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Trump DOJ escalates citizenship crackdown on group accused of hiding terror ties, violent crimes

2026-05-08T14:00:06-04:00 / Fox News

Acting AG Todd Blanche says anyone who ‘misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process’ will face consequences

By Ashley Oliver Fox News

Published May 8, 2026 2:00pm EDT

The Department of Justice has ramped up its use of a rarely deployed legal tool to strip citizenship, targeting 12 naturalized Americans accused of hiding ties to terrorism, violent crimes and other offenses, and signaling more cases will follow.

The action on Friday against 12 immigrants included bringing civil complaints or charges against those from Iraq, Somalia, China and India. It comes as acting Attorney General Todd Blanche touts expanding the typically difficult effort to denaturalize people and also follows the DOJ Civil Division ordering more denaturalizations in a memo last summer about the Trump administration’s priorities, which include cracking down on illegal immigration and fraud.

Blanche said in a statement to Fox News Digital of Friday’s sweeping enforcement action that anyone “who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.”

FEDS LAUNCH OPERATION TARGETING MINNESOTA REFUGEES FOR POTENTIAL DEPORTATION AMID FRAUD INVESTIGATION

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital, “The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

One of the dozen, Ali Yousif Ahmed, gained citizenship after saying he fled Iraq in 2009 because al-Qaeda terrorists attacked his family, authorities said. But, authorities said, Iraq sought Ahmed’s extradition in 2019 for allegedly murdering two Iraqi police officers while a leader in al-Qaeda, a detail he allegedly omitted from the U.S. government.

Another, Salah Osman Ahmed of Somalia, naturalized in 2007 and pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support for terrorists and belonged to the terrorist group al-Shabaab, Fox News Digital learned. The DOJ alleged that joining a terrorist group within five years of naturalization was grounds for revoking citizenship.

Others included Abduvosit Razikov of Uzbekistan, who allegedly entered into a sham marriage to gain citizenship, and Oscar Alberto Pelaez of Colombia, a priest who was convicted in the United States of 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, including sodomy, and allegedly lied about the crimes during the naturalization process, Fox News Digital learned.

More than 20,000 applications have been submitted to become Homeland Defenders responsible for reviewing citizenship applications, USCIS said.(Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

Denaturalization has long been an infrequent tool for immigration enforcement. In the span of about 30 years, the DOJ filed about 305 denaturalization cases. Then, when Trump first took office in 2017, the government brought 168 cases. The figure drastically reduced under President Joe Biden, and now with Trump back in office, the effort has returned to the fore.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Prosecutors must meet a high bar to denaturalize immigrants by proving with “clear and convincing” evidence that “material fraud” occurred during the naturalization process, Neama Rahmani, a California-based former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital, saying it was not an easy process.

Blanche warned during a recent CBS News interview that people “should be worried” if they obtained citizenship through fraud.

“Who our targets are? We are not limiting ourselves to anyone in particular except to say that unfortunately, and I think you’re going to hear more about this in the coming days and weeks, there are a lot of U.S. citizens who shouldn’t be,” Blanche said.

TRUMP IS TARGETING NONVIOLENT AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.AMERICANS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE

U.S. President Donald Trump stands by during a military mothers celebration in the East Room of the White House on May 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Pressed on denaturalization being a “very drastic penalty,” Blanche shot back, “It’s a very drastic reward being naturalized, committing fraud.”

Immigrants rights groups have raised worries that the some 24 million naturalized citizens in the United States have been left unsettled by the Trump administration’s broadened pursuit of revoking citizenship.

“There are concerns that the federal government’s denaturalization efforts could lead to the revocation of U.S. citizenship of many individuals who made minor or unintentional mistakes or omissions in their naturalization application,” Forum policy expert Christian Penichet-Paul wrote last summer.

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Rahmani noted that the alleged fraud cannot be trivial or negligent, but instead must be significant and intentional.

“It has to be something material, and material means that the citizenship would not have been granted had DHS known,” Rahmani said. “That’s really the standard.”

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

Anti-abortion activists meet White House officials amid frustration over Trump agenda

2026-05-08T17:04:54.456Z / Reuters

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Jarrett Renshaw

May 8, 2026 5:04 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser, speaks during a protest to call on the Trump administration to ban the abortion pill, outside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – Anti-abortion activists will meet with White House officials on Friday as frustration grows within the movement that President Donald Trump has not moved ​aggressively enough to advance key priorities, including new restrictions on abortion access and ‌stronger enforcement of existing policies.

The meeting comes just days after Marjorie Dannenfelser, the influential president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told the Wall Street Journal that abortions have risen in the United States since the Supreme ​Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, adding that “Trump is the problem.”

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The developments underscore growing ​tensions between Trump and parts of the anti-abortion movement that were among ⁠his strongest political allies during his first presidential campaign.

While activists credit Trump for helping overturn ​Roe v. Wade through his Supreme Court appointments, some groups say the administration has not followed ​through with aggressive federal action to curb abortion access, including tighter restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone and enforcement against online pill distributors.

White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster defended the administration’s record.

“President Trump is the most pro-life and ​pro-family president in American history, and his Administration has announced a series of bold actions ​to safeguard life and uphold Americans’ fundamental freedoms, including ending federal funding of abortion abroad,” Schuster said in ‌a statement.

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Susan ⁠B. Anthony Pro-Life America didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group, show abortions have risen since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning its decision making abortion legal nationwide, with an estimated 1,126,000 provided by clinicians in 2025, the highest since ​2009, driven largely by ​the expanded use of ⁠abortion pills, which now account for 65% of abortions in states where the procedure is legal.

The pressure campaign has intensified in recent months as ​Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion groups push the Food and Drug Administration ​to revisit safety ⁠rules surrounding mifepristone, which is used in more than half of U.S. abortions. Senate Republicans in March launched a probe into abortion pill manufacturers and urged the FDA to crack down on online ⁠sales ​of the drug.

The debate over abortion medication has escalated following ​a series of court rulings over mail-order access to mifepristone.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily restored access to the ​drug through telemedicine and mail delivery while litigation continues.

Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

ABC accuses FCC of violating its First Amendment rights over its scrutiny of “The View”

May 8, 2026 / 1:24 PM EDT / CBS News

ABC is accusing the Federal Communications Commission of violating its First Amendment rights due to the agency’s scrutiny of its talk show “The View,” according to a petition filed with the agency on May 7.

According to the broadcaster’s petition, the FCC has demanded that ABC prove that “The View” qualifies as a news program, or risk being forced to give equal airtime to every political candidate who asks for it.

ABC argues that such a requirement would “chill critical protected speech.”

The petition comes amid a battle between the FCC and ABC parent Walt Disney Co. Last month, the agency ordered Disney to file early license renewal applications for its ABC television stations, citing an ongoing investigation, a day after President Trump called on the company to fire comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

The FCC didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Clash over “equal time”

At the center of the latest tussle is the so-called equal time rule, which requires broadcast stations that interview one political candidate to give equal airtime to all other candidates for the same office.

Because that can lead to unmanageable airtime requirements for TV stations, Congress decades ago added an exemption for “bona fide” news broadcasts and interviews.

“The View” received an exemption for the equal time rule in 2002. At the end of March 2026, the FCC required ABC’s Houston station, KTRK-TV, to file a new request with the agency over whether “The View” remains a “bona fide news interview program,” according to ABC’s filing.

The 2002 ruling “remains in full force and effect,” ABC said in the petition. “The Commission has taken no action over the last two decades to modify or overturn the declaratory ruling, and there is no basis for doing so now.”

James Talarico interview

The FCC’s order to Disney came after Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, a Democrat, appeared on “The View” on Feb. 2.

“The decision to include Talarico was driven by considerations of newsworthiness and audience interest and not an intent to advance his candidacy,” ABC’s petition states.

The petition noted that the FCC hasn’t made similar requests of other media outlets, such as Texas radio stations that air conservative-leaning shows such as “The Mark Levin Show.”

“[S]uch a clear disparity in the treatment of broadcasters that ought to be subject to the same treatment under law raises serious concerns about viewpoint discrimination and retaliatory targeting,” the ABC petition alleges.

UFO files reveal Apollo 17 crew saw mysterious objects, lights during 1972 mission: “Looks like the Fourth of July”

2026-05-08 12:56 EDT / CBS News

By Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith is a managing editor for CBSNews.com based in New York. A Washington, D.C. native, Steve was previously an editorial producer for the Washington Post, and has also worked in Los Angeles, Boston and Tokyo.

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Updated on: May 8, 2026 / 1:32 PM EDT / CBS News

Over half a century ago, NASA’s Apollo 17 crew reported seeing multiple unidentified objects in space, including three mysterious dots and sparks that resembled fireworks, according to new files released by the Pentagon.

The details were among the more than 100 documents made public on Friday when the Defense Department unveiled a new website housing all the declassified files related to UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena).

A NASA photograph, taken in December 1972 during from the Apollo 17 mission, shows “three ‘dots’ in a triangular formation in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky that is clearly visible upon magnification of the image,” the Defense Department said in a caption of the image.

The Pentagon said that “there is no consensus about the nature of the anomaly,” but that a new, preliminary analysis indicated it could be a “physical object.”

NASA’s Apollo 17 crew reported seeing three mysterious dots in a triangular formation, according to documents released by the Pentagon on May 8, 2026. NASA

The last men to walk on the moon also reported seeing bright tumbling sparks and jagged fragments that resembled fireworks.

“Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” pilot Ronald Evans said, according to the transcript released by the Pentagon.

Pilot Harrison Schmitt reported: “There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there — just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window.”

Meanwhile, mission commander Eugene Cernan said he had difficulty sleeping after observing flashing that he compared to an “imposing” train headlight.

“Over the next three hours, Cernan described observing several flashing, rotating phenomenon that he assessed as corresponding to physical objects in space rather than a purely optical phenomenon,” the Pentagon says.

NASA’s Apollo 17 crew reported seeing multiple unidentified objects in space, according to new files released by the Pentagon. Pentagon

The documents also include a transcript of the 1969 Apollo 11 crew debriefing in which astronaut Buzz Aldrin recounted several unusual observations.

“The first unusual thing that we saw I guess was one day out or something pretty close to the moon. It had a sizeable dimension to it, so we put the monocular on it,” he said.

Like Cernan on Apollo 17, Aldrin also described seeing flashing lights while trying to sleep.

“I was trying to go to sleep with all the lights out. I observed what I thought were little flashes inside the cabin, spaced a couple of minutes apart,” he said.

Aldrin also said he saw “a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.”

The Pentagon said additional documents and videos would be released on a rolling basis.

Trump administration appeals latest court loss on tariffs

2026-05-08 17:51:14 UTC / Reuters

By Reuters

May 8, 2026 5:51 PM UTC Updated 39 mins ago

Shipping containers are stacked on a cargo ship at the port of Oakland in Oakland, California, U.S., February 24, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

NEW YORK, May 8 (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Friday appealed ​a court ruling that found a 10% global tariff imposed in February was not ‌justified under a 1970s trade law.

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on Thursday in a 2-1 decision that Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act was not meant to address trade deficits that ​occur when the U.S. imports more goods than it exports. The court, however, ​only blocked the tariffs for three importers that sued – two small ⁠businesses and the state of Washington.

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While the ruling applies to a set of levies ​due to expire in about two months, it marks another setback for Trump’s global ​tariff ambitions and comes a week before he is due to discuss trade tensions with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

It also sets the stage for another protracted legal battle over billions of ​dollars’ worth of tariff refunds, three months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down ​Trump’s sweeping global tariffs imposed under a national emergencies law.

Trump blamed the trade court decision on “two ‌radical ⁠left judges” when speaking to reporters on Thursday. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday the Trump administration expects to prevail in the appeal, although he also expressed confidence in earlier tariffs that were ultimately invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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The Supreme Court ruled ​in February that Trump ​had no authority ⁠to impose the earlier tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, leading Trump to impose replacement tariffs of 10% on ​all imports using Section 122 of the Trade Act.

The new tariffs ​were a ⁠temporary replacement, and they were due to expire on July 24 unless extended by Congress.

The Trump administration still plans broader tariffs on major trading partners by invoking a third ⁠law that ​has withstood numerous legal challenges, Section 301 of ​the Trade Act of 1974, which covers unfair trade practices. It has three Section 301 tariff investigations underway ​due for completion in July.

Reporting by Dietrich Knauth; Editing by Rod Nickel and Sanjeev Miglani

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Declassified Apollo moon docs describe unexplained mysteries, UFO lights ‘like the Fourth of July’

May 8, 2026 1:13pm EDT / Fox News

Pentagon released transcripts and photos from Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 as part of Trump’s UFO transparency directive

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

WATCH: New UFO footage released by Trump admin

The Trump administration on Friday released a batch of ‘never-before-seen’ files and videos on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) as part of an effort to increase transparency on government knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomena.

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Declassified transcripts from two Apollo missions show astronauts repeatedly describing unexplained lights and objects while orbiting and walking on the moon.

The Pentagon on Friday released transcripts and photos from two NASA Apollo missions as part of a broader disclosure of dozens of photos and documents detailing UFO sightings it has documented since the 1950s.

The trove of documents reporting UFO and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) sightings comes in compliance with a directive from President Donald Trump aimed at increasing government transparency around reported UFO sightings, all of which remain unsolved. Tens of millions of documents are being combed through and will be released on a rolling basis.

UFO EXPERT SAYS TRUMP’S DECLASSIFICATION COULD EXPOSE POSSIBLE ‘COVER-UP’ SPANNING DECADES

This archival photograph shows the lunar surface from the Apollo 12 landing site in 1969, featuring a highlighted area above the horizon with unidentified phenomena.(Department of War)

The documents include technical transcripts and photos from Apollo 12 in 1969 and Apollo 17 in 1972, capturing moments in which crews discussed strange flashes, moving lights and unidentified phenomena against the stark lunar horizon.

The release includes six photos taken by Apollo 12 mission astronauts on the moon’s surface, revealing unidentified and oddly shaped lights appearing in the sky. In one of the photos, there are a total of five UFOs identified.

• Image 1 of 6 next This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12 in 1969. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible.(U.S. Department of War)

• Image 2 of 6 prev next This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features two highlighted areas of interest, labeled “Area 1” and “Area 2,” slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible.(U.S. Department of War)

• Image 3 of 6 prev next This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest near the right edge of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible.(U.S. Department of War)

• Image 4 of 6 prev next This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the left of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible.(U.S. Department of War)

• Image 5 of 6 prev next This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features five highlighted areas of interest, labeled “Area 1” through “Area 5,” above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible.(U.S. Department of War)

• Image 6 of 6 prev A NASA photograph from the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 shows three dots in a triangular formation in the lunar sky. DOW is investigating the image as part of a review of historical UAP materials.(U.S. Department of War)

A four-page transcript from the mission unveils one of the astronauts’ accounts of what he was witnessing, telling command about the lights he saw in the dark sky.

He described that the lights were “sailing off into space.”

EXPLOSIVE NEW DOCUMENTARY PROBES ’80-YEAR GLOBAL COVERUP’ OF UFO SECRETS

“I was thinking they’re dropping off from my water boiler, but it looks like some of those things are escaping the moon. They really haul out of here and just press off at the stars.”

The astronaut described that the lights were “pulsing every second.” Command suggested that the phenomenon was likely electromagnetic interference, which can occur by both man-made and natural sources.

Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan touches an American flag on the surface of the moon.(Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

A 16-page transcript from the Apollo 17 mission detailed how the astronauts saw lights from their window which resembled “Fourth of July.”

“They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” one of the astronauts described.

After Apollo 12 left lunar orbit on November 24, 1969, this image of the moon was taken from the command module.(NASA)

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Another astronaut recounted how when he was trying to sleep he saw bright “peripheral horizon-type things” which made it difficult to sleep.

“The last one I remember before falling asleep — was the fact that there was a very bright spot that flashed right between my eyes like a very bright headlight — like a train coming at you, only with a flash,” the astronaut said.

More UAP files were made available at WAR.GOV/UFO.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy and Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

Local officials aim to oust Arizona sheriff leading Nancy Guthrie investigation over perjury allegations

May 8, 2026 / 2:37 PM EDT / CBS News

By Jonathan Vigliotti

Jonathan Vigliotti Correspondent

Jonathan Vigliotti is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles. Vigliotti’s reporting has taken him to more than three dozen countries and territories across six continents.

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Local officials in Arizona are pushing to remove Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

At least two Pima County supervisors plan to file a motion to have the sheriff’s office vacated if Nanos doesn’t step down by Tuesday, which marks 100 days since Guthrie vanished from her Tucson, Arizona, home.

They allege Nanos lied under oath during a deposition for an unrelated lawsuit when he denied being suspended during his years as a police officer in El Paso, Texas, before he joined the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in the 1980s.

“A unanimous vote of the disciplinary board at that time for a whole host of problems said, ‘Hey, he can’t be a cop anymore. He’s just bad at this and he’s not upholding our standards … he’s got to go,’” said Dr. Matt Heinz, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

CBS News obtained the El Paso Police Department records that show Nanos was suspended several times for a number of alleged infractions, including “unnecessary violence” and tardiness.

“He has definitely lost the confidence of the community. He’s embarrassed himself, and it’s time for him to go,” Heinz said.

An attorney for Nanos said in a letter, “Sheriff Nanos did not understand the question related to discipline with a different agency not governed by the Arizona Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights. In reviewing the transcript shortly after his deposition, Sheriff Nanos spotted the misunderstanding and promptly notified his attorney.”

The push to oust Nanos comes days after he faced criticism over his handling of the Guthrie case from FBI Director Kash Patel, who claimed the department took too long to get the FBI involved.

“For four days, we were kept out of the investigation,” Patel claimed in a podcast interview with Sean Hannity on Tuesday.

In response, the sheriff’s department posted a statement from Nanos on social media that said a member of the FBI task force was on the scene the night Guthrie was first reported missing. Two days later, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department held a news conference with the FBI.

Heinz insists the effort to remove Nanos has nothing to do with the Guthrie case and everything to do with the sheriff’s record.

“In no way has the Guthrie investigation ever factored into this. It really hasn’t,” he said.

US nears $400 million settlement with TikTok on child-privacy violations, ABC News reports

2026-05-08 19:15:24 UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

May 8, 2026 7:15 PM UTC Updated 15 mins ago

The logo of TikTok is displayed on the company offices in Culver City, California, U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is nearing a $400 million settlement ​with TikTok to resolve an ongoing lawsuit over alleged child-privacy violations, ABC ‌News reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The White House declined to comment, referring questions to the Justice Department, which did not immediately comment. TikTok did not respond to a request ​for comment.

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ABC said the settlement monies would be used to fund Trump’s “beautification” projects ​in Washington, sources familiar with the discussions told ABC News. Trump ⁠has asked for $10 billion from Congress to fund a wide range of projects in ​the District of Columbia area.

ABC reported that White House officials have held talks for ​weeks about whether they could legally use the money to pay for Trump’s proposed 250-foot (76 m) triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. Typically, settlements are used to aid victims.

The Justice Department in 2024 sued ​TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social ​media app.

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The U.S. alleges that for years, millions of American children under age 13 have been using ‌TikTok ⁠and that the site “has been collecting and retaining children’s personal information.”

The government said TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires services aimed at children to obtain parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13.

The lawsuit, which was ​joined by the Federal ​Trade Commission, said ⁠it was aimed at putting an end “to TikTok’s unlawful massive-scale invasions of children’s privacy.”

The DOJ said TikTok knowingly permitted children to create ​regular TikTok accounts, and then create and share short-form videos ​and messages ⁠with adults and others on the regular TikTok platform. TikTok collected personal information from these children without obtaining consent from their parents.

TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, in January finalized a deal ⁠to establish a ​majority American-owned joint venture to secure U.S. data ​and avoid a U.S. ban on the short-video app used by over 200 million Americans.

Reporting by David Shepardson ​in Washington and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Diti Pujara and Matthew Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Jack Smith escalates Trump DOJ clash with blistering private-event rebuke

May 8, 2026 2:30pm EDT / Fox News

The former special counsel made the remarks at a private D.C. dinner in April, reported by the New York Times

By Ashley Oliver Fox News

Former special counsel Jack Smith unleashed on the Department of Justice in an unusually fiery speech to a few hundred people during a private event, accusing the department of being “corrupted” and targeting President Donald Trump’s enemies.

Smith’s remarks, given during a private dinner in D.C. in April and reported by the New York Times this week, zeroed in on the DOJ’s decisions to investigate and prosecute some of Trump’s top political rivals, such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The former special counsel accused the department of weaponizing its authority, the very same accusation that Republicans have widely leveled at Smith for bringing two criminal cases against Trump during the Biden administration.

“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith said.

CONSERVATIVES ACCUSE JACK SMITH OF IMPROPER TIES WITH JUDGES IN TRUMP CASES AFTER NEW DOCUMENT DUMP

Former special counsel Jack Smith testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, 2026.(Al Drago/Getty Images)

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department expected “nothing less from Jack Smith whose sole mission was to politically prosecute a former president in an attempt to stop him from assuming office again.”

“This DOJ has ended the weaponization perpetrated by the Biden Administration and will continue to ensure no one is above the law,” the spokesperson said.

Smith brought indictments against Trump alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 election and that he retained classified national defense information. Smith faced significant hurdles in the election case, while the classified documents case was tossed out by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who said he was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith’s office was appealing Cannon’s ruling when Trump won the 2024 election. Weeks later, Smith moved to dismiss both federal cases, citing the Justice Department’s longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Trump raged at Smith repeatedly, calling him a corrupt “thug” who belonged in jail. In January, Trump said on Truth Social that Smith was a “deranged animal” who should lose his law license. Smith is a longtime attorney who prosecuted war crimes in the Hague and led the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section during the Obama administration.

JACK SMITH PUSHES FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TO CONFRONT ‘MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ OF TRUMP PROBES

Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the New York State Supreme Court in New York on Oct. 25, 2023, amid a civil trial with New York Attorney General Letitia James.(Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg)

Trump said he hoped the DOJ was investigating Smith, “including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!”

The president’s remarks directly clash with Smith’s rare, heated commentary at the private event, as both accuse the other of weaponization and as Smith faces threats of federal prosecution for targeting Trump, despite the DOJ and congressional investigators yet to uncover criminal wrongdoing by Smith.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS DEMAND ANSWERS ON DOJ’S MOVE TO FIRE FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL OFFICIALS

Smith said the DOJ has “been corrupted” over the past year but that he believed the department would “ultimately come through this better.”

Smith also accused the DOJ of turning a blind eye to cases that might reveal “inconvenient” facts that would contradict “narratives the president would like to press.”

Smith praised career prosecutors, saying a “central component” of the current DOJ’s strategy was to punish those like the several Minnesota attorneys who resigned in protest over internal disputes with how to handle an investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killing Renee Good, a 37-year-old anti-ICE activist.

“To erode the rule of law in this country you need to attack these people, and that is what we have seen since January 2025,” Smith said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized reporters for asking questions about a viral story from The Atlantic alleging FBI Director Kash Patel has exhibited ‘erratic behavior’ tied to frequent intoxication, during a press conference on April 21, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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Smith’s comments were not all negative, however, according to the New York Times. He praised the DOJ for being more vocal than it was under Biden, a comment that comes as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who replaced Pam Bondi a month ago, has taken on an aggressive, proactive media strategy. Blanche has held a series of press conferences where he has taken rounds of off-topic questions while also doing numerous wide-ranging interviews with friendly and tough media outlets.

A Smith representative had no comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.

Alabama passes plan for new US House primary if courts allow state to redraw its maps

2026-05-08 15:30 PM ET / Associated Press

Demonstrators protest redistricting bills during a special session of the Alabama Legislature, in the Senate hallway of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, on May 6, 2026.

Mike Stewart/AP

Montgomery, AL AP—

Alabama lawmakers approved a plan Friday for new US House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year’s elections, sending the legislation to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey.

The move came the same day that the Virginia Supreme Court dealt a major setback to Democrats by overturning a redistricting plan that could have helped them win as many as four additional House seats. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and South Carolina also presented congressional redistricting plans that faced staunch opposition from civil rights activists and Democrats.

Republicans in Southern states have been moving quickly to try to capitalize on a recent US Supreme Court ruling in a Louisiana case that significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. Tennessee enacted new congressional districts Thursday that carve up a Democratic-held, Black-majority district in Memphis. The state Democratic Party sued on Friday, seeking to prevent the districts from being used until after this year’s elections because of the tight time frame.

Even before the high court ruling, Republicans and Democrats already were engaged in a fierce redistricting battle, each seeking an edge in the midterm elections that will determine control of the closely divided House. That battle tilted further toward Republicans when the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday that Democratic lawmakers had violated constitutional requirements when placing a redistricting amendment on the ballot.

Since President Donald Trump prodded Texas to redraw its congressional districts last summer, Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats from new districts in several states while Democrats think they could gain up to six seats. But the parties may not get everything they sought, because the gerrymandering could backfire in some highly competitive districts.

Demonstrators outside the Alabama Statehouse on Friday shouted “fight for democracy” and “down with White supremacy.”

“I was out there in 1965 marching for the right to vote, and now we are back here in 2026 doing the same thing,” Betty White Boynton said.

During debate inside the statehouse, Black lawmakers sharply criticized Republican legislation that would ignore the May 19 primary for some congressional seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under revised districts, if a court allows it.

Republican state Sen. Greg Albritton said the special primary would happen only if the courts agree to lift an injunction that put a court-selected map in place until after the 2030 Census.

“Should there be no court order issued, then this bill would have no effect,” Albritton said.

The court order required a second district where Black voters are the majority or close to it, resulting in the 2024 election of Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who is Black. If a court lifts the injunction, Republican officials want to put in place a map lawmakers drew in 2023 — which was rejected by a federal court — that could allow them to reclaim Figures’ district.

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, a Black Democrat, said Republicans are aiming to strip representation from Black voters in an effort to get another Republican to Congress.

“We have just only been voting since 1965, and you are now trying to take that voice away from us,” Singleton said.