifying Trump’s legacy as the dealmaker who ended decades of deadlock.

Of course, both Iran and the United States face political hurdles to pursuing negotiations, but with bold, decisive leadership, they can be overcome. In Iran, Pezeshkian has a strong mandate for diplomacy and has skillfully built consensus among the country’s centers of power. This strategy is already paying off: Pezeshkian’s government successfully sidelined a controversial mandatory hijab bill and eased some internet restrictions, proving his ability to navigate Iran’s complex political landscape. Crucially, Pezeshkian has aligned himself closely with Supreme Leader Khamenei, whose backing ensures that hardliners are unable to block meaningful negotiations.

In the United States, the obstacles come from the entrenched foreign policy establishment and hawkish critics who will attack any effort to engage Iran constructively. We’ve already seen them go after Trump’s appointees who dared to pursue pragmatic approaches. But Trump has never been one to back down from a fight. He has consistently defied the establishment, staying true to his instincts and the promises that got him elected. 

Americans voted for Trump to end endless wars, not start new ones, and to deliver peace by striking bold, historic deals—even with adversaries like Iran. The American public is likely to back him on this, and Trump has the unique ability to sell the deal by emphasizing the massive economic benefits it would create for U.S. businesses and workers. With his trademark resolve and his unmatched ability to connect with the American people, Trump can rise above the noise, seize this moment, and deliver a victory that cements his legacy as a dealmaker and a leader who puts American interests first.

The post Here’s How Trump Can Make a Strong Deal With Iran appeared first on The American Conservative.

The Real Meaning of the Fight Over Tulsi Gabbard 

The Real Meaning of the Fight Over Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard threatens the self-protective national security clique.


Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Mark Twain once described members of Congress as having “the smallest minds and the selfishest souls and the cowardliest hearts that God makes.” 

And true to form, yesterday morning the cowardly lions of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence roared away during former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing to become the next director of national intelligence.

Leading the charge against Gabbard on the Senate Intelligence Committee is ranking member Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia who, like his counterpart Adam Schiff (then serving as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), spent four years lying to the American people about Donald Trump’s alleged connections to the Kremlin.

Warner’s bellyaching over Gabbard’s past praise of whistleblower Edward Snowden (who, even if one disagrees with his methods, did disclose very real abuses by the National Security Agency) captures the general, worshipful attitude Democrats have developed toward the permanent national security state in the years since Trump took the White House in 2016. National Security Democrats—usually but not always former CIA officers like the newly minted Democratic Senator from Michigan, Elise Slotkin—abhor the idea of actual oversight. They simply exist to further the objectives of the permanent national security bureaucracy.

The objections to Gabbard, then, come in two forms. The first is that she once met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, ergo she is in league with a war criminal (the same smears have not been applied to Nancy Pelosi who met with Assad in 2007). And secondly, and more egregiously in the eyes of the NatSec Dems, Gabbard refuses to genuflect at the altar of the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies that comprise the “Intelligence Community” which she has been nominated to oversee.

Let’s first turn our attention to Syria.

Peter Ford, whom I spoke to this week, was the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Syria from 1999 to 2003 and later served as representative of the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from 2006 to 2015. 

He has courageously and at great cost to his reputation spoken out about the rank stupidity and recklessness of the West’s dirty war against Assad. The project, which has now tragically come to fruition, of isolating and ultimately overthrowing Assad has benefitted only a gang of Sunni Islamist militants with roots in organizations like al-Qaeda and al-Nusra.

Ford tells me that in his view Gabbard was justified in visiting Damascus because

keeping a closed mind on Assad was doing no service to the US. For many years Assad had pleaded with the West not to force him into the camp of Iran, with which secular Arabs like Assad felt no natural affinity. But that is exactly what we did. In the same way we forced Assad to become reliant on Russia when only the Russians came to his assistance when ISIS were literally at the gates of Damascus.

He continued,

From my time as British Ambassador, I knew the London-trained eye- doctor wanted to take his country in a pro-Western direction but we spurned the opportunity, making him mistrustful of the West. Personal diplomacy by people like Gabbard offered a way to get back on course. By 2019 none of Assad’s actions could remotely be described as anti-American unless resisting US openly acknowledged attempts at regime change could be categorized thus. Even the illegal presence of US troops in North East Syria was not actively opposed.

Gabbard’s other great sin is that of lèse-majesté. The national-security Blob protects its own. Warner’s entire career is proof of that. And the big problem with Gabbard is that she questions the prevailing wisdom—and such questioning will not do.

In a way, Warner and the NatSec Dems are right. The “threat” Gabbard poses to their prerogatives—namely, the ongoing series of worldwide covert regime change operations that redound to no one’s benefit but the Pentagon and IC’s budgets— is indeed a serious one—and one that sensible Americans should welcome. 

A manager of national intelligence need not check her brain at the door. As the former CIA head of Russia analysis George Beebe has written in these pages,

If the IC is to improve its analytic record, it needs to promote rather than penalize diverse thinking and employ rigorous methodology to explain instances where objective analysts might reasonably offer alternatives to mainstream opinion.

In an illuminating 1971 essay titled “The National Security Managers and the National Interest,” Richard Barnet observed that “National Security Managers exercise their power chiefly by filtering the information that reaches the President and by interpreting the outside world for him.” The philosopher Hannah Arendt also observed around the same time that “the President, one is tempted to argue, allegedly the most powerful man in the most powerful country, is the only person in this country whose range of choices can be predetermined.” 

As Gabbard noted in her opening statement, a misuse of the IC’s power, as happened with the politicization of intelligence in the run up to Iraq, can result in catastrophe.

But NatSec Dems have fully embraced their role as the party of the permanent national security state. Warner and the rest know that the real threat Gabbard poses to their agenda is the threat that truth poses to power.

The post The Real Meaning of the Fight Over Tulsi Gabbard  appeared first on The American Conservative.

THEY’VE LEARNED NOTHING: David Hogg Picks Up More Endorsements in Race for Vice Chair of DNC

Screenshot

Gun-grabbing activist David Hogg is picking up more high-level Democrat endorsements in his bid to be elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz endorsed him earlier this month.

Now he has been endorsed by Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and teacher union head Randi Weingarten.

Men have been fleeing the Democrat party for months, as well as various minorities. It’s not clear how the Democrats think having David Hogg in a leadership position will help them to win back any of these voters.

Even so, Swalwell is clearly on board the Hogg train.

I’m proud to endorse David Hogg for DNC Vice Chair! pic.twitter.com/JikIu2AUR3

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) January 31, 2025

As is Weingarten.

Thank you, @rweingarten & @AFTunion, for your support and for your relentless fight for educators, students, and families. pic.twitter.com/x2BMhg5ncb

— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) January 31, 2025

The New York Daily News seems impressed:

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg lands huge endorsements for DNC vice chair

Parkland, Florida, high school shooting survivor and gun safety advocate David Hogg has double-barrel support to become the next Democratic National Committee vice chairman this weekend.

Prominent Democrats, including former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and California Rep. Eric Swalwell, have come forward to support the 24-year-old, who quickly became an activist after the 2018 massacre at Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead.

“David Hogg represents exactly the kind of bold, dynamic and courageous leadership our party needs right now,” Walz wrote on social media earlier this month. “He has a unique ability to connect with the American people and to speak to the strengths of our party. I couldn’t be happier to support him for DNC vice chair.”

Conservatives are also rooting for Hogg, but not for the same reasons.

I, too, think Ivy League Activist Jimmy Neutron will attract exactly the voters Democrats have lost. https://t.co/PP2DDglIeR

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) January 31, 2025

As a conservative I also endorse the continuation of effeminate anti-masculine woke ideologues running the DNC. https://t.co/QkQK3GH7BQ

— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller_USMC) January 31, 2025

This is how we end up with President JD Vance: https://t.co/gFqOG42dkO

— Elan (@engele) January 31, 2025

Democrats going to lose for the next 100 years https://t.co/BLnqsRo2y5

— Liam McEachern (@LiamMcEachernMA) January 31, 2025

Democrats are facing a serious time for their party. Electing David Hogg as vice chair would not be a serious move, but it’s a free country and if that’s what they want to do it’s their business.

The post THEY’VE LEARNED NOTHING: David Hogg Picks Up More Endorsements in Race for Vice Chair of DNC appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

FBI Termination Update: Email Confirms Eight Senior Executive Terminations – Calls For ALL FBI Personnel Assigned to January 6th Investigations/Personnel To Be Listed and Names Submitted

Yesterday, The Gateway Pundit reported on a claim by former FBI Agent Kyle Seraphin, a member of “The Suspendables,” that all of the Executive Assistant Directors (EADs) were to be terminated if they hadn’t resigned by Monday, Feb. 3rd.

There are six EADs in the FBI, according to Seraphin, and they are below the Director, Deputy Director and Associate Deputy Director.

Seraphin also said he was told by his sources that around 25 of the Special Agents in Charge were given the same ultimatum.  This would account for almost half of the 55 FBI Field Offices around the country.

All Six FBI Executive Assistant Directors and 25 Special Agents in Charge Out at FBI According to FBI Whistleblower

According to an email from acting Director Brian Driscoll and reviewed by The Gateway Pundit, each field office is required to submit a list of all personnel, current and former, who were involved in January 6th investigations/prosecutions by noon on Tuesday, February 4th.

The email reads:

“We understand there’s a lot of media reporting and rumors surrounding potential changes at the FBI.  This includes reporting and rumors about actions very seriously impact our workforce.  Consistent with our commitment to share information with you as we receive it, acting Deputy Director Kissane and I wanted to provide you with an update.

Late this afternoon, I received a memo from the acting Deputy Attorney General notifying me that eight senior FBI executives are to be terminated by specific dates, unless these employees have retired beforehand.  I have been personally in touch with each of these impacted employees.

The memo also directs me to provide by noon on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the following:

All current and former FBI personnel assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions relating to (1) events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021; and (2) United States v Haniyeh, et al. 24 Mag. 438 (S.D.N.Y).

These lists should include relevant supervisory personnel in FBI regional offices and field divisions, as well as at FBI headquarters.

For each employee included in the list, provide the current title, office to which the person is assigned, role in the investigation or prosecution, and date of last activity relating to the investigation or prosecution.

Upon timely receipt of the requested information, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General will commence a review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.’

We understand that this request encompasses thousands of employees across the country who have supported these investigative efforts.  I am one of those employees, as is acting Deputy Director Kissane.

As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people – always.

We will be back in touch with more information as soon as we can.  In the meantime, stay safe, and take care of each other.

Brian J. Driscoll, Jr

   

Here’s tonight’s email from Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll (see photos)

When I was a new agent trainee at Quantico, our ethics instructor taught us that “…an FBI Agent’s greatest power isn’t in their ability to arrest or take a life, but in their ability to say ‘No.’”

The… pic.twitter.com/hVQ88Jf6TF

— Phil Kennedy (@PhillipAKennedy) February 1, 2025

The email starts out by acknowledging rumors in the media and confirms the reports that “eight senior FBI executives are to be terminated” unless they retire beforehand.

The Gateway Pundit had previously reported that it was six Executive Assistant Directors.  Since there are only six of those positions, according to Seraphin, it is unclear who the other two executives are.

It could potentially be referring to Director Christopher Wray and former Deputy Director Paul Abbate, who both retired following President Trump’s inauguration.

The email calls for the consolidation of all of those involved in the January 6th investigations.

The Gateway Pundit has reported on numerous situations where Special Agents were pulled from violent crimes, including child sex trafficking, to instead pursue J6ers charged with misdemeanors.

Countless raids took place with full tactical teams and up-armored vehicles for those charged with misdemeanors and no prior arrests, often conducted in early morning hours and utilizing methods such as deploying flashbangs outside of homes, which has no tactical value.

However, interestingly, the email also calls for those involved in the investigations/prosecutions of anyone involved United States v Haniyeh.

This case was brought in September 2024 and charged Ismail Haniyeh and five other Hamas leaders with multiple terrorism-related offense.

The charges included conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.

Initially, the case was filed under seal on February 1, 2024 and unsealed on September 3, 2024.

Ismail Haniyeh is the former political leader of Hamas that was reportedly killed in July 2024 by Israeli forces.

Two other defendants, Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa, are also reportedly deceased, both killed by Israeli forces.

The post FBI Termination Update: Email Confirms Eight Senior Executive Terminations – Calls For ALL FBI Personnel Assigned to January 6th Investigations/Personnel To Be Listed and Names Submitted appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

NTSB Chief Shuts Down NBC Reporter Who Asks Stupid Question About Trump During Briefing on DC Plane Crash (VIDEO)

During a briefing on the DC plane crash by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a reporter for NBC News asked if Trump was somehow making their investigation more difficult. The NTSB chief stepped forward and shut him down.

This was an embarrassing moment for NBC News. These journalists just can’t help themselves. They are still on a constant quest to blame Trump or make him look bad at any moment, no matter how inappropriate. They really seem to believe that other people share this mental problem with them.

It makes them look foolish, not to mention unprofessional.

The NTSB handled this perfectly.

The Daily Mail reported:

Female NTSB head stuns the press with her unexpected response to Trump’s claim DEI caused the crash

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifery Homendy stunned reporters after being asked several ways if President Donald Trump jumped the gun by blaming the deadly D.C. crash on ‘DEI’ and previous administrations.

Homendy led a press conference on-site at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Thursday afternoon.

Several of the reporters in the crowd asked her about Trump’s eyebrow-raising assertions that he made standing at the podium earlier Thursday in the White House briefing room.

‘With all due respect, I think the press also likes to state what probable cause is before we get to the probable cause,’ Homendy said. ‘So what I’m going to say is you need to give us time.’

Here’s the video:

NTSB chair shuts down NBC reporter asking if Trump is hurting their investigation into the Potomac plane crash.

READ: https://t.co/uzkIQ48it4 pic.twitter.com/2ixNP9eGlh

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 31, 2025

The people of the NTSB do serious work. They are there to figure out exactly what caused this crash and it has nothing to do with politics. The members of our media are not serious people and they want everything to be about politics. Even worse, they want everyone else to think like they do. That’s what this dumb question was all about. Again, the NTSB handled it perfectly.

The post NTSB Chief Shuts Down NBC Reporter Who Asks Stupid Question About Trump During Briefing on DC Plane Crash (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

UPDATE: Trump Responds to Philadelphia Plane Crash – Transportation Secretary Says Six Were Onboard Plane, Confirms FAA and NTSB are Investigating Incident

Airplane explodes after crashing into houses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – January 31, 2025

President Trump has responded to the Friday night plane crash in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, expressing his sympathy for the innocent souls lost. 

As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier, a small airplane in Philadelphia fell out of the sky at around 6:30 pm. It reportedly crashed into multiple homes in Philadelphia, causing a massive explosion and multiple casualties.

BREAKING: Plane in Philadelphia Explodes After Crashing into Row Houses (VIDEO)

Footage from a doorbell camera shows a large explosion from a neighborhood near the crash site.

WATCH:

Additional footage from the crash shows the airplane barreling down into the houses “like a freaking MISSILE,” said Nick Sortor.

HOLY CRAP! The plane in Philadelphia just slammed into a row of houses like a freaking MISSILE.

WTF? https://t.co/w9rHje9RWc pic.twitter.com/eTf0nlUARR

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 31, 2025

According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, six people were on board the flight, which was en route to Missouri’s Springfield-Branson International Airport. Duffy further confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

Here is what we’ve learned thus far.

A Learjet 55 crashed around 6:30 p.m. after departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport. There were reportedly 6 people on board.

The plane was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri. The @FAANews and @NTSB will…

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 1, 2025

President Trump departed the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews at approximately 5:20 pm ET after signing executive orders in the Oval Office.

He later arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, at approximately 8 pm ET.

President @realDonaldTrump arrives in Palm Beach, FL pic.twitter.com/w7Cw2QEekC

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) February 1, 2025

Duffy confirmed that he briefed the President just before 9 pm ET and said investigators are at the scene.

Just briefed the President and @GovernorShapiro from FAA HQ. I offered the full support of the @USDOT to the Governor and local officials.

Investigators are on site. @FAANews pic.twitter.com/CZOjE8TFKk

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 1, 2025

After receiving a briefing, President Trump responded on Truth Social at approximately 9 pm ET.

So sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job. More to follow. God Bless you all.

Notably, this latest incident comes after an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a US military helicopter on Wednesday night.

President Trump has blamed incompetence and DEI hiring practices as a potential cause of Wednesday’s tragedy. The President addressed Wednesday’s crash during a press conference Thursday and pointed out the disastrous record of Pete Buttigieg, the DEI hire and former Transportation Secretary.

The Gateway Pundit will continue to provide updates on the White House’s response to the latest airplane tragedy. 

The post UPDATE: Trump Responds to Philadelphia Plane Crash – Transportation Secretary Says Six Were Onboard Plane, Confirms FAA and NTSB are Investigating Incident appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former Senior Adviser to the Federal Reserve John Rogers Arrested for Leaking Trade Secrets to China in Shocking Espionage Scandal

John Harold Rogers

Former senior adviser to the Federal Reserve, John Harold Rogers, has been arrested on charges of leaking classified trade secrets to the People’s Republic of China, DOJ says.

Rogers, 63, of Vienna, Virginia, served as a senior adviser in the Federal Reserve’s international finance division from 2010 until his retirement in 2021.

During his tenure, he had access to confidential information, including proprietary economic data, deliberations on tariffs targeting China, and sensitive insights into the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) forthcoming announcements.

According to the indictment, Rogers began exploiting his position as early as 2018, soliciting and transmitting trade-secret information to individuals linked to China’s intelligence apparatus.

These co-conspirators, masquerading as graduate students, allegedly lured Rogers with gifts, an all-expenses-paid beach vacation, and lucrative teaching opportunities at Fudan University in Shanghai, where he was compensated approximately $450,000 as a part-time professor in 2023.

Read the press release below:

John Harold Rogers, 63, of Vienna, Virginia, a former Senior Adviser for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (FRB), was arrested today on charges that he conspired to steal Federal Reserve trade secrets for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

In furtherance of the conspiracy, allegedly made false statements to the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FRB-OIG), and those false statements had a material impact on its investigation.

“As alleged, the defendant violated the trust placed in him by the Federal Reserve Bank by putting U.S. trade secrets in the hands of his PRC co-conspirators, knowing full well that such information would benefit the PRC Government and PRC instrumentalities,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to disrupt economic espionage and protect our national security.”

“President Trump tasks us with protecting our fellow Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic. As alleged in the indictment, this defendant leveraged his position within the Federal Reserve to pass sensitive financial information to the Chinese government, a designated adversary,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. “Let this indictment serve as a warning to all who seek to betray or exploit the United States: law enforcement will find you and hold you accountable.”

“As alleged in the indictment, Rogers betrayed his country while employed at the Federal Reserve by providing restricted U.S. financial and economic information to Chinese government intelligence officers,” said Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “This information could allow adversaries to illegally gain a strategic economic advantage at the expense of the U.S. This indictment sends a clear message that the FBI and our partners will hold accountable those who threaten our national security.”

“The Chinese Communist Party has expanded its economic espionage campaign to target U.S. government financial policies and trade secrets in an effort to undermine the United States and become the sole superpower,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s indictment represents the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protect U.S. national security interests and U.S. jobs and bring to justice those who are willing to betray their country for personal gain.”

“This indictment sends a clear message that those who deliberately misuse sensitive Federal Reserve information for their own personal gain and lie about it to investigators will be held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge John T. Perez of the FRB-OIG, Headquarters Operations.

According to the indictment, Rogers, a U.S. citizen with a Ph.D. in economics, worked as a Senior Adviser in FRB’s Division of International Finance of the FRB from 2010 until 2021, where he was entrusted with confidential FRB information. The confidential information that Rogers allegedly shared with his Chinese co-conspirators, who worked for the intelligence and security apparatus of China and who posed as graduate students at a PRC university, is economically valuable when secret.

China holds a large amount of U.S. foreign debt (approximately $816 billion as of October 2024). The data Rogers shared with his co-conspirators could allow China to manipulate the U.S. market, in a manner similar to insider trading. Gaining advance knowledge of U.S. economic policy, including advance knowledge of changes to the federal funds rate, could provide China with an advantage when selling or buying U.S. bonds or securities.

The indictment alleges that, from at least 2018, Rogers allegedly exploited his employment with the FRB by soliciting trade-secret information regarding proprietary economic data sets, deliberations about tariffs targeting China, briefing books for designated governors, and sensitive information about Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) deliberations and forthcoming announcements. He passed that information electronically to his personal email account, in violation of FRB policy, or printed it prior to traveling to China, in preparation for meetings with his co-conspirators.

Under the guise of teaching “classes,” Rogers met with his co-conspirators in hotel rooms in China where he conveyed sensitive, trade-secret information that belonged to the FRB and the FOMC. In 2023, Rogers was paid approximately $450,000 as a part-time professor at a Chinese university.

On Feb. 4, 2020, in response to questioning by the FRB-OIG, Rogers lied about his accessing and passage of sensitive information and his associations with his co-conspirators.

Rogers is charged with conspiracy to commit economic espionage and with making false statements.

The FBI Washington Field Office and FRB-OIG are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Nicholas Hunter and Steve Marzen of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Section are prosecuting the case.

The post Former Senior Adviser to the Federal Reserve John Rogers Arrested for Leaking Trade Secrets to China in Shocking Espionage Scandal appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

WATCH: President Trump Says He Will “Absolutely” Impose Tariffs on The European Union – Press Secretary Confirms Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China will be Implemented Tomorrow

President Trump taunted Marxist Colombian President Gustavo Petro last week after declaring tariffs would be imposed for Colombia’s blocking of illegal alien flights: “FAFO”

President Trump told reporters on Friday that he plans to impose tariffs on the European Union as his tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China are set to take effect tomorrow, Saturday. 

While signing new executive orders in the Oval Office on Friday evening, President Trump told reporters he will “absolutely” impose tariffs on the European Union.

“Do you want the truthful answer, or should I give you a political answer?” Trump said.

“Absolutely,” he continued. “The European Union has treated us so terribly.”

Watch:

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump set Saturday as his deadline for 25% Tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, which he may increase to 50%. President Trump also mentioned the possibility of imposing tariffs on China.

Trump Sets Saturday Deadline for 25% Tariffs on Mexico and Canada to Force Action on Illegal Migration and Fentanyl Crisis

The administration asserts that these tariffs will remain until both neighboring countries take substantial measures to curb the flow of unauthorized migrants and illicit drugs into the United States.

“I’ll be putting the tariff of 25% on Canada and separately 25% on Mexico. We will really have to do that because we have very big deficits with those countries. Those tariffs may or may not rise with time,” Trump said.

“We’ll be announcing the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a number of reasons. Number one is the people that have poured into our country so horribly and so much. Number two are the drugs, fentanyl and everything else that have come into the country. Number three are the massive subsidies that we’re giving to Canada and to Mexico in the form of deficits.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed earlier on Friday that despite fake news reports that tariffs will not take effect until March, President Trump plans to implement his tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Saturday.

Watch below:

Reporter: I was wondering if you could confirm that and talk through some of the President’s thinking.

Leavitt: I saw that report, and it is false. I was just with the President in the Oval Office, and I can confirm that tomorrow, the February 1 deadline that President Trump put into place in a statement several weeks ago, continues. The President will be implementing tomorrow 25% tariffs on Mexico, 25% tariffs on Canada, and a 10% tariff on China for the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed 10s of millions of Americans. These are promises made and promises kept by the President.

Reporter: The President yesterday said that last night he was planning to discuss whether an exemption would be made on oil imports. Do you have any information on what decision he made there, or will there be exemptions at all offered under this.

Leavitt: I don’t have an update or readout for you on the exemptions, but those tariffs will be for public consumption in about 24 hours tomorrow, so you can read them then.

The post WATCH: President Trump Says He Will “Absolutely” Impose Tariffs on The European Union – Press Secretary Confirms Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China will be Implemented Tomorrow appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

STILL SINKING: MSNBC’s Primetime Lineup Just Had Worst January EVER for Ratings in Key Demo

Things are going from bad to worse over at MSNBC.

As the Gateway Pundit and others have reported, MSNBC suffered a massive ratings crash after the election and has still not recovered. The network’s primetime lineup just posted their worst January ever in the most important demographic.

Things are so bad that the network cut Rachel Maddow’s pay and brought her back on the air five nights a week (she had been working only one). Having Rachel back on through the week does not appear to have helped. They’re still circling the drain.

FOX News reports:

MSNBC’s primetime lineup has worst January ever among demographic coveted by advertisers

MSNBC’s primetime lineup finished with its smallest January audience ever among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54.

The news-heavy month featured an alleged terrorist ramming a truck through New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, shocking video of a Tesla Cybertruck exploding in front of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, President Biden pardoning members of his family and political allies on his way out the door, President Trump’s inauguration, the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and other significant headlines as the Trump administration began with a flurry of executive orders.

Despite the busy month of major news, MSNBC averaged only 63,000 demo viewers between the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m. ET to finish No. 31 among cable offerings. By comparison, Fox News Channel averaged 353,000 demo viewers during primetime and ratings-challenged CNN even managed an average of 118,000 demo viewers to almost double MSNBC.

DePauw University professor Jeffrey McCall said advertisers typically want to do business with networks that deliver viewers from the key demo.

So MSNBC had an average of 63,000 viewers in the key demo during primetime? For context, there are more people living in Missoula, Montana than there were watching MSNBC during primetime in January. Think about all of the huge stories that broke over the last month, not to mention Trump’s historic inauguration, the cabinet hearings, etc. MSNBC couldn’t even maintain a strong audience with all of that happening.

MSNBC’s primetime lineup posted its worst January ratings of all-time, despite all the news this month.

More people under the age of 54 watched TV Land than MSNBC.https://t.co/ChQNVAd75b

— OutKick (@Outkick) January 31, 2025

The ratings in cable news have shifted from stark to astounding.@FoxNews saw major gains in January while @CNN and @MSNBC continued to wither.
For the month not only did Fox dominate, its numbers were more than double the COMBINED numbers of the competition. pic.twitter.com/kMeNp5TUSl

— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) January 31, 2025

If you continually lie to the public, the public eventually notices.

The post STILL SINKING: MSNBC’s Primetime Lineup Just Had Worst January EVER for Ratings in Key Demo appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.