Influencer Valeria Márquez is Murdered live in Jalisco, Sparking Cartel Rumors, Alleged Romantic Links, and Growing Public Pressure on Authorities

The Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office denied that Ricardo Ruíz, alias “El Tripa,” a known hitman of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), had ordered the murder, according to early investigations.

Authorities stated that, so far, Ruíz Velasco’s name does not formally appear in the case file and has not been mentioned in any of the testimonies gathered.

Nonetheless, despite the Jalisco Prosecutor’s denial, social media users continue to claim that Valeria Márquez had some type of connection to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and are calling on the authorities in charge of the case to thoroughly investigate any possible links so that those responsible can be identified and brought to justice.

This omission by the authorities raises serious questions: Are they afraid to take action against organized crime? Are they being threatened by the cartel? Or is there complicity within the very institutions meant to uphold the law?

The lack of solid answers and the apparent inaction only deepen public mistrust and reinforce the perception that the cartels operate under protection and impunity. While Mexico burns in violence, leftist governments seem more concerned with speeches than with taking real action.

The fatal attack took place at 6:30 p.m. at ‘Blossom The Beauty Lounge’, Valeria’s own salon, located in the Real del Carmen neighborhood.

A man posing as a delivery driver entered the salon and shot her three times—in the skull, chest, and torso. The young woman, who had over 90,000 followers on TikTok, collapsed in front of her camera as her fans watched in horror.

#UPDATE : Moments before her death, Marquez was seen on her TikTok livestream speaking to a man off camera when she was shot once in the chest and once in the head, and collapsed.
The influencer was heard saying, “they’re coming,” before a voice in the background asked, “Hey,… pic.twitter.com/AOgDDJtTP2

— upuknews (@upuknews1) May 15, 2025

Suspicion has also fallen on Vivián de la Torre, a friend of Valeria. Followers of the influencer claim that Vivián, who asked her to stay at the salon to receive “an expensive gift,” could be involved.

On social media, a user on X described how, just minutes before the murder, Valeria received a stuffed animal and a coffee—supposed gifts that kept her at the scene until her fatal end.

This femicide, the eighth so far in Jalisco in 2025, exposes the harsh reality Mexico is facing. While cartels operate with impunity, the left’s “hugs, not bullets” policies have left women unprotected. According to UN Women, 70% of Mexican women over the age of 15 have suffered some form of violence.

The Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case under the femicide protocol, but authorities have officially ruled out any involvement by “El Doble R,” despite the evidence pointing toward him. Coincidence or complicity? The left, always quick to talk about social justice, seems blind to the blood flowing in the streets.

Valeria Márquez, 23,  Influencer was shot dead during #TikTok livestream in her #Zapopan, #Jalisco salon on May 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Suspect Ricardo Ruiz Velazco or #ElTripa named suspect  fled on  a motorcycle. Investigated as #Femicide, it is a  outrage over #genderviolence pic.twitter.com/AHvNehGfJ3

— Dr. Subhash (@Subhash_LiveS) May 15, 2025

Valeria, an entrepreneur who dreamed of success, is now just another statistic in a country where women’s lives are worth very little.

Her case echoes the unresolved murder of former congressman Luis Armando Córdova Díaz in Zapopan—yet another crime buried beneath the growing insecurity that the left continues to ignore.

It is time for Mexico to reclaim the values that once gave us stability: order, family, and security. The right advocates for a tough stance against crime, not hollow rhetoric.

Let Valeria’s death not be in vain—we need a country where women live without fear, protected by a government that delivers, not one that hides behind progressive promises.

The post Influencer Valeria Márquez is Murdered live in Jalisco, Sparking Cartel Rumors, Alleged Romantic Links, and Growing Public Pressure on Authorities appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Chuck Todd Says Pete Buttigieg and Others Who Worked for Biden May be Too ‘Toxic’ to Run in 2028 (VIDEO)

Liberal hack journalist Chuck Todd threw cold water on the presidential ambitions of Pete Buttigieg and pretty much anyone else who served in the Biden administration this week, saying that they might be too ‘toxic’ to run.

Todd believes there will simply be too many questions about who knew about Biden’s decline and said nothing. He believes these questions would become too much of a distraction.

Of course, this would exempt California Governor Gavin Newsom. Is that what this is really about?

FOX News reports:

Chuck Todd warns Buttigieg could be ‘toxic’ in 2028 due to Biden ties

Former NBC News host Chuck Todd suggested Wednesday that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could potentially be a “toxic” Democratic presidential candidate in 2028 due to his ties to former President Biden, amid numerous revelations about Biden’s decline while in office.

“So, in many ways, I think this Biden book is only going to, not just undermine Biden, but I think make it toxic for anybody that worked for Biden, because then it becomes, where were you? How did you participate in the cover-up?” Todd said on his podcast.

“Pete Buttigieg, this may mean something for you,” Todd added. “Are you going to now tell us, ‘Yeah, I didn’t have much interaction with him.’ Well, then, why didn’t you say something?”…

“I think it’s a question anybody who worked directly for Biden, so [Biden Secretary of Commerce] Gina Raimondo, if she thinks about running for president, Pete Buttigieg, all of these cabinet secretaries are now going to have to answer for all of this,” the former “Meet the Press” host said. “And I do wonder if it’s going to make anybody that touches Biden persona non grata.”

Here’s the video:

NEW: @chucktodd WARNS Pete Buttigieg he could be “TOXIC” 2028 candidate if he runs

“In many ways, I think this Biden book is only going to not just undermine Biden, but I think make it toxic for anybody that worked for Biden. Because then it becomes: where were you? How did… pic.twitter.com/TMHpX29BWb

— Jason Cohen (@JasonJournoDC) May 14, 2025

The Biden cover-up is going to have a continued effect on politics for years.

The post Chuck Todd Says Pete Buttigieg and Others Who Worked for Biden May be Too ‘Toxic’ to Run in 2028 (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

“FAFO”: Top Trump Aide Dan Scavino Calls Out James Comey for Posting “a Plea to Bad Actors/Terrorists to Assassinate the POTUS While Traveling Internationally”

President Donald Trump’s close aide White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Jr., called out former FBI Director James Comey for posting “a plea to bad actors/terrorists to assassinate the POTUS’ while traveling internationally” with his now-deleted “8647” Instagram post. A short while later, Scavino (not so) cryptically posted, “FAFO.”

File screen image.

President Trump is in the midst of an historic Middle East trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that wraps up Friday. The government of Iran was caught plotting to assassinate Trump last year as he campaigned for president.

Trump fired Comey from his FBI director post in 2017 early in his first term as president. Comey leaked FBI documents that he knew would trigger the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Trump over the Russia hoax in an effort to bring down Trump’s presidency. Comey also boasted about setting up Trump’s first national security advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, with a perjury trap that led to Flynn’s firing and unjust prosecution.

Scavino, who is traveling with Trump, posted to X on Thursday, “Comey truly is a POS. While he’ll claim not to know what 8647 means, there’s no doubt that the former disgraced FBI Dir. knows exactly what he’s doing, with a plea to bad actors/terrorists to assassinate the POTUS’ while traveling internationally. Don’t let him get away with it!!”

Comey truly is a POS. While he’ll claim not to know what 8647 means, there’s no doubt that the former disgraced FBI Dir. knows exactly what he’s doing, with a plea to bad actors/terrorists to assassinate the POTUS’ while traveling internationally. Don’t let him get away with it!! pic.twitter.com/gM4GmN6OUB

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) May 15, 2025

Scavino has known Trump since 1992 when he caddied for the future president, then working at one of Trump’s golf courses starting in 2004. Scavino has been with Trump ever since, inside and outside the White House.

Earlier Thursday, Scavino posted video of Air Force One flying into the United Arab Emirates:

A beautiful view from Air Force One, en route to the United Arab Emirates pic.twitter.com/v1GYqaXRyp

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) May 15, 2025

Scavino has also posted videos of fighter escorts along the trip by Saudi Arabia and Qatar:

Good morning from Air Force One, Saudi Arabia! Thank you for the escort, and having President Trump’s back—We all appreciate it. See you on the ground shortly, THANK YOU!!! pic.twitter.com/iGuqfCvnwt

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) May 13, 2025

Happening Now—President Trump is looking out the window on Air Force One as we enter Qatar air space with a fighter jet escort. Landing shortly at Hamad International Airport in Qatar.

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/0a4RGm4WB8

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) May 14, 2025

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier posted the Secret Service is investigating, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.’

Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.

DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 15, 2025

UPDATE: Two more (cryptic) posts by Scavino, “FAFO” (F*** Around and Find Out) and Phil Collins performing “In the Air Tonight”:

ⒻⒶⒻⓄ

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) May 15, 2025

pic.twitter.com/L7cUghG0bx

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) May 16, 2025

The post “FAFO”: Top Trump Aide Dan Scavino Calls Out James Comey for Posting “a Plea to Bad Actors/Terrorists to Assassinate the POTUS While Traveling Internationally” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE: A Composed Cassie Ventura Undergoes Grueling Cross-Examination by Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb’s Defense – Angry Judge Subramanian Orders It to End by Friday

Sean Diddy Combs found in his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura a nemesis.

Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, from former girlfriend to disgraced mogul rapper and producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, became his nemesis: her civil lawsuit against him, though settled for $20 million in 24 hours, opened the flood of hundreds of similar suits – and eventually led to his prison and prosecution for sex-trafficking.

And now, she has become the most important witness in his trial where he is fighting a potential life sentence.

Today, the 8-month pregnant Cassie is facing grueling cross-examination from Diddy’s Combs’ lawyers.

She talked about the start of their relationship and had to address graphic texts and emails about the never-ending, drug-fueled ‘freak offs’.

8-month pregnant Cassie has been testifying for three days.

Just before lunch break, a visibly irritated Judge Arun Subramanian reprimanded Diddy’s defense for proceeding too slow in their cross-examination of Cassie.

New York Post reported:

“Lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo justified the length of time their side would be keeping Ventura on the witness stand since she is the ‘most important witness of the case’.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson expressed concern over the R&B singer — who is eight months pregnant — testifying for so many days, which would be up to five by Monday.”

This X screen shot is of security camera footage that shows the former girlfriend of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, Cassie Ventura, trying to call an elevator. (@CNN / X Screen Shot)

Judge Subramanian went on to warn the defense that they would get a day-and-a-half to question Ventura, since she ‘was not the kind of witness who is fighting [them]’.

“Combs lawyer Marc Agnifilo said he was surprised to hear there was a hard deadline: ‘This is a critical witness in a case that involves a life sentence’.

Subramanian didn’t budge, noting everyone agreed ahead of time that Ventura’s testimony would be completed by the end of the week.

He told the defense team they would need to finish up with her by Friday morning, but he said he might give them a little more time after lunch.”

As an aside, Marc Agnifilo is famous for his ‘no-holds-barred’ cross-examinations. During the trial of sex cult NXIVM’s guru Keith Raniere, Agnifilo cross-examined a female witness so hard and for so long that it led judge Nicholas G. Garaufis to take the unprecedented step of stopping the cross on its tracks. Raniere ended up convicted with a 120-year prison sentence.

Read more:

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial: the Cassie Ventura Testimony (Part 3)

The post GRACE UNDER PRESSURE: A Composed Cassie Ventura Undergoes Grueling Cross-Examination by Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb’s Defense – Angry Judge Subramanian Orders It to End by Friday appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Solicitor General John Sauer Slams “Judicial Insurrection” — Blasts Courts for Issuing 40 Nationwide Injunctions Against Trump, Calls Them an Abuse of Power

In a fiery rebuke from the Supreme Court bench on Thursday, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer denounced the “judicial insurrection” against President Trump’s second-term agenda.

Sauer highlighted that federal judges have issued 40 nationwide injunctions since January, effectively stalling key executive actions, including the administration’s controversial order to end birthright citizenship for children born to non-citizen parents.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that a California woman has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for organizing a Chinese birth tourism scheme.

The Department of Justice said in a press release after their convictions:

According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, from at least January 2012 to March 2015, Liu and Dong ran a maternity house in Rancho Cucamonga. Liu and Dong rented apartment units in Southern California to provide short-term housing and provided other services to pregnant women from China who traveled to the United States to give birth so their children would acquire U.S. citizenship. Typically, within one or two months after giving birth, the women returned to China.

Among the services Liu and Dong provided was assistance on how to obtain visas to enter the United States, customs entry guidance, housing, and transportation in the United States, as well as assistance applying for U.S. legal documents for the children of their customers.

Liu and Dong advised their customers on how to hide their pregnancies from the immigration authorities. Liu and Dong also knew – or deliberately avoided learning – that their customers lied on their visa applications submitted to immigration authorities to enter the U.S.

Generally, their customers’ visa applications falsely stated that the purpose of the trip to the United States was for tourism, when it was to give birth, and the length of the stay was days or weeks, when it was in fact months. The visas also misstated the location where the customers intended to stay, which was defendants’ maternity hotel.

On Thursday, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on President Trump’s birthright citizenship case, with a focus on nationwide injunctions.

The Trump Administration previously asked the Supreme Court to stop lower courts from issuing injunctions on a nationwide basis.

Conservative justices expressed skepticism about the broad application of such injunctions, with Justice Clarence Thomas noting their rarity before the 1960s.

Sauer argued that these injunctions prevent the “percolation” of legal questions through the judicial system and create asymmetrical burdens on the government.

Sauer: A cascade of such universal injunctions followed. Since January 20th, district courts have now issued 40 universal injunctions against the federal government, including 35 from the same five judicial districts. This is a bipartisan problem that has now spanned the last five presidential administrations.

Universal injunctions exceed the judicial power granted in Article III, which exists only to address the injury to the complaining party.

They transgress the traditional bounds of equitable authority, and they create a host of practical problems. Such injunctions prevent the percolation of novel and difficult legal questions. They encourage rampant forum shopping.

They require judges to make rushed, high-stakes, low-information decisions. They circumvent Rule 23 by offering all the benefits but none of the burdens of class certification. They operate asymmetrically, forcing the government to win everywhere, while the plaintiffs can win anywhere. They invert the ordinary hierarchy of appellate review.

They create the ongoing risk of conflicting judgments. They increase the pressures on this Court’s emergency docket.

They create what Justice Powell described as “repeated and essentially head-on confrontations between the life-tenured and representative branches of government.” And they disrupt the Constitution’s careful balancing of the separation of powers.

LISTEN:

️JUDICIAL INSURRECTION

Solicitor General John Sauer explains the judicial insurrection, noting that courts have issued forty nationwide injunctions against the Trump administration so far. He explains why these injunctions are an abuse of the judicial power.

“Universal… pic.twitter.com/VXigYnlXLM

— Tyler O’Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) May 15, 2025

Since returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump has been met with an unprecedented onslaught of legal challenges from far-left activist judges and groups determined to sabotage his second term in power.

President Trump has faced 239 legal challenges from activist judges. Only 8 cases are closed.

Eric Teetsel from the American Renewal Center reported that Trump received 64 injunctions during his first term in office, which lasted from 2017 to 2021, compared with 14 injunctions against Biden.

The post Solicitor General John Sauer Slams “Judicial Insurrection” — Blasts Courts for Issuing 40 Nationwide Injunctions Against Trump, Calls Them an Abuse of Power appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

White House Comms Director Smacks Down Reporter: ‘You Must be Truly F-cking Stupid if You Think We’re Not Transparent’

Trump campaign spokeman, Steven Cheung (Credit: Getty Images)

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung slapped down a reporter who asked why transcripts of many of President Donald Trump’s public statements are not on the government website.

HuffPost White House Correspondent S.V. Date wrote that he had asked the White House for comment about why transcripts of only 29 Trump speeches since retaking office are on the website.

“Trump aides would not explain their decision to withhold 80% of the transcripts that have been prepared,” Date asserted. “White House communications director Steven Cheung, however, did insult HuffPost for asking the question.”

Cheung replied by telling Date that he is likely suffering from Trump Derrangement Syndrome.

He wrote:

“You must be truly f-cking stupid if you think we’re not transparent. The president regularly does multiple press engagements per day and they are streamed live on multiple platforms. We’ve even granted low-level outlets like HuffPo [sic] additional access to events, because we’re so transparent. For anyone to think otherwise proves they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Stop beclowning yourself.”

The comms director told Date to make sure he published the statement in full.

Date complained that while the speeches are all readily available, it is hard for him to have to put in the work and search them.

“While it is true that videos of nearly all of Trump’s public remarks are available on C-SPAN, YouTube or other websites, they are not easily searchable by topic or keyword. There are private firms that transcribe his words, but they are not comprehensive and not well-known to the public,” Date wrote.

The post White House Comms Director Smacks Down Reporter: ‘You Must be Truly F-cking Stupid if You Think We’re Not Transparent’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

DEVELOPING: FBI, DHS, Secret Service Investigating James Comey Over Trump Assassination Post

The FBI, DHS and Secret Service are now investigating former FBI Director James Comey over his Trump assassination social media post.

“We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” Kash Patel said on Thursday evening.

We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 15, 2025

DHS Chief Kristi Noem confirmed the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service are investigating the threat.

“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump,” Kristi Noem said. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.

DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 15, 2025

James Comey posted a cryptic message to his Instagram account on Thursday spelled out in seashells: “86 47”

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said in his caption.

Comey Trump assassination social media post

Comey deleted the post after major backlash, and he updated with an unbelievable comment.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” Comey said on Instagram.

So Comey expects the public to believe that he, a former FBI Director, did not know the meaning of “86.”

James Comey is also implying he did not assemble the shell formation. He is claiming that he just happened to stumble across the assassination message while he was on his beach walk.

Comey assassination post comment

Comey’s call for the assassination of Trump comes after two close calls in the last year.

President Trump was shot in the ear on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A month later, Ryan Routh stuck the muzzle of his rifle through the fencing at Trump’s Palm Beach golf course while the president was playing a round of golf with his good friend Steve Witkoff.

DEVELOPING…

The post DEVELOPING: FBI, DHS, Secret Service Investigating James Comey Over Trump Assassination Post appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

WATCH: LaMonica McIver Wearing Prison Orange Suit Repeatedly Refuses to Answer Questions About Assaulting Agents at ICE Facility as Criminal Investigation Looms

Rep. Lamonica McIver repeatedly ignores questions after assaulting federal agents and storming the ICE facility at Delaney Hall Detention Center

Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, who infamously body rammed federal agents at the Delaney Hall Detention Center last week when she and her Democrat colleagues stormed the ICE facility, ignored questions from The Gateway Pundit multiple times throughout the day on Thursday.

McIver, who has come within the scope of a federal investigation announced by US Attorney Alina Habba this week, was fittingly sporting a prison orange suit as she faces potential felony charges.

Democratic New Jersey Congressmen LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Robert Menendez stormed into the facility in Newark, New Jersey, where aliens are being housed, without following protocols. A rowdy confrontation with police then ensued.

Video from the incident clearly shows Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver screaming at and physically assaulting federal agents by shoving them and hitting them with her body repeatedly. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was also there, fighting for the release of dangerous criminal aliens.

Baraka was arrested on Friday for his involvement in the lawlessness.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Bonnie Watson Coleman responded to questions from The Gateway Pundit this morning and denied all wrongdoing, including the crimes captured on video. She then launched into a profane race-baiting tirade, calling the accusations “bullsh*t.”

She further appeared to blame “white supremacists” for the criticisms and ongoing investigation the lawmakers are facing.

WATCH: “BULLSH*T, THAT IS A BUNCH OF CRAP” – Rep. Bonnie Coleman Denies Storming ICE Facility and Rep. McIver Assaulting Agents, Blames “White Supremacists” in Explosive Confrontation

We attempted three times on Wednesday to ask McIver for comment on the incident and ongoing investigation, whether she regrets assaulting officers, whether she expects charges, and why she believes she is above the law.

Watch the clips below:

McIver refused to answer this reporter’s questions this morning before her 10 am committee hearing:

And again, at approximately 2 pm, McIver was supposedly on a phone call while walking into her office:

Finally, at 4:20 pm, multiple reporters tried to confront LaMonica McIver on the DOJ’s investigation and whether she’s been contacted by the DOJ.

The post WATCH: LaMonica McIver Wearing Prison Orange Suit Repeatedly Refuses to Answer Questions About Assaulting Agents at ICE Facility as Criminal Investigation Looms appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

FEMA’s Woke Disaster: $2 Billion Fraud, Reverse Discrimination, and Retaliation Buried for Six Years

(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Greydon Furstenau)

For six years, FEMA has quietly buried one of the worst scandals in federal disaster response—a toxic mix of reverse discrimination, fraud, and whistleblower retaliation tied to the Hurricane Maria recovery in Puerto Rico. I led the contractor team that uncovered it firsthand.

In 2018, I deployed as the technical lead of a Lean Six Sigma team made up of straight, older, white veterans and executives.

Our mission was to bring order, transparency, and efficiency to a FEMA operation crippled by dysfunction. What we found was not just inefficiency—it was corruption: theft, favoritism, and rot embedded deep in FEMA’s culture.

We documented widespread violations of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Anti-Deficiency Act.

FEMA leadership stole contractor-developed intellectual property and inflated performance metrics in a $1.5 billion scheme to mislead Congress.

Unqualified personnel were promoted—not for merit, but for checking the right identity boxes. This was not mismanagement. It was deliberate.

FEMA’s culture was dominated by DEI politics—identity trumped merit, and promotions were rigged. One insider told us: “Straight white men are at the bottom here.” That was not just talk. It was policy.

At the heart of it was a tight-knit special interest group dubbed internally by FEMA insiders the “LGBTQ Mafia.”

They wielded outsized influence, shielded by management and FEMA’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and FOIA offices, which buried complaints and blocked accountability.

A two-story Pride flag was unfurled in the FEMA Joint Recovery Office—while requests by Alcoholics Anonymous members and religious employees to form special interest groups were denied.

We were pressured by prime contractor ATCS Plc to hire an LGBTQ consultant—regardless of qualifications—just to appease FEMA’s internal clique.

Our team became a target. We faced reverse discrimination and internal sabotage—both overt and subtle—because of who we were and what we exposed.

FEMA’s insiders resented our demographic and refusal to play along. The moment we began challenging the status quo, the knives came out.

FEMA’s misuse of DEI did not just hurt outsiders. It failed the very communities it claimed to help. FEMA’s 80% local hire mandate filled recovery roles with unqualified workers, most with no emergency management experience.

The result? Incompetence, chaos, and a recovery effort that fell years behind schedule, leaving communities in limbo.

When we blew the whistle, FEMA immediately retaliated—terminating our contract, erasing over $100 million in potential efficiency gains, and killing a game-changing Digital Site Inspection Tool.

It could have saved 500,000 man-hours, slashed aid delivery time by 90%, and scaled to future disasters.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) eventually substantiated our retaliation complaint—a rare outcome.

Yet it ignored nearly $2 billion in documented waste, fraud, and abuse we also uncovered.

Worse, DHS’s Office of General Counsel, FEMA’s Contracting Office, and the DHS Whistleblower Protection Unit shielded bad actors.

ATCS Plc and FEMA employees who stole IP, falsified records, and targeted whistleblowers continue to be protected—not punished.

To date, we have filed seven lawsuits—three naming FEMA directly. I have briefed over 50 members of Congress and discussed the malfeasance with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Still, FEMA’s culture of retaliation and obstruction remains intact. The FOIA office withheld records from whistleblowers and Congress. The EEO office buried complaints.

FEMA knows what happened—discrimination, retaliation, and IP theft—but did nothing. Unfortunately, FEMA’s lawyers continue to hide behind procedural games, dodging the facts while quibbling over technicalities.

One FEMA attorney, after receiving multiple extensions from us, denied my team a routine filing extension out of spite—for other articles I wrote.

What FEMA did was not just unethical, it was catastrophic for Puerto Rico and for taxpayers. Maria was FEMA’s second-largest disaster, and our team had more insight than anyone on the island. We were positioned to fix it. Instead, we were eliminated for telling the truth.

This is not just a FEMA problem. It is a warning. Across government, DEI is being weaponized, whistleblowers are silenced, and unqualified ideologues are being installed in positions of power. At FEMA, where lives are on the line, the cost is not just dollars, it is disaster.

In quality management, the Japanese use a phrase—walking the Gemba—to describe going to the actual place where work is done, seeing problems firsthand, and fixing them at the root.

At FEMA, no one walks the Gemba. They hide defects. They punish those who speak up. They protect the rot. It reminds me of another Japanese saying: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”

FEMA is not broken from lack of tools—it is broken by culture: fraud hidden, failure tolerated, integrity punished. It cannot be reformed from within.

The agency will continue to waste billions, fail in its mission, and destroy the lives of those who try to fix it.

Trump needs to consider devolving disaster recovery to the states and dismantling FEMA entirely. FEMA has become the middleman in a bad drug deal: bloated, corrupt, and obstructive.

Eliminating it would not create chaos—it would eliminate the bureaucracy and inefficiency that have plagued disaster response for decades.

Using block grants and putting recovery in the hands of states would allow them to tailor solutions to their specific needs at far lower cost, with far greater incentive to get it right.

Barry Angeline: retired corporate executive with over 30 years’ experience in process improvement at organizations like GE, Sun Microsystems, Time Warner,  the USMC, and US army. Holds multiple awards for quality management, several patents and has publications in performance management. He holds a BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and was awarded an MBA with Distinction from the Manchester Business School in the UK. Technical leader for the FEMA Lean Six Sigma deployment in Puerto Rico.

Dan McCabe (USA Ret.):  awarded two Bronze Star Medals. Army armor officer and two-tour veteran of OIF-1. After retirement, worked with US and Iraqi flag officers and US Department of State in transferring US security training operations over from Army to State, and then to the Iraqi government. He holds a BS in history from Oregon State University and an MS is Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. Senior consultant for the FEMA Lean Six Sigma deployment in Puerto Rico.

The post FEMA’s Woke Disaster: $2 Billion Fraud, Reverse Discrimination, and Retaliation Buried for Six Years appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Comey Deletes Trump Assassination Social Media Post – Updates With UNBELIEVABLE Comment

Former FBI Director James Comey deleted his Instagram post, which appeared to call for the assassination of President Trump.

James Comey posted a cryptic message to his Instagram account on Thursday spelled out in seashells: “86 47”

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said in his caption.

Comey Trump assassination social media post

Comey deleted the post after major backlash, and he updated with an unbelievable comment.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” Comey said on Instagram.

So Comey expects the public to believe that he, a former FBI Director, did not know the meaning of “86.”

James Comey is also implying he did not assemble the shell formation. He is claiming that he just happened to stumble across the assassination message while he was on his beach walk.

Update: The White House responded to Comey’s social media post calling it “what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States.”

“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.”

The FBI is also aware of Comey’s Instagram post.

While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as “a hit” on the sitting President of the United States—a message etched in the sand.

This is deeply concerning to all of us and is… pic.twitter.com/RF0Dl3t1JF

— Taylor Budowich (@Taylor47) May 15, 2025

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