(WASHINGTON) — U.S. immigration authorities have detained a woman who is the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, according to a source familiar with the arrest.
A DHS spokesperson identified the woman as Bruna Caroline Ferreira.
A reporter with ABC New Hampshire station WMUR spoke with Leavitt’s brother, Michael Leavitt, who also confirmed the arrest and said she was detained a few weeks ago.
According to Michael Leavitt, his 11-year-old son has lived with him since he was born but says the child maintains a relationship with his mother, WMUR reported.
A DHS spokesperson described Ferreira, a Brazilian national, as a “criminal illegal alien” who has a previous arrest for battery and overstayed a visa that expired in 1999.
“ICE arrested Bruna Caroline Ferreria, a criminal illegal alien from Brazil. She has a previous arrest for battery. She entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the U.S. by June 6, 1999. She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation,” the spokesperson said.
Todd Pomerleau, an attorney for Ferreira spoke with Boston ABC station WCVB, and pushed back on claims that Ferreira has a criminal history.
“Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever, I don’t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof,” Pomerleau told.
Pomerleau also said Ferreira entered the country lawfully, previously held DACA status and is currently in the process of obtaining a green card. He said his client was arrested in her car in Massachusetts after being stopped with no warrant, adding that he now has to litigate her case in Louisiana thousands of miles away from her home. Pomerleau said he did not believe that his client’s connection to Karoline Leavitt could affect the case, adding that he believes it’s just “happenstance.”
The White House declined to comment.
An online fundraising campaign set up by a person claiming to be Ferreira’s sister says she was brought to the country when she was a child in 1998.
“Anyone who knows Bruna knows the kind of person she is. She is hardworking, kind, and always the first to offer help when someone needs it. Whether it’s supporting family, friends, or even strangers, Bruna has a heart that puts others before herself,” said Graziela Dos Santos Rodrigues.
(NEW YORK) — The ballooning field of Democratic candidates to succeed the term-limited Gavin Newsom as governor of California has political operatives stunned.
“This is as wide open as I’ve ever seen anything in 25 years,” said Steven Maviglio, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist.
The challenge for those running will be proving to voters they can tackle California’s cost-of-living crisis, as well as fill the high-profile void Newsom will leave behind as a national leader in Democrats’ fight against President Donald Trump.
Last week, Rep. Eric Swalwell, who made a name for himself as an anti-Trump firebrand in the House of Representatives and launched a short-lived bid for the White House in 2020, announced his campaign for governor on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” telling Kimmel that California “needs a fighter and a protector.”
Billionaire Tom Steyer, who also ran an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2020, announced his campaign the day before. Steyer, who is well-known in progressive circles for his environmental advocacy, spent millions backing Newsom’s recent Proposition 50 redistricting push.
“Everyone in this race is going to talk about affordability, but what Californians care about is results, and who’s going to be able to deliver when it comes to lowering costs. And Tom has a record of getting things done for California, even when the real politicians couldn’t,” a spokesperson for Steyer said.
Both Swalwell and Steyer join a crowded field of prominent Democrats, such as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“I am a proven problem solver,” Villaraigosa told ABC News in a statement.
“As the Speaker of the California Assembly, I extended affordable health care to millions of children and I passed the toughest assault weapons ban in America. As Mayor, I reduced crime by 50% and increased our school graduation rate by 60%. No other candidate for governor has delivered results like those,” Villaraigosa added.
Villaraigosa is jockeying for position among other California politicians, including former Rep. Katie Porter and former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was also secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration.
“Secretary Becerra is the only candidate in this race to take on the Trump Administration and win, suing 122 times to protect Californians as Attorney General. He delivered affordable care for millions and he negotiated lower drug prices to save California families thousands of dollars,” a Becerra campaign spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
Strategists are surprised that no candidate has clearly established themselves as a front-runner, signaling some instability in the race to lead a state of nearly 40 million people.
“It’s one of the most consequential races in the entire country that nobody’s ever heard of yet,” Democratic strategist Danielle Cendejas said. “There is a lot on the line who the next governor is.”
“A historically weak field” Democratic strategist Matt Rodriguez believes the reason the primary is so crowded is because no one candidate is very strong.
“I think it’s a very weak field, a historically weak field,” he said.
California employs a “jungle” or “top-two” primary, in which there is one nonpartisan primary for all candidates, with the top two candidates in the primary moving on to a runoff in November, regardless of party.
Rodriguez said having so many Democratic candidates in a jungle primary “definitely gives an advantage to a Republican getting into the top two. At some point, there’s just only so many Democratic voters to split up here.”
Maviglio said two Republicans ending up in the general election is “possible, not probable.”
“We’ve only seen it in legislative races a couple of times, where the party that actually has the majority doesn’t make it into the November election because of strangeness like that happening,” he said.
Slim chance for a Republican candidate GOP strategist and former executive director of the California Republican Party Jon Fleischman said that even if a Republican makes it to the general election, they would have a slim chance at winning the whole thing.
“Maybe the most important thing to remember in California is that if you have a general election between a Republican and a Democrat, unless some massive scandal of epic proportion were to strike the Democrat, we’re a blue state,” Felischman said.
“The only time it gets maybe more interesting is if two Democrats make the runoff,” Felischman added.
There are currently two major Republican candidates in the race, one of whom is former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
“A crowded Democratic field means those candidates will spend months fighting each other and defending the status quo, while Steve Hilton is focused on changing it,” Hilton campaign manager Matt Ciepielowski told ABC News in a statement.
“Californians are tired of the highest poverty in the nation, sky-high housing costs, failing schools, and a government that serves special interests instead of working families. Steve is running to make California affordable, safe, and full of opportunity again,” the statement continued.
The other major Republican running is Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is emphasizing his law enforcement background to define himself as someone who will be tough on crime.
“Each Democrat running is hoping to be a more liberal version of the narcissist that is currently the Governor and Californians simply cannot afford to have that happen. Sheriff Bianco offers a new way forward and the public polling proves that his campaign is resonating with voters,” Rick Gorka, a spokesperson for the Bianco campaign, told ABC News in a statement.
A still-unsettled race Others might still jump in on the right, like tech entrepreneur Jon Slavet, who filed FEC paperwork Friday and told ABC News he plans to launch his campaign early next month.
Maviglio characterized the race as “unsettled” and “a revolving door.”
Vice President Kamala Harris was mulling a bid following her defeat in last year’s presidential election, but she announced in July she was no longer considering running. And U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — who strategists say might have cleared the field had he launched a bid — decided against a run earlier this month.
“We’ve had people say they’re running and exit out of the race. We’ve had people that were lured into thinking about running, like Padilla and Harris, and then opting not to. So it’s really hard to track,” Maviglio said.
Two politicians — California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former president pro tempore of the California state Senate Toni Atkins — initially announced their candidacies, only to exit the race shortly thereafter.
Another rumored potential Democratic contender is billionaire Rick Caruso, who lost the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral race to Karen Bass. While Caruso has deep pockets and some name recognition, he was a Republican until 2019, which could alienate the progressive wing of his new party.
And while both Steyer and Caruso have the cash, strategists say they would have to use it wisely to mount successful campaigns.
“Self-funders do not do well here. It doesn’t mean they can’t, but they typically don’t,” Rodriguez said, pointing to the failed bids of Michael Huffington in the 1994 Senate race, Al Checchi in the 1998 gubernatorial election and Caruso in 2022.
Trouble for early front-runner Porter, the initial front-runner and only major female candidate in the field, seemed to have momentum after gaining backing from the progressive PAC EMILY’s List and several statewide labor unions. Cendejas acknowledged that Porter likely had an early advantage due to her name recognition and the fact that she is “beloved in a lot of progressive circles.”
“Katie is a fighter, a single mom of three, and a ruthless champion for working families who took on the Trump Administration and self-serving CEOs in Congress — and won,” Peter Opitz, a spokesperson for the Porter campaign, told ABC News in a statement.
But recent controversy surrounding Porter’s conduct has tightened her initial lead, indicating she may not be as strong of a candidate as was originally thought.
In a video that went viral online last month, Porter had a contentious interaction with a journalist, going so far as threatening to end the interview. Another video surfaced shortly thereafter showing Porter yelling at a staffer.
“What goes up must come down,” Cendejas said of Porter.
In her first appearance after the videos emerged, Porter apologized for the outbursts.
“I want people to know that I understand that what I did was not good,” Porter told an audience at the UC Student and Policy Center in Sacramento in October. “I’m not going to mince words about it, but I also want people to understand that I am in this fight because I am not going to back down and give one inch when people are hurting Californians. And both of those things can be true at the same time.”
Rodriguez expects that the ability for a candidate to successfully define themselves as someone who can lead California in going toe-to-toe with Trump will be “the whole thing.”
“I think Trump is going to be gigantic here,” Rodriguez added. “Everything is going to be Trump.”
(LONDON and KYIV, Ukraine) — The Kremlin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, confirmed there is a “preliminary agreement” for U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff — and likely Jared Kushner — to visit Moscow next week, as the White House claims momentum toward a possible Ukraine-Russia peace plan.
“As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will visit Moscow next week,” Ushakov said in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin for the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin,” broadcast on Wednesday.
“We have agreed to meet with Mr. Witkoff. I hope he will not come alone, but will be accompanied by other representatives of the American team who are working on the Ukrainian dossier, and then we will begin discussions,” Ushakov added.
Witkoff, Ushakov said, will “definitely” meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he comes to Moscow next week.
The interview came after Bloomberg published excerpts of a recording of purported phone call between Witkoff and Ushakov, in which Trump’s envoy appeared to offer guidance on how Putin should present the Kremlin’s plan to end the war to Trump.
Ushakov appeared to confirm the call happened but declined to comment. Ushakov also alleged that the leak was intended to undermine the ongoing peace efforts.
“I speak with Witkoff quite often, but I do not comment on the substance of our conversations because they are confidential. No one should comment on them, actually,” he said.
The reported leak was “probably” intended to “hinder” discussions, Ushakov said. “It is unlikely that this is being done to improve relations. They are now being established, with difficulty, through contacts of this kind, including by telephone.”
Ushakov denied that Russia leaked the call. “Someone is leaking them, someone is listening in, but it’s not us,” he said.
Trump had already told reporters on Tuesday that his envoy would travel to Russia. “Now, Steve Witkoff is going over maybe with Jared. I’m not sure about Jared going, but he’s involved in the process, smart guy, and they’re going to be meeting with President Putin, I believe, next week in Moscow,” he said.
Pressed on the Bloomberg report and concerns that Witkoff was too sympathetic to Russia’s maximalist war goals, Trump replied, “No, but that’s a standard thing, you know, because he’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what he’s, that’s what a deal maker does.”
“You got to say, look, they want this. You’ve got to convince him with this. You know, that’s a very standard form of negotiation. I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiation, and I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each party has to give and take,” Trump added.
Asked whether Witkoff was “too pro-Russia,” Trump did not answer directly. He instead said that a deal would be beneficial for both sides, while appearing to talk up Russia’s military capabilities.
“I think, look, this war could go on for years, and Russia’s got a lot more people, a lot more soldiers,” Trump said. “So I think if Ukraine can make a deal, it’s a good thing. I think it’s great for both. Frankly, I think it’s great for both.”
Weekend talks in Geneva, Switzerland, saw American, European and Ukrainian officials meet to discuss the controversial U.S.-backed peace plan proposal put to Kyiv last week, with terms critics say would have constituted a Ukrainian capitulation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week the blueprint “could also form the basis for a final peace settlement,” and suggested it aligned closely with the outcomes of his meeting with Trump in Alaska in August.
On Monday, a Ukrainian official close to the matter told ABC News that the original 28-point draft had been revised down to 19 points after the Geneva talks, with both American and Ukrainian representatives framing the Geneva talks as productive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the Geneva talks produced a “framework,” adding Kyiv is “ready to move forward together — with the United States of America, with personal engagement of President Trump, and with Europe.”
“I am ready to meet with President Trump,” Zelenskyy continued. “There are sensitive points to discuss,” he said.
After the Geneva meetings, a U.S. delegation held additional talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. A U.S. official told ABC News on Tuesday, “The Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal … There are some minor details to be sorted out but they have agreed to a peace deal.”
A source familiar with the discussions confirmed to ABC News that Ukraine agreed to the new 19-point peace plan during the talks in Geneva, not in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump did not elaborate on which issues are still to be agreed with Kyiv. “Standard things,” Trump said when asked. “But people are starting to realize it’s a good deal for both parties if they got to stop the war, they’re losing a lot of people, a lot of soldiers, mostly soldiers.”
Pressed about Ukraine ceding land to Russia, Trump hinted at land swaps and called the overall process “complicated” and said it “doesn’t go that quickly.”
Trump also did not say what concessions Moscow is being asked to make. “They’re making concessions. They’re big concessions. You say stop fighting, and they don’t take any more land again,” the president said.
As to future security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump said the issue is being discussed with European countries. “Europe will be largely involved in that,” he said. “We’re working that out with Europe. Europe really wants to see it end, if possible.”
Moscow is yet to officially comment on the new 19-point plan. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Tuesday that “if the spirit and letter of Anchorage are removed in terms of the key understandings that we have established, then, of course, it will be a fundamentally different situation.”
In his interview with Zarubin broadcast on Wednesday, Ushakov said the new plan was “passed on to us,” as quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency. But the Kremlin aide added that the plan “hasn’t been discussed in detail with anyone yet.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, told reporters on Wednesday it is “too early to say” that the warring parties may be nearing a deal, according to Tass.
(LONDON) — At least four people were killed and three others were injured as a major fire engulfed a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, with photos and video from the scene appearing to show serious damage to several buildings.
“A fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po at 2.51 p.m. today … The fire was upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 3.02 p.m., and to No. 4 alarm at 3.34 p.m.,” according to a statement from the Hong Kong government.
By 6:22 p.m. local time the fire had been upgraded again to a No. 5 alarm, city officials said.
Officials said nine people had been transfered to two local hospitals, including four people who were pronounced dead.
Three people were in critical condition, one was in serious position and another was listed as stable, officials said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, Ma., on Sept. 8, 2004. Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice is facing new scrutiny over the decision to withhold the Jeffrey Epstein files earlier this year.
A federal judge on Monday ordered the DOJ to expedite processing of a Freedom of Information Act request related to the Trump administration’s decision in July not to release files from the investigation of Epstein.
With the DOJ already facing a Dec. 19 deadline to turn over the Epstein files, as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the ruling could shed light on why the Trump administration reversed course on its earlier vow to release the files. A joint FBI and DOJ memo in July concluded there was “no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials” and that their review “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Progressive legal nonprofit Democracy Forward brought the lawsuit after the Justice Department “constructively denied its expedited review request” regarding the internal records, according to the ruling, including whether Attorney General Pam Bondi “misled the American people in representing that the ‘client list’ was on her desk and ready for review,” and whether the DOJ “reversed course on the decision to disclose the Epstein matter case files out of a desire to cover-up the content within.” Specifically, the FOIA request sought records that might show that the reported mention of Trump’s name in the files prompted the reversal.
Judge Tanya Chutkan – who oversaw Trump’s criminal case related to his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election result – ruled on Monday that Democracy Forward demonstrated that their request was reasonably tailored to a “matter of widespread and exceptional media interest in which there exist possible questions about the government’s integrity that affect public confidence,” clearing the legal bar to order expedited processing.
“The request for ‘records reflecting all correspondence between Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein’ is plainly tied to the concern discussed in the media that the Justice Department reversed its position on the disclosure of the Epstein documents only after Attorney General Bondi reportedly informed the President that his name appeared in the files,” Judge Chutkan wrote.
In the same ruling, Judge Chutkan partially denied Democracy Forward’s request for records mentioning “whistleblower” and “flight logs” – concluding that those terms were overbroad – but granted the bulk of their request.
Chutkan ordered both sides to file a report by Dec. 5 to determine the next steps in the FOIA request and lawsuit.
Separately, on Tuesday, the Department of Justice asked two judges in the Southern District of New York to authorize the release of grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, ahead of the Dec. 19 deadline for the DOJ to release the Epstein files, per the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton – whom Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped to lead an investigation into prominent Democrats associated with Epstein – signed a motion asking the judges who oversaw the Epstein and Maxwell cases to approve the release of the grand jury materials, subject to the necessary redactions.
“In the light of the Act’s clear mandate, the Court should authorize the Department of Justice to release the grand jury transcripts and exhibits and modify any preexisting protective orders that would otherwise prevent public disclosure by the Government of materials the disclosure of which is required by the Act,” the motion said.
In this June 4, 2024, file photo, House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, FILE
(WASHINGTON) — A member of Congress is suing a Trump administration official who over the last year has triggered mortgage fraud investigations into several of President Donald Trump’s political adversaries.
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., filed suit Tuesday against William Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, for violating his First Amendment rights and privacy by allegedly using government databases to “concoct fanciful allegations of mortgage fraud” against him.
Swalwell alleges that Pulte “abused his position” by using databases maintained by mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to pull private mortgage records of prominent Democrats he has accused of fraud, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fed governor Lisa Cook and Rep. Adam Schiff.
According to the complaint, Pulte issued a criminal referral against Swalwell earlier this month based on private mortgage records. Swalwell’s lawyers argue the referral violates his First Amendment rights — allegedly punishing him for his criticism of the president — as well as a federal law that prohibits federal officials from disclosing sensitive information about any individual unless it is explicitly authorized by law.
“Pulte’s referral to the Justice Department was not only a gross mischaracterization of reality. It also represented a gross abuse of power that violated the law,” the complaint says.
Pulte has maintained that the documents from his referrals are part of the public record. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Swalwell has denied committing mortgage fraud, arguing that he maintains his primary residence in California while his wife’s primary residence is in Washington, D.C.
James, who successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year, was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges that she falsely described a property she purchased in Norfolk, Virginia, as a second home instead of an investment property in order to obtain a lower mortgage rate. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A federal judge on Monday dismissed the case against James on the grounds that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the case was unconstitutionally appointed.
“Since taking office, President Trump has engaged in unprecedented efforts to leverage the power of the Federal Government to seek retribution against his political enemies,” Swalwell’s lawsuit said. “Those efforts have resulted in the Department of Justice conducting a series of high-profile criminal investigations and prosecutions nakedly targeting some of the President’s most outspoken critics.” ]”Defendants’ unlawful actions in this case were not the result of some inadvertent failure to comply with obscure or technical legal requirements. Rather, they represent a purposeful attack on core democratic norms and reflect a base desire to achieve exactly what the First Amendment and the Privacy Act exist to prevent: the use of government machinery to chill and silence the government’s critics,” said the complaint.
Swalwell asked a federal judge to declare Pulte’s actions unlawful, force the withdrawal of the criminal referral, and issue damages.
The Department of Justice, according to sources, is scrutinizing whether Pulte and U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin potentially jeopardized the probes into James and Schiff by enlisting unauthorized individuals outside the Justice Department to help conduct the investigations, ABC News previously reported.
(WASHINGTON) — Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Nearly 14% of tests came back positive for norovirus during the most recent week ending Nov. 15, compared to roughly 7% about three months ago.
Test positivity is a metric used to identify how many people are confirmed to have norovirus after an illness is suspected.
Health experts have said that, like other measurements, test positivity is imperfect as it depends on the number of tests that are ordered, which can vary.
Last December saw a record-breaking rate of norovirus cases in the U.S. with nearly 25% of tests coming back positive. Cases had been trending down since then but have begun to rise in recent weeks, CDC data shows.
Electronic health records data from Epic Research show that Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming are some of the states currently experiencing the highest number of norovirus cases. Emergency department visits have been on the rise since July, Epic Research data shows.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the inside lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
Although it’s often referred to as the “stomach bug” or “stomach flu,” norovirus illness is not related to influenza.
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., causing 58% of foodborne illnesses each year, and responsible for about 2,5000 outbreaks annually, according to the CDC.
The most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea. Patients, however, can also experience fever, headaches and body aches.
Typically, an infected person will develop symptoms between 12 to 48 hours after being infected. However, norovirus typically resolves quickly and, in most healthy adults, lasts one to three days, according to the CDC.
Health experts say the best way to prevent getting norovirus is to wash hands with warm soap and water for 20 seconds. Hand sanitizer alone does not work well against norovirus.
The CDC says people should wash their hands after using the toilet or changing diapers as well as when eating, preparing or handling food.
The FBI logo at the entrance to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI is attempting to schedule interviews with the six Democratic members of Congress who made a video saying troops should not obey any illegal orders, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
The FBI would conduct these interviews on behalf of the Justice Department, and it is unclear when the interviews would be held amid the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the sources said.
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, one of the six Democratic lawmakers in the video, said the “FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry” into her.
“The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up,” Slotkin said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“This isn’t just about a video. This is not the America I know, and I’m not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution,” Slotkin added.
The offices of the House Democrats in the video also released a statement to ABC News confirming the FBI’s attempt to schedule interviews, saying the president is “using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution. We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship,” the House Democrats said in a statement.
In an interview that aired on X on Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said career analysts and agents will make any determination on the Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military to disobey illegal orders, when asked what his reaction to it was.
“Is there a lawful predicate to open up an inquiry and investigation or is there not? And that decision will be made by the career agents and analysts here at the FBI,” Patel said in the interview.
When asked if the FBI was involved, Patel said, “based on the fact that it’s an ongoing matter, there’s not much I can say.”
The U.S. Capitol Police referred questions to the FBI, who declined to comment.
The development was first reported by Fox News.
President Donald Trump has previously accused these members of Congress of “seditious behavior.”
“I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death. … That was seditious behavior, that was a big deal. You know, nothing’s a big deal, today’s a different world,” Trump said last week.
The news of the FBI attempting to schedule these interviews comes after the Pentagon announced it would launch a “thorough review” into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, who is one of the six members of Congress in the video.
“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.
On Monday, Hegseth called the six Democrats in the video the “Seditious Six” but explained why the probe is focused solely on Kelly.
“Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under [Defense Department] jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not ‘retired’, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ — and he knows that,” Hegseth posted on X.
In response to the FBI scheduling interviews with those in the video, Kelly’s office said the Arizona senator “won’t be silenced.”
“Senator Kelly won’t be silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to intimidate him and keep him from doing his job as a U.S. Senator,” according to a statement from Kelly’s office.
National Thanksgiving turkeys Waddle and Gobble are presented to journalists at the Willard InterContinental on November 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Two very lucky birds won the White House lottery this year — a presidential pardon and a lifetime free from the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Waddle and Gobble, who had their names chosen by the public online, were pardoned by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump Tuesday in the annual tradition that spares two Thanksgiving turkeys from becoming the centerpiece of a holiday meal.
“See how happy he is,” Trump remarked of Gobble at the ceremony. Waddle was not present at the formal pardoning ceremony.
“Waddle, by the way is missing in action, but that’s OK, we can pretend Waddle is here,” Trump said.
The two birds stayed at the luxurious Willard InterContinental hotel in D.C. ahead of their Rose Garden ceremony, according to the hotel.
The two turkeys are provided to the White House by the National Turkey Federation, who will take Gobble and Waddle back to North Carolina, where they will live under the care of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, per the school.
Trump also took the opportunity to tout his administration’s accomplishments, including the passage of his “one, big beautiful bill,” working to increase safety in cities across the country, and mitigating international conflicts.
“The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words to be killed, but I stopped that journey and I am officially pardoning them,” Trump said.
Trump also harangued Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer at the ceremony, joking he wanted to name the birds after the two politicians.
“When I first saw their pictures, I thought we should send them, well I shouldn’t say this — I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them, I would never pardon those two people,” he added.
While American presidents as far back as Abraham Lincoln have pardoned turkeys, the modern tradition did not begin until 1989 during George H.W. Bush’s administration, even though Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan had both pardoned turkeys during their stays in the White House, according to the White House Historical Association.
“But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table, not this guy — he’s presented a presidential pardon as of right now –and allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here,” Bush said in 1989, officially launching the yearly custom, according to the WHHA.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) speaks at a press conference with other Senate Democrats on the creation of a Social Security War Room, in Washington DC, United States on April 1, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A day after the Department of Defense said it would be launching a “thorough review” into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued to bash the Arizona senator, accusing him of incorrectly wearing his military medals and calling the video addressed to troops that Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers were in a “politically-motivated influence operation.”
“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order & discipline…but you can’t even display your uniform properly,” Hegseth said in a post shared on X on Tuesday.
Hegseth’s post was in response to Kelly’s statement on Monday regarding the Pentagon’s alleged review, which included a photo of his military medals.
“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it’ll start with a uniform inspection,” Hegseth added.
Along with criticizing Kelly’s uniform, he called the video featuring the Arizona senator and other Democratic lawmakers — which said military members could refuse illegal orders — a “politically-motivated influence operation.”
“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth said on Tuesday.
Hegseth appears to be referring to the placement of Kelly’s medals for overseas combat deployments in the photo that he posted on social media. In the photo, those medals appear on the second row of the ribbon rack instead of towards the end of the rack as required under the rules for the placement of all earned medals and ribbons.
Hegseth did not note that Kelly has earned valor devices on several of the medals shown in the photo which indicate that they were awarded for valor or heroism in battle.
The Defense secretary’s comments mocking the retired U.S. Navy captain come after the Pentagon said it had “received serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly — days after President Donald Trump accused the Arizona senator and other Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behavior” for the video.
“In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures. This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality. Further official comments will be limited, to preserve the integrity of the proceedings,” according to a statement from the Department of Defense on Monday.
“The Department of War reminds all individuals that military retirees remain subject to the UCMJ for applicable offenses, and federal laws such as 18 U.S.C. § 2387 prohibit actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces. Any violations will be addressed through appropriate legal channels,” the Pentagon said.
“When I was 22 years old, I commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and swore an oath to the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school, four space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired — which I did after my wife Gabby was shot in the head while serving her constituents,” Kelly wrote.
“Secretary Hegseth’s tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death,” Kelly continued.
“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution,” Kelly added.
Hegseth on Monday called the six Democrats in the video the “Seditious Six” but explained why the probe is focused solely on Kelly.
“Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under [Defense Department] jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not ‘retired’, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ — and he knows that,” Hegseth posted on X.
All military officers who have retired after 20 years of service are able to be recalled to active duty, and if they are determined to have engaged in misconduct, they are subject to military prosecution — potentially a court-martial.
Kelly served for 25 years in the Navy and at NASA, retiring in 2011.
The code referenced by the Defense Department could subject Kelly to an “administrative measure,” which could include a reduction in rank — and a reduction in his pension entitlement.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
