12 thoughts on “Trump Tracker (2nd term)”

1. The Politicization of the DOJ

   I’m not sure if anyone is following the reporting on Emil Bove III, a senior DOJ official, who Trump nominated to be an appeals judge, and the reporting on Kilmar Abrego-Garcia. The former is a the story that would, in the past, be a huge scandal, triggering investigations, almost certainly dooming Bove’s judicial nomination, and maybe ending a presidency. The latter has been described as “Kafkaesque” and I think that’s an apt description, and “evil” might also be an apt word to describe what they’re doing to him. (This Atlantic article sums up some of the things that has happened to him. The latest twist: the witness providing the most damning testimony against Abrego Garcia is a “twice-convicted felon who has been deported five times.” The government is not deporting him because of his testimony. Also, if courts allow Abrego Garcia out on bail, the DOJ lawyer has warned that ICE may immediately deport him.)

   As for Bove, this NYT article goes into some of these actions, reporting on a whistle blower’s accusation that Bove expressed a willingness to ignore the court, if it directed the Trump administration to stop specific deportations they were planning on.

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   1. Using DOJ to go after political enemies

      (I’m so behind on posting articles on this.)

      U.S. Attorney Investigating Two Trump Foes Departs Amid Pressure From President from the NYT (9/19/2025)

      Trump demands Bondi prosecute political foes in Truth Social posts from WaPo (9/21/2025)

      Trump’s demanding this because the US Attorney in Virginia, Eric Siebert, declined to prosecute Letitia James and James Comey, due to a lack of evidence.

      Here’s one of Trump’s truth social posts that the article references:

      Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT

      Regarding Eric Siebert, the U.S. attorney Trump cites in his post above, here’s what the NYT article (9/19/2025) wrote:

      “The president did not mention that he nominated Mr. Siebert only after the two senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, had already written Mr. Trump praising him.

      Comments:

      • The President and his supporters rail against politicization of the federal government. Does his public remarks and actions suggest that he’s trying to de-politicize the DOJ or does it seem like he’s increasing the politicization?
      • If congressional Rs who rail against the politicization of the federal government should start an investigation on this, bring the POTUS and US AG, Siebert, and all pertinent individuals to testify before Congress. If a future president acted this way, future Congresses should do all these things.

      9/26/2025

      DOJ indicts James comey

      On this same day Trump posted a video of him accusing Obama of treason, rigging the 2016 and 2020 election. He mentions Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and James Clapper, former CIA Director of being part of this as well. (Note: The video clip is of a Oval Office press conference that took place on 7/22/25. Bob Bauer, former Obama WH counsel and current NY Univeristy Law Professor, said that Trump posted this video clip on the same day of the Comey indictment, but I couldn’t verify this.)

      Another truth social post today (9/27/25) that sure doesn’t establish that he wants to rid the DOJ of politicization:

      Whether you like Corrupt James Comey or not, and I can’t imagine too many people liking him, HE LIED! It is not a complex lie, it’s a very simple, but IMPORTANT one. There is no way he can explain his way out of it. He is a Dirty Cop, and always has been, but he was just assigned a Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge, so he’s off to a very good start. Nevertheless, words are words, and he wasn’t hedging or in dispute. He was very positive, there was no doubt in his mind about what he said, or meant by saying it. He left himself ZERO margin of error on a big and important answer to a question. He just got unexpectedly caught. James “Dirty Cop” Comey was a destroyer of lives. He knew exactly what he was saying, and that it was a very serious and far reaching lie for which a very big price must be paid! President DJT

      DOJ investigating Fani Willis, Georgia DA that prosecuted Trump

      Justice Department Seeks Information on Georgia D.A. Who Prosecuted Trump from NYT (9/27/25)

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   2. Using the DOJ to Protect Allies of the Presidents

      Yesterday (9/26/25), DOJ indicts James Comey, even though the US Attorney General in Virginia declined to do so due to a weak case. Four days ago, the DOJ closed the case on Tom Homan, Trump’s Border Czar. In an FBI sting operation in 2024, Homan, on a recording is accepting $50,000 in paper bag (the fast-food chain, Cava) in return for helping secure future, border-related contracts.

      It’s possible that there wasn’t enough evidence to continue the investigation, but I think it would warrant some scrutiny from Congress. (Based on NYT article (9/20/25), not gifted)

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   3. Purging the DOJ

      Trump Fired a U.S. Attorney Who Insisted on Following a Court Order by the NYT (9/27/2025)

      Documents reviewed by The New York Times show that the July 15 firing of Ms. Beckwith occurred less than six hours after she told Mr. Bovino, the Border Patrol chief in charge of the Southern California raids, that a court order prevented him from arresting people without probable cause in a vast expanse that stretches from the Oregon border to Bakersfield. She was removed not only from her post as acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of California, but from the office altogether.

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2. The Politicization of Key Economic Institutions

   I want to rant about a few things and also write about some ideas to push back against Trump’s authoritarian behavior.

   First the rant. Trump the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because he was unhappy with the economic numbers. Speaking of rants, here’s Trump’s social media post:

   I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting “Kamala” elected – How did that work out? Jerome “Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!

   This is going a long way to undermine the trust of government labor statistics. At what point does the public stop trusting important information and data from the federal government? Remember Trump rails against the politicization of the federal government by the Democrats and the “radical Leftists.” Does anyone have doubts that he doesn’t care about politicizing the federal government?

   Speaking of which, he continues to pressure the Fed Chair to lower interest rates, calling for his removal because Powell doesn’t oblige. I really think Trump is playing a dangerous game by undermining the independence of the Fed. In line with this, the Fed Governor is stepping down early from her position.

   Now this turns me to another thought: Something must be done to stop these type of actions. The politicization and dismantling of civil service system of federal agencies is another thing that should fought. The Trump administration’s deportation plans and their contempt for due process and court orders should also be addressed. Trump’s enriching himself and possibly compromising national interests in the process. With more time, I could mention other things, but I’ll stop here.

   What can be done about this? In a functioning American system, Congress would either halt a lot of these activities, or a lot of investigations would have been started. Congress would likely find impeachable offenses by Trump and his officials, and impeachment would be in effect. But the Republicans are in control of both houses and their abdicating their responsibility. Democrats are in the minority, so I’m uncertain if they could do anything.

   Here’s one idea that came to mind: Former congressional Republicans like Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Jeff Flake, to name a few and any former Trump official should come together and start calling on Republicans to keep their oath of office. Whenever Trump does something egregious–like firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they can hold a press conference. Hold rallies. Go on Fox News, and other right wing outlets. Go on podcasts that Trump supporters listen to and make warn the public of the danger to the country and call on congressional Republicans to defend the Constitution and our system of government. Call on Rupert Murdoch and Fox News employees to cover these stories instead of downplaying–challenge the notion that these concerns are not just due to Trump hate.

   The group should also defend conservatism and go on the offensive against conservatives and Republicans who abandoned their principles. Challenge them on who are the real RINOs.

   And keep doing this over and over again–and do it as a group. Don’t stand alone. Ask other Republicans and conservative to join the group and speak out. Build the momentum.

   Somehow I feel this won’t work ,but I’m not sure why. Anyone?

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   1. President Says He Is Removing Lisa Cook From Federal Reserve Board from the NYT

      Mr. Trump justified the firing, which he said was effective immediately, by pointing to allegations that Ms. Cook may have falsified records to obtain favorable terms on a mortgage. But Ms. Cook and her lawyer vowed to fight her dismissal, maintaining that the president did not have the grounds to oust her.

      Ms. Cook has not been charged with wrongdoing or convicted of a crime. In the days before Mr. Trump attempted to remove her, the president had made no secret about his desire to remake the roster of the Fed, as he savaged its members, including Jerome H. Powell, the chair, for keeping interest rates too high.

      9/27/2025

      The type of political pressure Trump is putting on Powell:

      Example of the type of political pressure being placed on Jerome Powell

      My understanding is that the virtue and efficacy of the FED depends on the idea that they operate independently of politics. Maybe more specifically, the markets and business community has to believe they are operating independently of politics. They post above, and other public comments Trump has made foolishly undermines that.

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3. Trump critics warn that Trump will likely use ICE, the national guard or U.S. military like an authoritarian ruler. Sounds extreme, right? I want to track any stories that support or go against this notion. (I want to include the reports on the way Trump handled the L.A. riots and how he recently announced taking over the D.C. police.)

   Here’s a recent article today that is relevant: Border Agents Show Up in Force at Newsom Rally from the NYT.

   As the governor was preparing to speak inside the Japanese American National Museum in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles, the agents assembled outside, many of them masked and armed, and some wearing tactical helmets and carrying rifles.

   Mayor Karen Bass expressed outrage at this, saying there was no justification for this. Here how the Dept. of Homeland Security responded

   Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on social media that Ms. Bass “must be misinformed.”

   “Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law — not about Gavin Newsom,” Ms. McLaughlin said.

   Trump has decried the weaponization of federal agencies, but this is one of many examples that show he doesn’t care about this. At the very least he doesn’t care about a federal agency behaving in a political manner.

   Another example,

   A video shared on social media by Mr. Newsom’s press office shows the agents gathering outside the museum. In the video, Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol chief who is leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Southern California, says, “We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place, since we don’t have politicians who can do that. We do that ourselves.”

   If Bovino did say this, this is pretty blatant politicization of what they’re doing.

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   1. In Washington D.C.

      Trump Orders National Guard to Washington and Takeover of Capital’s Police from the NYT

      Check out James Fallows’s reporting in D.C., basically walking around the city, after Trump’s crackdown.

      In Chicago

      Deploy National Guard to Chicago? Trump Says He Has ‘The Right to Do Anything I Want to Do.’ (8/26/2025) from the NYT

      “You have a guy in Illinois, the governor of Illinois, saying that crime has been much better in Chicago recently and Trump is a dictator,” Mr. Trump said. “Most people are saying, ‘If you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants’ — I am not a dictator, by the way.”

      “Not that I don’t have — I would — the right to do anything I want to do,” Mr. Trump said. “I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger — and it is in danger in these cities — I can do it.”

      Referring to Mr. Pritzker, Mr. Trump continued: “No problem going in and solving, you know, his difficulties. But it would be nice if they’d call and they say, ‘Would you do it?’”

      Mr. Pritzker, responding on social media, said: “No, Donald. You can’t do whatever you want.”

      One thing we can say with certainty: Trump really doesn’t care if he appears to be a dictator.

      Portland, Oregon

      On Truth Social, Trump posted (9/27/2025):

      At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

      It’s a good thing we left Portland before the “War ravaging” occurred.

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4. Purging Government Officials

   This is a repository for reports about Trump’s attempts to remove government officials and federal workers. I agree with those who say he’s removing qualified, competent people and either not replacing them or replacing them with unqualified loyalists.

   One thing to keep in mind: Congress could investigate and question whether these removals are appropriate, legal, and/or putting the nation at risk. Republicans control Congress, and so far crickets.

   I’m way behind on posting this, but here are some recent reports.

   Pentagon Fires the Defense Intelligence Agency Chief from the NYT

   Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse oversaw the department that drafted an assessment of the Iran bombing that contradicted the WH’s claims about it. Hegseth not only fired him recently, but also Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who was chief of the Navy Reserve, as well as Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversaw Naval Special Warfare Command with no explanation. Prior to this the Trump administration removed Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency “after a right-wing conspiracy theorist complained about him.”

   New C.D.C. Director Resists Ouster as Other Officials Resign from the NYT

   The four high-ranking agency officials who did resign are Dr. Debra Houry, the C.D.C.’s chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who ran the center that issues vaccine recommendations; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, who oversaw the center that oversees vaccine safety; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, head of the office of public health data.”

   Later,

   “Dr. Mandy Cohen, who ran the agency during the second half of the Biden administration, called the officials “exceptional leaders who have served over many decades and many administrations,” and warned that “the weakening of the C.D.C. leaves us less safe and more vulnerable as a country.”

   and

   “Dr. Anne Schuchat, the C.D.C.’s principal deputy director until her retirement in May 2021, called them “the best of the best.”

   “These individuals are physician-scientist public health superstars,” she said. “I think we should all be scared about the nation’s health security.”

   Back in March of 2025: Firing the ‘Conscience’ of the Military from Paul Rosensweig in the Atlantic

   Rosensweig explains the reason firing the Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) for the Air Force, Army, and Navy is a big deal, by explaining their roles:

   “…they have a unique function in articulating the legal standards that are relevant to combat operations. They don’t command any troops, but they do guide the commanders on the legality of their operations….In short, it sometimes means telling military officers or civilian military leaders no. A JAG might, for example, tell the president that he can’t deploy troops in Washington, D.C., with orders to shoot protesters in the legs, or deploy them to shoot unarmed migrants crossing the border.” Trump reportedly attempted to do both, and he know fired three of the JAGs.

   By the way, here are some disturbing comments from Sec. of Defense, Pete Hegseth about JAGs: “Hegseth has previously railed against the military’s Judge Advocates General (JAG), calling them “jagoffs” in his book. When pressed during his recent confirmation hearing to explain himself, Hegseth said, “It would be a JAG Officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters – their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front line.””

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   1. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

      (8/25/2025)

      FEMA Employees Warn That Trump Is Gutting Disaster Response from the NYT

      Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

      8/29/2025
      Trump officials fire EPA employees for signing dissent letter from WaPo

      Note: Trump and Conservative have railed against social media companies for censorship, evoking free speech rights to justify these criticisms. Do these actions create the impression that Trump and Conservatives really care about free speech? Or does it seem like “free speech for me, but not for thee?”

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   2. FBI

      (I’m behind on this.)

      F.B.I. Fires More Agents, Including Those Who Knelt During Racial Justice Protests from the NYT (9/27/2025)

      Fired FBI agents allege retribution, incompetence at top security agency from NPR (9/10/2025)

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5. A Rogue Nation on the High Seas Trump is treating the military like his personal mercenaries. from Tom Nichols in theAtlantic.

   Trump is apparently ordering the military to go after drug-cartels, ostensibly when they’re shipping drugs to the U.S. On some level, I admit that does have some appeal to me, even though I also sense that something is wrong about this. In the piece, Nichols explains why.

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