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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump suggested a criminal investigation into Christopher Wray, his appointee to lead the bureau in his first term, after a conservative media outlet reported the false claim that FBI agents were involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I would imagine. I would certainly imagine. I would think they are doing that,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News when asked whether the Justice Department should investigate Wray.

Trump appointed Wray to lead the bureau in 2017 after he fired former FBI Director James Comey. Comey was indicted in a grand jury last week on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation after Trump just days before publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to act “now” to prosecute his foes.

In a brief video posted to his Instagram account, Comey said, “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice. I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I am innocent, so let’s have a trial, and keep the faith.”

Wray opted to depart the bureau before Trump took office for his second term because he had fears that Trump firing him could cause turmoil within the department. Wray had also drawn Trump’s ire over investigations into election interference from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s handling of classified documents, both of which were dropped after Trump won the 2024 election.

Trump first began suggesting Wray should be be investigated by the Justice Department after the conservative outlet The Blaze, citing an unidentified congressional source, reported last week that 274 FBI agents had been embedded in the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol.

Trump promoted The Blaze’s story on his social media platform on Saturday, saying “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax. This is different from what Director Christopher Wray stated, over and over again! That’s right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as “Law Enforcement Officials.”

“Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do. That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray, who got caught LYING, with our Great Country at stake.”

The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General found no evidence that the FBI had undercover employees in the protest crowd in a December 2024 report. It also said that the FBI deployed tactical resources to the Capitol after the building had been breached by rioters and reports of two pipe bombs discovered at the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters.

That report also said while there were 26 informants in Washington, D.C., who were dubbed within the FBI as “confidential human sources,” or CHSs, the IG uncovered no evidence suggesting that any were instructed to join the assault on the Capitol or otherwise encourage illegal activity by members of the mob.

The IG report did not find fault with agents being sent to the Capitol where law enforcement had been overwhelmed and thousands of federal crimes had been committed, ranging from trespass and assault on federal officers to seditious conspiracy.

It’s not immediately clear whether Wray will be placed under criminal investigation, but Trump’s interview with NBC and his social media posts over the weekend show he appears to be increasingly emboldened in the wake of Comey’s indictment to call for the prosecution of more political foes.

In comments to reporters outside of the White House last week, Trump suggested he expected more criminal charges to be brought against his opponents while denying he was applying any direct pressure to Justice Department leadership.

“It’s not a list, but I think there will be others,” Trump told reporters. “I hope there will be others.”

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(WASHINGTON) — As the government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday will address an auditorium packed with several hundred of the nation’s most seasoned military commanders summoned last-minute from around the world.

The event is slated to occur at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, a secure site an hour south of the nation’s capital. Sources say Hegseth is expected to kick off the event at 8:15 a.m. ET with a 30-minute speech on the importance of the “warrior ethos,” a term used to describe the spirit that makes combat units effective.

Hegseth, who now goes by the title “secretary of war” as part of a broader rebranding ordered by Trump, is also expected to touch on the importance of enforcing combat standards that keep troops lethal, as well as reference new standards for grooming that include requirements for troops to remain clean-shaven.

Trump is expected to follow Hegseth with his own speech before releasing the military general and flag officers to return to their duty stations after the hourlong event.

Last week, general and flag officers at the one-star level and above were told to fly to Quantico from their duty stations with just several days’ notice and no hint as to what the meeting might be about. The Pentagon declined to comment on the meeting, and speculation quickly spread that the meeting might have to do with urgent cuts to the military force or the national defense strategy, which would set new priorities for the second Trump administration and could change how troops train and equip themselves.

In the end, though, sources said the meeting appeared — at least as of now — to be more of a “rally the troops” speech similar to what Hegseth frequently gives in public venues and in Fox News interviews. But his remarks, which will be livestreamed to the public, will also provide a prime photo opportunity with Hegseth addressing hundreds of top military generals as their boss.

On Sunday, the program was given an unexpected jolt when the White House announced Trump would join Hegseth at Quantico. The White House has not said when or how the president learned of Hegseth’s meeting or why he wanted to participate. Aides also haven’t said what Trump’s remarks will focus on.

The Defense Department, which now coined by Trump and Hegseth as the “Department of War,” has not said how much it will cost to fly in so many people last minute, although it is widely expected to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It’s also not clear exactly how many people were invited. Overall, there are 838 total general officers and admirals on active duty — 446 of them are from the higher two-star, three-star and four-star ranks — according to the Pentagon’s latest statistics from June.

The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn’t pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.

Most military personnel are on track to be paid Oct. 1, officials said Monday. But after that, troops would be at the mercy of negotiations on Capitol Hill, which remain at a stalemate.

According to a contingency plan posted by the Pentagon this weekend, all active-duty troops would be required to keep working. The plan says contracts can move forward, too, but under increased scrutiny with priority given to efforts to secure the U.S. southern border and build Trump’s U.S. missile shield known as “Golden Dome,” as well as operations in the Middle East and shipbuilding.

There had been speculation that the commanders traveling from around the world to hear Trump and Hegseth speak on Tuesday could get stuck away from their assigned work locations if the government shuts down that night. But according to government guidance, personnel must return home as soon as possible if a shutdown occurs while on work travel. Any travel costs incurred after the shutdown are reimbursable once spending resumes.

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(WASHINGTON) — Congressional leaders left a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House Monday afternoon without a deal to avert a government shutdown that could go into effect in a little more than a day.

After the meeting, congressional leaders placed blame on the opposing party for a potential government shutdown, which would begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, if there is a lapse in federal government funding.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that “large differences” remain — particularly on health care.

Vice President JD Vance joined Republicans after the meeting and said a shutdown could be ahead.

“I think we’re headed to into a shutdown because Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vance said.

The high-stakes meeting with Trump was a last-ditch effort for both sides to come together to negotiate. Without a deal, there appears to be a greater likelihood of a government shutdown starting early Wednesday morning.

Hours before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that there’s “nothing to negotiate” with bipartisan congressional leadership Monday — as the administration continues to push lawmakers to pass a short-term funding bill known as a clean clean continuing resolution.

“Our message and what we want out of this is very simple: The president wants to keep the government open. He wants to keep the government funded. There is zero good reason for Democrats to vote against this clean continuing resolution,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House Monday morning. “The president is giving Democrats one last chance to be reasonable today.”

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are digging in ahead of the Tuesday night deadline – with Democrats maintaining their posture that they will not vote to keep the government open without lofty health care concessions. Those demands include restoring $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts passed into law this summer on top of a permanent extension of the Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, saving health insurance for 3.8 million people at a cost of $350 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“House Democrats, Senate Democrats are in lockstep,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday morning at the Capitol, adding that he was heading to the meeting to have “a good faith negotiation about landing the plane in a way that avoids a government shutdown but does not continue the Republican assault on the health care of the American people.”  

The meeting marked the first bicameral, bipartisan congressional leadership face-to-face meeting of Trump’s second term — and came after a previously scheduled meeting last week was nixed by the president after he said he reviewed the Democratic proposal and judged that a meeting would not be productive. 

“Republicans control the House and the Senate, and as a Republican president, if the government shuts down, it’s because Republicans want to shut the government down,” Jeffries said.

A meeting was agreed to after Schumer implored Senate Majority Leader John Thune for help getting through to Trump, according to a Schumer aide — though Jeffries seems unmoved by the prospect of drawn-out negotiations. 

Last week, the White House issued guidance to federal agencies that they should consider executing a reduction in force for federal employees whose jobs are not deemed essential to government operations — a move intended to increase pressure on Democrats who have a stated goal to protect a federal workforce that’s already been slashed by the Trump administration. 

While House Republicans passed a stop-gap measure to keep the government open through Nov. 21, the measure has stalled in the Senate, where at least seven Democrats must vote for any measure that staves off a shutdown.

Republicans crafted a “clean” seven-week stop-gap bill in order to create more time for congressional appropriators to work through regular order: 12 separate full-year funding bills. Congress has not passed all 12 appropriations bills through regular order since 1997, and the task has only been completed four times since 1977 when current budget rules took effect.

Speaker Mike Johnson maintained over the weekend that passing the short-term continuing resolution is “buying a little time” for the regular appropriations process. 

“The Obamacare subsidies is a policy debate that has to be determined by the end of the year, Dec. 31 — not right now, while we’re simply trying to keep the government open so we can have all these debates,” Johnson said on CNN on Sunday. 

The federal government has shut down due to a lapse in appropriations 10 times since 1980, with the longest shutdown, 35 days, occurring during the first Trump administration.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday fast-tracked his administration’s efforts to secure peace in Gaza, rolling out a detailed vision for a U.S.-backed ceasefire that the White House says will bring the war to an immediate end.

He said Israel has accepted the proposal but the success of the plan still hinges on the cooperation of Hamas.

“We’re at a minimum, very, very close,” Trump said during a news conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Speaking alongside the president, Netanyahu appeared to sign off on the proposal.

“I believe that today we’re taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing peace in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

Hamas did not immediately respond to comments from the president or the prime minister, but an official familiar with the negotiations said mediators had not yet fully briefed the group on the latest peace plan.

Shortly before Trump and Netanyahu addressed reporters, the White House released a 20-point plan, which calls for the release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza within 72 hours of Israel accepting the agreement.

In exchange, more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners would be released, all military operations will be suspended, and “battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal,” according to the plan.

The release from the White House also promises that, if the deal is enacted, members of Hamas “who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty.”

“Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries,” the proposal reads.

But Trump made it clear that if Hamas doesn’t accept the terms, Israel would have his “full backing” to “finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

“Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do,” the president said, referring to the prime minister by his nickname.

Netanyahu also said Israel would not hesitate to restart its military campaign against Hamas if the militant group refused the deal or reneged on the terms of the agreement.

“This can be done the easy way, or the hard way,” Netanyahu said. “But it will be done.”

Although the White House called it a news conference, the two men left without taking questions from reporters.

“I think while we wait for these documents to be signed and get everybody in line, I think it maybe is not really appropriate to take questions,” Trump said.

After Trump asked the prime minister if he wanted to take a question or two from a “friendly Israeli reporter,” Netanyahu also declined, saying, “I would go by your instinct — we’ll have enough time for questions. Let’s settle the issue first.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Top congressional leaders are heading to the White House Monday afternoon to meet with President Donald Trump in a last-ditch effort to avert a government shutdown — but as a stalemate persists just one day from the deadline, a shutdown seems nearly inevitable barring an unexpected breakthrough.

Hours before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that there’s “nothing to negotiate” with bipartisan congressional leadership Monday — as the administration continues to push lawmakers to pass a short-term funding bill known as a clean clean continuing resolution.

“Our message and what we want out of this is very simple: The president wants to keep the government open. He wants to keep the government funded. There is zero good reason for Democrats to vote against this clean continuing resolution,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House Monday morning. “The president is giving Democrats one last chance to be reasonable today.”

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are digging in ahead of the Tuesday night deadline – with Democrats maintaining their posture that they will not vote to keep the government open without lofty health care concessions. Those demands include restoring $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts passed into law this summer on top of a permanent extension of the Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, saving health insurance for 3.8 million people at a cost of $350 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

“House Democrats, Senate Democrats are in lockstep,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday morning at the Capitol. “We’re headed into the meeting to have a good faith negotiation about landing the plane in a way that avoids a government shutdown but does not continue the Republican assault on the health care of the American people.”  

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he hopes the meeting is focused on “serious negotiation.”

“We need a serious negotiation. Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant, and just yell at Democrats, and talk about all his alleged grievances, and say this, that, and the other thing, we won’t get anything done. But my hope is it’ll be a serious negotiation,” Schumer said on Sunday.

The meeting marks the first bicameral, bipartisan congressional leadership face-to-face meeting of Trump’s second term — and comes after a previously-scheduled meeting last week was nixed by the president after he said he reviewed the Democratic proposal and judged that a meeting would not be productive.

“Republicans control the House and the Senate, and as a Republican president, if the government shuts down, it’s because Republicans want to shut the government down,” Jeffries said.

A meeting was agreed to after Schumer implored Senate Majority Leader John Thune for help getting through to Trump, according to a Schumer aide — though Jeffries seems unmoved by the prospect of drawn-out negotiations.

Last week, the White House issued guidance to federal agencies that they should consider executing a reduction in force for federal employees whose jobs are not deemed essential to government operations — a move intended to increase pressure on Democrats who have a stated goal to protect a federal workforce that’s already been slashed by the Trump administration.

While House Republicans passed a stop-gap measure to keep the government open through Nov. 21, the measure has stalled in the Senate, where at least seven Democrats must vote for any measure that staves off a shutdown.

Republicans crafted a “clean” seven-week stop-gap bill in order to create more time for congressional appropriators to work through regular order: 12 separate full-year funding bills. Congress has not passed all 12 appropriations bills through regular order since 1997, and the task has only been completed four times since 1977 when current budget rules took effect.

Speaker Mike Johnson maintained over the weekend that passing the short-term continuing resolution is “buying a little time” for the regular appropriations process.

“The Obamacare subsidies is a policy debate that has to be determined by the end of the year, Dec. 31 — not right now, while we’re simply trying to keep the government open so we can have all these debates,” Johnson said on CNN on Sunday.

The federal government has shut down due to a lapse in appropriations 10 times since 1980, with the longest shutdown, 35 days, occurring during the first Trump administration.

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(WASHINGTON) — Federal courts may be forced to quickly curtail operations — potentially delaying trials and other hearings — if congressional funding is not extended beyond Sept. 30, a spokesperson for the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts told ABC News. 

While in previous government shutdowns the courts have found ways to use court fees and other financial tools to sustain full functionality and schedules — at least for several weeks — years of tighter budgets and rising costs have created a much more difficult situation in today’s landscape.

A government shutdown could begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, if there is a lapse is federal government funding.

“Judiciary operations would continue using court fees and other available balances through Friday, October 3,” the spokesperson, Jaculine Koszczuk, said in a statement. 

After that, while the judiciary will not formally shut down, some operations may begin being put on hold.  

“We will continue to assess available fees and balances after FY 2025 closes to determine if operations can be sustained beyond that date,” Koszczuk said. “Should fees and balances be exhausted before Congress enacts a continuing resolution or full-year funding, the Judiciary would then operate under the terms of the Anti-Deficiency Act. Federal courts would continue operating, but would be limited to activities needed to support the exercise of the Judiciary’s constitutional functions and to address emergency circumstances.”

Reuters was first to report that Judge Robert Conrad, director of the Administrative Office, issued a warning this week to judges and other court officials about the looming financial crisis — calling this year’s situation a “very sharp change” from the past. 

The U.S. Supreme Court — which was established by the Constitution, not Congress — would be largely unaffected. 

“In the event of a lapse of appropriations, the Court will continue to conduct its normal operations,” Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe told ABC. “The Court will rely on permanent funds not subject to annual approval, as it has in the past, to maintain operations through the duration of short-term lapses of annual appropriations.”

Justices and federal judges would continue to be paid during a shutdown because federal law prohibits cuts to their pay once appointed for life. Many of the 33,000 other employees of the federal judiciary could face furloughs without pay. 

The last time the judiciary experienced staff furloughs during a shutdown was 1995, when appropriations lapsed for three weeks until Congress reached a deal to end the standoff. 

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