WATCH: Maricopa County Election Employees Seen Late at Night Using Flash Drives on Certified Equipment Ahead of Election Day – Maricopa Attempts Damage Control

Maricopa County employees seen late at night using flash drives on equipment

Maricopa County election employees are believed to have been seen tampering with voting equipment late at night this week, appearing to install or download something on election equipment that has already been certified for use on November 3. 

The county claims that they were just “working on a legitimate election task, late into the night.” But according to Phoenix-based election watchdog group We the People Alliance, the employees left for the day at approximately 6:20 pm, then returned late at night around 9:08 pm until 11:15 pm.

Additionally, co-founder of We the People Shelby Busch tells The Gateway Pundit, “There are two flaws with the Maricopa County Election Department’s statement of transparency. First, they fail to disclose to the public what this ‘legitimate election task’ was that required occurring late into the night, and second, they indicate this can be viewed 24/7 by the public; however, the feed published by WTP USA does not appear to be part of the public feeds.”

We the People obtained the non-public video from a source. This view is nowhere to be found in Maricopa County’s public livestream of election activities at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. Still, Maricopa County claimed in a statement, “You can view our tabulation center 24/7 365 days a year.”

“We do not presume to know what was on those flash drives, but what we do know is that secure computers were unlocked and external devices were inserted into highly sensitive systems late at night and without any public oversight. Additional video footage we obtained also raises heavy concern over the chain of custody of the external flash drive,” she added.

One of the employees, We the People Alliance says, is Brian Ramirez, the same employee who was previously accused of deleting election files before voting machines were delivered to Arizona Senate auditors following the stolen 2020 election. The Gateway Pundit has not independently verified that Ramirez was involved in the latest incident.

Similar concerns about Maricopa County machine tampering after logic and accuracy testing to certify the accuracy of the election equipment arose in the 2022 election, which was stolen from Kari Lake.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Maricopa County admitted during Kari Lake’s court proceedings in 2022 to “install[ing] new memory cards on its Election Day tabulators” on October 14, 17, and 18, after the statutorily required October 11 logic and accuracy (L&A) testing. The tabulators went on to fail on election day, disenfranchising thousands of voters across Maricopa County and robbing Kari Lake of her victory over then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

Likewise, the external devices were seemingly plugged into the computers, just two days after the county’s testing. Maricopa County performed L&A testing for the November 3 election on October 5. Who knows what is on these USB drives?

Surveillance video from inside the Maricopa County tabulation center appears to show one of the employees using flash drives on the computers at 10:38 pm on October 7.

WATCH:

We the People Alliance sounded the alarm on Friday:

BUSTED: Exclusive Video of Maricopa County BOS employees (toddler in tow) in highly secure Ballot Tabulation Center at 10:30pm inserting flash drives into computers (Post L&A) during an active election obtained by our source! Additional video obtained shows 3 hours of activity (Leaving at 11:15pm)

This is why we MUST vote!

Turn out in masses this election and have your voice heard.

We must be vigilant, we are watching..

These employees worked a day shift that day, leaving at 6:23pm and then returned at 9:08pm alone (with child) and remained until 11:15pm. One of the 2 employees has been identified as Brian Ramirez, the same BOS employee who deleted files off the EMS system in 2020. (more details below)

These employees are hired and supervised by Scott Jarrett and the Maricopa BOS NOT the Maricopa County Recorders office.

*All relevant details have been reported to authorities.

Maricopa County responded to the incident, with the elections department putting out a statement, claiming, “As occurs in the weeks preceding an election, these employees were working on a legitimate election task, late into the night.”

“These photos may be used on social media to imply wrongdoing. This is not the case. Know the facts, so you can vote confidently,” the statement continued.

County Supervisor Mark Stewart also said in a statement that the two employees were simply “trying to complete work before the weekend.” Notably, however, the two were seen on Wednesday night — days before the weekend.

This comes after Maricopa County election vendor Runbeck sent thousands of ballots to voters nearly a week before early voting is scheduled to begin in a so-called error.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, we also asked the President for his thoughts on the so-called mail-in ballot error in Maricopa County. “By the way, there were no errors. You know that, right? There were no errors,” Trump said, suggesting that the Maricopa mail-in voting is rigged. “They got caught,” he added.

Maricopa County Announces Runbeck Mistakenly Sent Out Thousands of Midterm Ballots – Trump Responds to TGP: “There Were No Errors… They Got Caught!” (VIDEO)

This is a developing story.

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Obama Judge Blocks Deportation of Illegal Alien Gang Member Shot by ICE Agent in the Bronx

A federal judge on Friday blocked the deportation of the criminal, illegal alien gang member who was shot by an ICE agent in New York City.

Protests erupted in the Bronx on Thursday evening after an ICE agent shot and wounded an from the Dominican Republic in Marble Hill.

Video posted to social media shows anti-ICE activists blocking federal vehicles and confronting ICE agents after the officer-involved shooting.

The confirmed an ICE agent shot the criminal alien gang member identified as Oscar Belgal.

“On October 8, at approximately 4:00 PM ET, ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the Bronx, New York, to arrest a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny, and multiple prior arrests for assault, robbery, possession of drugs, and weapons possession. He has associations to the Trinitarios gang, the same gang who brutally shot a CBP officer last year,” DHS said.

“This criminal illegal alien was arrested by the NYPD on December 7, 2023, but was released into the community a few days later by reckless Democrat sanctuary policies that put American lives at risk,” they said.

US District Judge Paul Oetken, an Obama appointee, temporarily blocked the Trump Admin from deporting Oscar Belgal.

Fox News reported:

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of an illegal immigrant who was shot Thursday during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in New York City, as local and federal authorities on Friday released video surrounding the shooting.

In a two-page order, U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken, an Obama appointee, ruled that the man — whom police identified as Oscar Belgal but who was named in a court document as Oscar Bergal — cannot be removed from the United States without a court order while his petition challenging his detention remains pending.

The judge also barred federal authorities from transferring him to any facility outside the Southern or Eastern Districts of New York or the District of New Jersey without prior court approval.

In a Friday court hearing, a judge dismissed a defense application for a temporary restringing order with prejudice because federal prosecutors didn’t challenge Oetken’s order that Belgal not be deported.

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Pope Leo XIV Declares Death Penalty “Inadmissible” as Trump Administration Prepares to Execute Fort Hood Jihadist

Screenshot:
Edgar Beltrán / The Pillar

At a time when lawlessness is rampaging across Western nations and violent repeat offenders are routinely set free by far-left activist prosecutors, the leadership at the Vatican is doubling down on their soft-on-crime narrative.

The first American-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV (formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago), took to his official X account on Saturday to reaffirm the modern Catholic Church’s absolute opposition to capital punishment.

In the post, Leo wrote:

“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption. #NoDeathPenalty.”

Leo’s post did not name Hasan or the United States, but it followed statements from Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Vatican Secretary of State) and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Archbishop Paul Coakley condemning the planned public/livestreamed execution as “unacceptable,” “incomprehensible,” and a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death.” Vatican News explicitly linked the Pope’s message to the Fort Hood case and the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

The timing could not be more pointed. Just days earlier, the Trump administration and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth finalized plans for the U.S. Army firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the radical Islamist Army psychiatrist who, on November 5, 2009, walked into a Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Processing Center shouting “Allahu Akbar,” murdered 13 American soldiers (including a pregnant service member), and wounded 32 more.

As The Gateway Pundit has extensively reported, President Trump approved the death sentence, Hegseth recommended the firing squad method, and the execution is set for December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time at Fort Hood itself, the same time of day as the original attack.

The Pentagon has confirmed the execution will be livestreamed so the public can witness the consequences of such an atrocity.

In a September 14, 1952, address to the First International Congress on the Histopathology of the Nervous System, Pope Pius XII defended the state’s authority to execute a convicted criminal under certain circumstances.

Pius XII explained that, in such cases, public authorities could deprive a condemned offender of life as punishment for a crime.

His argument was that an offender could, through his own criminal actions, forfeit his claim to continued life, allowing the state to impose the ultimate punishment. ( Pope Pius XII’s Address to the First International Congress on the Histopathology of the Nervous System — September 14, 1952 See paragraph 28)

Traditional Catholic teaching and Scripture (including Old Testament capital offenses and Romans 13’s affirmation of the state’s sword) have long recognized that the death penalty can be legitimate.

In 2018, Pope Francis formally revised Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to declare the death penalty inadmissible.

The revised teaching argues that even individuals responsible for serious crimes retain their inherent human dignity and that modern detention facilities can protect society without execution.

The Vatican has defended this revision as a development consistent with earlier Catholic doctrine, rather than a repudiation of it.

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WATCH: Trump Drops Hilarious Line on Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats Changing “Mother” and “Father” to “Gestating Parent” and “Non-Gestating Parent”

President Trump holds midterm rally in Syracuse, New York – October 9, 2026

President Trump roasted New York Democrats over a proposal to get rid of the words mother and father in state law and replace them with complex woke phrases that make no sense. 

During a rally in Syracuse, New York, last night, Trump blasted the woke gender insanity of mutilizing children, putting men in women’s spaces, and installing their sick Orwellian Newspeak.

“Kathy Hochul supports transgender mutilization of your children, she supports men in women’s sports, and a bill that would change the terms of ‘mother’ and ‘father’ to ‘gestating’ and ‘non-gestating’ parents,” Trump told the crowd in Syracuse before calling out the clown-world situation they’re creating.

“You can no longer say mother, ‘hi mom.’ It’s ‘hi gestating,’” he said as the crowd burst into laughter. “Hi, gestating! I love you so much, gestating mom.”

Trump continued, “New York needs to throw out this radical left lunatic and elect Bruce Blakeman and get yourself back into shape!”

WATCH:

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the New York legislature passed a bill earlier this year to remove the words “mother” and “father” in state laws and replace them with gender-neutral terms.

Mothers would be referred to as “gestating parents,” and fathers would become “non-gestating parents.” The word “paternity” also becomes “parentage.”

While Hochul has not taken any action on the bill, a spokesperson from her office said it is still under review but defended the legislation, claiming it “appears to address technical legal issues related to surrogacy and parentage.”

They further accused critics of the woke ideology of making “bad-faith arguments” and “deliberately misleading New Yorkers for political gain.”

MORE:

ORWELLIAN: New York Democrats Pass Legislation That Changes the Word ‘Mother’ to ‘Gestating Parent’

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Watch: Hockey Crowd Goes Wild When WWII Vet, 105, Who Fought Under Patton Performs Nat’l Anthem on Rink

World War II veteran Dominick Critelli performs the National Anthem on the saxophone at the New York Islanders opener on Oct. 3, 2026.

World War II veteran Dominick Critelli performs the National Anthem on the saxophone at the New York Islanders opener on Oct. 3, 2026.

World War II veteran Dominick Critelli, 105, played a saxophone rendition of the National Anthem during the New York Islanders’ home opener Saturday, and the crowd went nuts.

“105 year old World War II Veteran Dominick Critelli is back to perform the National Anthem on the saxophone at tonight’s home opener!” the team’s official X account read.

The decorated Staff Sergeant is no stranger to the National Hockey League. He is an Islanders favorite who had previously performed the anthem for a 2025 game against the rival New York Rangers.

During his most recent performance, he was sitting down getting ready to play and had to signal for the audience to stop applauding him so he could start the show.

The crowd began to sing the lyrics as Critelli played and exploded into applause when he wrapped up.

Some fans saluted him, others cheered, and he received a standing ovation. He responded by simply tipping his cap to the crowd.

Critelli served in the 95th Infantry Division and was a member of the 378th Infantry Regiment in an Artillery Aviation Unit.

His main job included gathering flying intelligence, surveillance, and carrying out reconnaissance missions. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge under the leadership of Gen. George Patton.

In November 1944, Critelli flew behind enemy lines for a supply drop to help American troops stuck on the enemy side of a bridgehead.

For four days, he flew 14 missions to carry out precision supply drops to aid U.S. troops.

His plane was even hit with dozens of bullets that pierced the wings. His heroism under fire earned him the Air Medal.

Critelli spent a total of 151 days in combat, and was also awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars, the American Theater Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal.

During his 2025 performance against the Rangers, Critelli held the last note so long that the crowd broke out into a chant of “USA!”

He saluted his fans before leaving the ice.

“I lost a lot of friends,” he said last season, referring to fellow soldiers who didn’t make it home. “I’m doing this for them.”

“I mean, is there any better song to play than ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’?” the veteran added. “Beautiful, you put your heart in it.”

During both performances, Critelli was given a custom jersey by the team that listed his age of 104 and 105 respectively.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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JUST IN: Christa Pike Discharged from Hospital and Moved Back to Prison After Botched Execution

Christa Pike was discharged from the hospital and moved back to prison following a botched execution, her attorneys said.

Earlier this week Christa Pike regained consciousness and began speaking speaking several days after she survived two doses of pentobarbital.

“Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking, and continues to receive critical medical care,” her attorneys said earlier this week.

“Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery,” attorneys for Pike said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Christa Pike’s attorneys thanked the first responders and the medical team at the hospital “who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her.”

Christa Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for a 1995 fatal stabbing, torture and beating of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

Pike was transported back to prison on Saturday.

The Associated Press reported:

Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection, has been moved back to prison, according to a statement released by her attorneys.

Pike, 50, was discharged from the hospital and is back at the Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years, her attorneys said in a statement.

“She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at the prison, and we will continue to track her recovery,” her attorneys said in a statement released Saturday.

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Philadelphia Cop Gunned Down in Late Night Ambush by City Employee, Partner Shot 12 Times and Fighting for His Life

A Philadelphia police officer is dead, and a second is in critical condition, after a gunman ambushed them on a porch just after midnight on Saturday, then kept shooting as he ran and hid in a tree.

The Inquirer, citing law enforcement sources, identified the alleged shooter as Eric Lewis, an employee of the Philadelphia Water Department.

Officers were called just after midnight to the 100 block of North 52nd Street for a man with a gun on a porch.

They arrived around 12:50 a.m.

As soon as they stepped onto the porch, they were hit with a hail of gunfire, according to Commissioner Kevin Bethel.

One officer, a 33-year-old father of five, was shot 12 times.

The other, a 40-year-old father of two, was shot three times.

Both were rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and taken into surgery, but one of them did not make it, according to a report from the New York Post.

The suspect fled the scene and continued firing at officers in a nearby alley. No other officers were hit.

He climbed a tree and surrendered after a SWAT unit arrived, according to Fox 29.

Officers recovered three firearms, two handguns and a shotgun.

A mayor’s office spokesman declined to comment on Lewis’ employment and deferred to police.

The department had not named either the officers or the suspect as of Saturday morning.

Bethel, in a statement on X, said two officers had been shot, and a suspect was in custody.

“Please pray for them and their families,” Bethel said. “To our officers and their families: we are with you, every step of the way.”

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Ukraine Reportedly Bombs Russian Oil Terminal Which is Part of Deal to Lower Price of Diesel to the US

The war machine extending the Ukrainian-Russian War is not our friend. They are doing everything to hurt President Trump and the US economy!

Ukraine Reportedly Bombs Russian Oil Terminal, Which is Part of Deal to Lower the Price of Diesel to the United States.

Ukraine bombed another Russian oil terminal hours after President Trump struck a deal with Putin to sell diesel to the United States.

On Friday, President Trump announced that the price of diesel was coming down fast after he reached a deal with Ukraine on Truth Social.

I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel. Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority. This is a very big and important announcement. Additionally, it must be understood, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

Overnight, a massive Russian terminal is bombed by Ukraine.  The following was reported:

BREAKING: Ukraine has just struck the NZNP Rostovsky oil products export terminal in Rostov-on-Don and set it ablaze, hours after the US-Russia diesel deal and Trump lifting sanctions on Russian fuel exports.

This is a products export terminal, exactly where the diesel would leave Russia under the deal.

Ukrainian military sources said earlier today that the Trump administration’s attempt to use Russian diesel to lower US prices before the midterms “will bear no fruit.”

 

Grok added this on the Ukrainian strike, via the Kyiv Post:

Ukrainian drones struck the NZNP (Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant) oil-loading terminal (also known as the Yug Rusi or Rostovsky branch) in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, overnight, igniting a major fire. This occurred hours after President Trump announced a deal with Putin for Russia to supply diesel to US and global markets, with the US temporarily easing related sanctions.

Key details:

  • The terminal handles petroleum products (including for export via the Sea of Azov and supplies linked to Russian military use). Design capacity is reported in the range of about 2.5–3.5 million tons per year. Independent Russian outlet Astra geolocated the fire (from resident footage) to the facility in Rostov-on-Don’s Zheleznodorozhny district; Ukrainian monitoring channels such as Exilenova+ also reported the strike and blaze. Satellite data (NASA FIRMS) was cited as confirming thermal activity in some accounts.
  • Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed drone attacks and fires in the area (claiming dozens of UAVs intercepted), along with damage to a railway bridge and some residential impacts. Russian reports noted explosions and a large blaze.
  • The same terminal had been struck by Ukrainian forces earlier (e.g., a confirmed hit in July 2026 that also caused a fire).

So which country is America’s enemy again?

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Check Out This Amazing Highlight Reel of Trump’s New Press Secretary Katie Zacharia (VIDEO)

Katie Zacharia offered White House Press Secretary role (via Katie Zacharia on Instagram)

As the Gateway Pundit reported, Trump has chosen Katie Zacharia as his new White House Press Secretary and she has his full confidence.

When you see the video below, you will understand why. Zacharia is as sharp as a knife and obviously understands what the country is facing if far left Democrats return to power.

We all knew that Karoline Leavitt was going to be extremely difficult to replace, but Zacharia will do just fine.

From RedState:

As RedState shared earlier, the White House has announced President Trump’s pick for the new Press Secretary in place of Karoline Leavitt, and her name is Katie Zacharia.

We wrote that she is no stranger to the White House, as one of her previous roles was as a spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

My colleague Teri Christoph also wrote that “Zacharia recently left DHS after a short stint in the agency’s communications shop and returned to the worlds of media commentary and advocacy,” while adding that “…she appeared alongside our own Jennifer Van Laar on an episode of The Sean Spicer Show not too long ago…” More on that in a minute.

Now, our sister site Townhall has just unveiled a stupendous supercut video showing Katie Zacharia in action – on everything from how big a failure Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has been for California – and that he would be even worse for the country, to a spot-on slam of Kamala Harris’ lack of support during the 2024 election, and more.

Now check out this highlight reel. It’s amazing.

She is clearly ready for this job.

It’ll be a joy to see her go to work.

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(VIDEO) Trump Releases Reacts to Bears Legend Mike Ditka’s Passing, Releases Statement: “He Was MAGA All the Way”

President Trump speaks to reporters at the White House

President Trump reacted to the death of Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka on Friday while speaking to reporters and in a statement on Saturday, writing that he “will be missed.”

Ditka passed away at 86 on Friday.

The legendary coach played 12 seasons with the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Dallas Cowboys before he was head coach of the Bears for ten seasons from 1982 to 1992.

Trump first reacted to the news on Friday while departing the White House en route to New York, telling reporters, “He was a great guy. He was with me all the way. He was tough.”

“That’s a sad one. You’re just telling me that now for the first time,” Trump added. “Wow, he was great. He was great. He was a big supporter of mine… he was a winner, he was a tough cookie, he was great.”

WATCH:

Ditka was also a vocal supporter and friend of President Trump. “He was MAGA all the way, and he will be missed,” Trump said on Truth Social this morning.

Mike Ditka was a great champion, both as a player and a Coach. He was MAGA all the way, and he will be missed. Rest in Peace, Mike! President DONALD J. TRUMP

The Gateway Pundit reported on Ditka’s passing and his legacy as one of the greats.

During the kneeling epidemic in the NFL, Ditka famously blasted the America-haters in the NFL.

“If you can’t respect this country, get the hell out of it,” he said of the political activists like Collin Kaepernick.

Beloved Chicago Bears Legend Mike Ditka Dead at 86

The post (VIDEO) Trump Releases Reacts to Bears Legend Mike Ditka’s Passing, Releases Statement: “He Was MAGA All the Way” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.