Politics

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called out President Donald Trump for not addressing Americans’ economic needs.

“Well, this week, we’ll be having a cost of living week of action, and we have to continue to talk to the American people about our plans,” Jeffries told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “We recognize that housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, utility costs are too high, child care costs are too high, insurance costs are too high. America is too expensive. Now, Donald Trump is the president. And in terms of his approval as it relates to the economy, it was his biggest strength on January 20th. Now, it’s his greatest weakness.”

Jeffries also refuted recent Gallup poll findings that found Americans’ trust in Democratic leadership to fix economic issues is much lower than that of GOP leaders.

“There are a variety of different polls that are out there, including most recently a Morning Consult poll, that showed that congressional Democrats were actually trusted more than congressional Republicans on the economy for the first time in four years,” Jeffries said. “We’re going to continue to press our case on the economy, continue to press our case on protecting and strengthening Social Security, which is what we are committed to do. Republicans are trying to detonate Social Security as we know it. And certainly, we’re going to protect the healthcare of the American people.”

Here are more highlights from Jeffries’ interview:

On the future of the Democratic Party

Karl: I saw Senator [Bernie] Sanders had said in an interview this week that he was skeptical of Kamala Harris, and he mentioned Joe Biden as well — and having a future in the national Democratic Party. He said, quote: “I think the future of the Democratic Party is not going to rest with the kind of leadership that we’ve had.”

Is he right? Do you think Democrats are looking for new leaders?

Jeffries: I think what we’ve got in front of us in terms of politically is that we have to win the races that are up next. That’s a governor’s race in New Jersey and a governor’s race in Virginia. Those two in November are going to be critically important, and we certainly have to win back control of the House of Representatives next year. Now, we’re pushing back in the Congress. We’re pushing back in the courts, and we’re pushing back in the communities, including wherever there are special elections on the campaign trail. And, in fact, Democrats are winning special elections month after month after month, including most recently a decisive one in Wisconsin earlier this month for the state Supreme Court.

On David Hogg’s challenging Democratic ‘safe seats’

Karl: David Hogg, who I know you know, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, he’s going to be joining us on the roundtable, and he is pursuing this effort to unseat some Democrats in safe seats through primary challenges. He’s talked about a culture of seniority politics that is not working for the party. He said, quote: We need a better Democratic Party and need to get rid of the Democrats in safe seats who do not understand what is at stake now, who are asleep at the wheel not meeting the moment, and are a liability now into the future of our party. What’s your response to this idea of targeting your Dem — some of your Democratic incumbents?

Jeffries: Well, I look forward to standing behind every single Democratic incumbent, from the most progressive, to the most centrist, and all points in between. They’re working hard in their communities, rising to the occasion this past week. We had, of course, Medicaid Matters Day of Action, a save Social Security Day of Action, and we have to continue to do all of the things — rallies, town hall meetings in Democratic districts, town hall meetings in Republican districts, days of action, telephone town hall meetings, site visits, press conferences. We are in a more is more environment and more is going to continue to be required of all of us. Now, the House is the institution that is known to be — was built to be the closest to the American people. That’s why we have elections every two years. Primaries are a fact of life. But here’s the thing: I’m going to really focus on trying to defeat Republican incumbents so we can take back control of the House of Representatives and begin the process of ending this national nightmare that’s being visited upon us by far-right extremism.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called out President Donald Trump for not addressing Americans’ economic needs.

“Well, this week, we’ll be having a cost of living week of action, and we have to continue to talk to the American people about our plans,” Jeffries told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “We recognize that housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, utility costs are too high, child care costs are too high, insurance costs are too high. America is too expensive. Now, Donald Trump is the president. And in terms of his approval as it relates to the economy, it was his biggest strength on January 20th. Now, it’s his greatest weakness.”

Jeffries also refuted recent Gallup poll findings that found Americans’ trust in Democratic leadership to fix economic issues is much lower than that of GOP leaders.

“There are a variety of different polls that are out there, including most recently a Morning Consult poll, that showed that congressional Democrats were actually trusted more than congressional Republicans on the economy for the first time in four years,” Jeffries said. “We’re going to continue to press our case on the economy, continue to press our case on protecting and strengthening Social Security, which is what we are committed to do. Republicans are trying to detonate Social Security as we know it. And certainly, we’re going to protect the healthcare of the American people.”

Here are more highlights from Jeffries’ interview:

On the future of the Democratic Party

Karl: I saw Senator [Bernie] Sanders had said in an interview this week that he was skeptical of Kamala Harris, and he mentioned Joe Biden as well — and having a future in the national Democratic Party. He said, quote: “I think the future of the Democratic Party is not going to rest with the kind of leadership that we’ve had.”

Is he right? Do you think Democrats are looking for new leaders?

Jeffries: I think what we’ve got in front of us in terms of politically is that we have to win the races that are up next. That’s a governor’s race in New Jersey and a governor’s race in Virginia. Those two in November are going to be critically important, and we certainly have to win back control of the House of Representatives next year. Now, we’re pushing back in the Congress. We’re pushing back in the courts, and we’re pushing back in the communities, including wherever there are special elections on the campaign trail. And, in fact, Democrats are winning special elections month after month after month, including most recently a decisive one in Wisconsin earlier this month for the state Supreme Court.

On David Hogg’s challenging Democratic ‘safe seats’

Karl: David Hogg, who I know you know, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, he’s going to be joining us on the roundtable, and he is pursuing this effort to unseat some Democrats in safe seats through primary challenges. He’s talked about a culture of seniority politics that is not working for the party. He said, quote: We need a better Democratic Party and need to get rid of the Democrats in safe seats who do not understand what is at stake now, who are asleep at the wheel not meeting the moment, and are a liability now into the future of our party. What’s your response to this idea of targeting your Dem — some of your Democratic incumbents?

Jeffries: Well, I look forward to standing behind every single Democratic incumbent, from the most progressive, to the most centrist, and all points in between. They’re working hard in their communities, rising to the occasion this past week. We had, of course, Medicaid Matters Day of Action, a save Social Security Day of Action, and we have to continue to do all of the things — rallies, town hall meetings in Democratic districts, town hall meetings in Republican districts, days of action, telephone town hall meetings, site visits, press conferences. We are in a more is more environment and more is going to continue to be required of all of us. Now, the House is the institution that is known to be — was built to be the closest to the American people. That’s why we have elections every two years. Primaries are a fact of life. But here’s the thing: I’m going to really focus on trying to defeat Republican incumbents so we can take back control of the House of Representatives and begin the process of ending this national nightmare that’s being visited upon us by far-right extremism.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Sunday that his recent trip to El Salvador was not about defending Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident deported despite a court order, but about defending the Constitution.

“I am not defending the man. I’m defending the rights of this man to due process,” Van Hollen told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “And the Trump administration has admitted in court that he was wrongfully detained and wrongfully deported. My mission and my purpose is to make sure that we uphold the rule of law, because if we take it away from him, we do jeopardize it for everybody else.”

Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador last week to seek answers about the detention and safety of Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March to the country’s notorious CECOT prison, despite a 2019 court order prohibiting his removal due to safety fears. The Trump administration alleged he was affiliated with the MS-13 gang — an accusation his attorneys and his family firmly deny.

Abrego Garcia, who fled from gang threats in El Salvador in 2011, is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of a 5-year-old son with autism. He was apprehended by ICE in Maryland on March 12, transferred to a Texas detention center, and then deported — something the administration later called an “administrative error.” He remains under a final order of removal.

“I think, at some point, the president of El Salvador realized it was looking really bad to have this person who had been absconded from the streets of Maryland in one of their prisons and not able to communicate,” Van Hollen said. “So I ended up getting a call saying, ‘We will bring him to your hotel,’ and that’s how we met.”Initially denied access to CECOT, Van Hollen had been preparing to leave the country when he was notified that Abrego Garcia would be brought to him.

Karl asked the senator what Abrego Garcia shared during their meeting.

“He told me about the trauma he had been experiencing, both in terms of the abduction and the fact that he was originally sent to CECOT, which is this notorious prison,” Van Hollen said. “He specifically mentioned his 5-year-old boy who has autism, because that boy had been in the car with him when U.S. agents had stopped them and handcuffed him and then taken him away.”

Van Hollen also criticized the role of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, saying his government was “complicit in this illegal scheme with the Trump administration,” and called it a violation of international law to prevent any communication with a prisoner.

“The family hadn’t heard from him. Nobody had any contact for weeks,” Van Hollen said. “This is a guy who’s just abducted off the streets of Maryland, put in a couple airplanes, didn’t know he was going to El Salvador, and ends up in the most notorious prison.”

The senator also addressed questions about optics after Salvadoran authorities reportedly tried to stage the meeting at a hotel pool.

“They actually wanted to have the meeting by the hotel pool,” Van Hollen said. “They wanted to put me right overlooking the pool. You’re absolutely right that the Salvadoran authorities tried to deceive people. They tried to make it look like he was in paradise.”

Karl asked if Van Hollen had walked into a trap.

“It wasn’t a trap. My goal was to meet with him and make sure I could tell his wife and family he was OK. That was my goal, and I achieved that goal,” the senator said.

Van Hollen also weighed in on broader implications for presidential power.

“This is a person who the United States courts have determined was illegally taken from the United States,” he said. “And my whole purpose here is to make sure that we observe the rule of law, the Constitution, due process, rights….It just goes to show the lengths that Bukele and Trump will go to try to deceive people about what this case is all about, and simply complying with the Supreme Court order to facilitate his return and make sure he gets due process.”

Of the Trump administration, Van Hollen said: “Here’s where they should put their facts: They should put it before the court. They should put up or shut up in court, because the district court judge in this case said, and I quote, ‘They put no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any other terrorist activity.’”

On criticism from Republicans that Democrats are defending a gang member, Van Hollen pushed back forcefully.

“The idea that you can’t defend people’s rights under the Constitution and fight MS-13 and gang violence is a very dangerous idea. That’s the idea the president wants to put out. That’s why they’re spreading all these lies.” Van Hollen said. “I would say that anyone that’s not prepared to defend the constitutional rights of one man when they threaten the constitutional rights of all doesn’t deserve to lead.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Sunday that his recent trip to El Salvador was not about defending Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident deported despite a court order, but about defending the Constitution.

“I am not defending the man. I’m defending the rights of this man to due process,” Van Hollen told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “And the Trump administration has admitted in court that he was wrongfully detained and wrongfully deported. My mission and my purpose is to make sure that we uphold the rule of law, because if we take it away from him, we do jeopardize it for everybody else.”

Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador last week to seek answers about the detention and safety of Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March to the country’s notorious CECOT prison, despite a 2019 court order prohibiting his removal due to safety fears. The Trump administration alleged he was affiliated with the MS-13 gang — an accusation his attorneys and his family firmly deny.

Abrego Garcia, who fled from gang threats in El Salvador in 2011, is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of a 5-year-old son with autism. He was apprehended by ICE in Maryland on March 12, transferred to a Texas detention center, and then deported — something the administration later called an “administrative error.” He remains under a final order of removal.

“I think, at some point, the president of El Salvador realized it was looking really bad to have this person who had been absconded from the streets of Maryland in one of their prisons and not able to communicate,” Van Hollen said. “So I ended up getting a call saying, ‘We will bring him to your hotel,’ and that’s how we met.”Initially denied access to CECOT, Van Hollen had been preparing to leave the country when he was notified that Abrego Garcia would be brought to him.

Karl asked the senator what Abrego Garcia shared during their meeting.

“He told me about the trauma he had been experiencing, both in terms of the abduction and the fact that he was originally sent to CECOT, which is this notorious prison,” Van Hollen said. “He specifically mentioned his 5-year-old boy who has autism, because that boy had been in the car with him when U.S. agents had stopped them and handcuffed him and then taken him away.”

Van Hollen also criticized the role of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, saying his government was “complicit in this illegal scheme with the Trump administration,” and called it a violation of international law to prevent any communication with a prisoner.

“The family hadn’t heard from him. Nobody had any contact for weeks,” Van Hollen said. “This is a guy who’s just abducted off the streets of Maryland, put in a couple airplanes, didn’t know he was going to El Salvador, and ends up in the most notorious prison.”

The senator also addressed questions about optics after Salvadoran authorities reportedly tried to stage the meeting at a hotel pool.

“They actually wanted to have the meeting by the hotel pool,” Van Hollen said. “They wanted to put me right overlooking the pool. You’re absolutely right that the Salvadoran authorities tried to deceive people. They tried to make it look like he was in paradise.”

Karl asked if Van Hollen had walked into a trap.

“It wasn’t a trap. My goal was to meet with him and make sure I could tell his wife and family he was OK. That was my goal, and I achieved that goal,” the senator said.

Van Hollen also weighed in on broader implications for presidential power.

“This is a person who the United States courts have determined was illegally taken from the United States,” he said. “And my whole purpose here is to make sure that we observe the rule of law, the Constitution, due process, rights….It just goes to show the lengths that Bukele and Trump will go to try to deceive people about what this case is all about, and simply complying with the Supreme Court order to facilitate his return and make sure he gets due process.”

Of the Trump administration, Van Hollen said: “Here’s where they should put their facts: They should put it before the court. They should put up or shut up in court, because the district court judge in this case said, and I quote, ‘They put no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any other terrorist activity.’”

On criticism from Republicans that Democrats are defending a gang member, Van Hollen pushed back forcefully.

“The idea that you can’t defend people’s rights under the Constitution and fight MS-13 and gang violence is a very dangerous idea. That’s the idea the president wants to put out. That’s why they’re spreading all these lies.” Van Hollen said. “I would say that anyone that’s not prepared to defend the constitutional rights of one man when they threaten the constitutional rights of all doesn’t deserve to lead.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Sunday that his recent trip to El Salvador was not about defending Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident deported despite a court order, but about defending the Constitution.

“I am not defending the man. I’m defending the rights of this man to due process,” Van Hollen told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “And the Trump administration has admitted in court that he was wrongfully detained and wrongfully deported. My mission and my purpose is to make sure that we uphold the rule of law, because if we take it away from him, we do jeopardize it for everybody else.”

Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador last week to seek answers about the detention and safety of Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March to the country’s notorious CECOT prison, despite a 2019 court order prohibiting his removal due to safety fears. The Trump administration alleged he was affiliated with the MS-13 gang — an accusation his attorneys and his family firmly deny.

Abrego Garcia, who fled from gang threats in El Salvador in 2011, is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of a 5-year-old son with autism. He was apprehended by ICE in Maryland on March 12, transferred to a Texas detention center, and then deported — something the administration later called an “administrative error.” He remains under a final order of removal.

“I think, at some point, the president of El Salvador realized it was looking really bad to have this person who had been absconded from the streets of Maryland in one of their prisons and not able to communicate,” Van Hollen said. “So I ended up getting a call saying, ‘We will bring him to your hotel,’ and that’s how we met.”Initially denied access to CECOT, Van Hollen had been preparing to leave the country when he was notified that Abrego Garcia would be brought to him.

Karl asked the senator what Abrego Garcia shared during their meeting.

“He told me about the trauma he had been experiencing, both in terms of the abduction and the fact that he was originally sent to CECOT, which is this notorious prison,” Van Hollen said. “He specifically mentioned his 5-year-old boy who has autism, because that boy had been in the car with him when U.S. agents had stopped them and handcuffed him and then taken him away.”

Van Hollen also criticized the role of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, saying his government was “complicit in this illegal scheme with the Trump administration,” and called it a violation of international law to prevent any communication with a prisoner.

“The family hadn’t heard from him. Nobody had any contact for weeks,” Van Hollen said. “This is a guy who’s just abducted off the streets of Maryland, put in a couple airplanes, didn’t know he was going to El Salvador, and ends up in the most notorious prison.”

The senator also addressed questions about optics after Salvadoran authorities reportedly tried to stage the meeting at a hotel pool.

“They actually wanted to have the meeting by the hotel pool,” Van Hollen said. “They wanted to put me right overlooking the pool. You’re absolutely right that the Salvadoran authorities tried to deceive people. They tried to make it look like he was in paradise.”

Karl asked if Van Hollen had walked into a trap.

“It wasn’t a trap. My goal was to meet with him and make sure I could tell his wife and family he was OK. That was my goal, and I achieved that goal,” the senator said.

Van Hollen also weighed in on broader implications for presidential power.

“This is a person who the United States courts have determined was illegally taken from the United States,” he said. “And my whole purpose here is to make sure that we observe the rule of law, the Constitution, due process, rights….It just goes to show the lengths that Bukele and Trump will go to try to deceive people about what this case is all about, and simply complying with the Supreme Court order to facilitate his return and make sure he gets due process.”

Of the Trump administration, Van Hollen said: “Here’s where they should put their facts: They should put it before the court. They should put up or shut up in court, because the district court judge in this case said, and I quote, ‘They put no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any other terrorist activity.’”

On criticism from Republicans that Democrats are defending a gang member, Van Hollen pushed back forcefully.

“The idea that you can’t defend people’s rights under the Constitution and fight MS-13 and gang violence is a very dangerous idea. That’s the idea the president wants to put out. That’s why they’re spreading all these lies.” Van Hollen said. “I would say that anyone that’s not prepared to defend the constitutional rights of one man when they threaten the constitutional rights of all doesn’t deserve to lead.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., set out to El Salvador this week to find Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man at the center of an erroneous deportation, and get answers about his condition.

While he was relieved to get a chance to meet the Abrego Garcia face to face on Thursday, the senator slammed El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and President Donald Trump for what he said was a setup to defame him and the deportee.

Van Hollen said Friday that what he called “margarita-gate” was manufactured by Bukele and his officials after they posted a photo of his meeting with Abrego Garcia at a table with what appeared to be filled margarita glasses.

The senator said those glasses were put on the table partway during the meeting by El Salvador officials and that neither he nor the deportee touched the drinks.

“Everything happens because Bukele says it could happen. And if you look at the video you sent out right afterwards with the fake margaritas, you can see that all of that was a setup,” Van Hollen told reporters.

The senator poked holes in the story that was being spread by Bukele’s and Trump’s allies and said the entire meeting was suspect from the beginning.

After being denied access to CECOT, the super prison that the government originally said was holding Abrego Garcia, Van Hollen said he was ready to fly back to the U.S. Thursday but got a message that the deportee was available to meet.

The El Salvador government tried to have the meeting poolside, but the senator said he had them take it indoors in a dining area. During the meeting, Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia had glasses of water and a coffee cup on their tables, which appeared in a photo posted by the senator.

The senator said that at one point during the hourlong meeting, officials put glasses on the table that appeared to have liquid inside with salt or sugar rims on top. Van Hollen said he had no idea what the liquid was.

The glass in front of Abrego Garcia had less liquid than the other glass, according to Van Hollen.

“They tried to make it look like, I assume, that he drank out of it,” the senator said.

Van Hollen said the insinuations about the margarita glasses don’t hold up under scrutiny.

“They made a mistake,” he said of the government officials. “If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was, salt or sugar, would disappear. You would see a gap. There’s no gap. No one drank anything.”

El Salvador’s government has not commented on the senator’s claim.

Trump was asked about the photo of the meetings with the glasses earlier Friday and criticized Van Hollen as “fake” and repeated disputed claims that Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 member.

“They’re all fake, and they have no interest in that prisoner. That prisoner’s record is unbelievably bad,” Trump said before listing crimes of which other MS-13 members have been convicted.

None of the allegations made about Abrego Garcia’s being part of MS-13 have been made in court documents. Abrego Garcia’s family and attorneys have denied the gang allegations.

Van Hollen stressed that Trump is trying to divert attention from the fact that the U.S. government is not complying with the Supreme Court’s unanimous order that it facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. by bringing up gang violence.

“I mean, this is a guy who’s been in CECOT. This guy has been detained. They want to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which, of course, is a big fat lie,” he said.

The senator added that the case goes beyond Abrego Garcia.

“This case is not about just one man. It’s about protecting the constitutional rights of everyone who resides in the United States of America,” he said.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ANNAPOLIS, Md.) — The Navy said it canceled a speaking engagement at its academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with popular podcaster and author Ryan Holiday because it wanted to steer clear of what it saw as political content aimed at young naval officers.

Holiday, who speaks frequently about the value of stoicism and has written several books, including “The Obstacle is the Way,” said he had planned to speak to the midshipmen about the “pursuit of wisdom.”

Holiday said he shared his briefing slides in advance with the Navy, which included a reference to the New York Times’ story about the U.S. Naval Academy’s recent decision to pull some 381 books from its library. The Navy asked him to omit the reference, and Holiday said he refused.

“The idea that there are topics that are off limits or that they can’t handle is absurd on its face,” Holiday told ABC News.

When asked why Holiday’s speech was canceled, the Navy said it opted to make a “schedule change that aligns with its mission of preparing midshipmen for careers of service to our country.”

“The Naval Academy is an apolitical institution,” it added. “It is focused on developing midshipmen morally, mentally and physically in order to cultivate honorable leaders, create a culture of excellence and prepare future officers for military service.”

Holiday said the Navy hadn’t given him guidance in advance of the speech and that he didn’t see his presentation as overtly political because he wasn’t telling the midshipmen how to vote. He said it shouldn’t have been a surprise to the Navy that he’d want to discuss current events.

“I assumed we had the basic … standards of academic independence,” Holiday said.

The Navy pulled the books after President Donald Trump ordered the military to stop “promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating the following un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories.”

Included in the list of books removed from the academy library is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi.

A separate visit to the academy by filmmaker Ken Burns also was canceled recently, although the cancelation does not appear to be tied to a dispute over content. A spokesperson for Burns said the award-winning documentarian had planned to meet privately with faculty and staff later this month and now hopes to visit the school in October instead.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Trump White House border czar Tom Homan stood by the administration’s position on the return to the U.S. of Kilmer Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national the Justice Department said was erroneously deported to a prison in his home country, and waived off responsibility for the migrant’s status in an interview with ABC News.

Homan spoke with “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl in an interview that will air this Sunday about the case and repeated the Trump administration’s allegations that Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 member and a violent threat to the public.

“We removed a public safety threat, a national security threat, a violent gang member from the United States,” he alleged.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys and family members have denied that he is a member of MS-13, and the gang allegations are being disputed in court.

Watch more of Jonathan Karl’s interview with Tom Homan on “This Week” at 9 a.m. Sunday on ABC.

However, much of the evidence that has been cited by President Donald Trump and his allies, such as clothing they argue symbolizes gang membership, has not been brought up in court since the current administration began litigating this case.

The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. for a trial. As of Friday, the administration has not taken active steps to do so.

When asked by Karl about the order, Homan claimed the Trump administration does not have the right or ability to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. and argued Abrego Garcia is under the authority of the El Salvador government.

“I understand that ‘facilitate,’ but he’s also in the custody — he’s a citizen and a national of the country of El Salvador. El Salvador would certainly have to cooperate in that,” Homan said.

“But again, I’m out of the loop on that. I’m not an attorney. I’m not litigating this case. We’ll do whatever the law says we have to do, but I think and I stand by the fact [that] I think we did the right thing here,” he said.

Homan also joined Trump and other Republicans in their criticism of Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who traveled to El Salvador this week and met with Abrego Garcia.

“You know, what bothers me more than that is a U.S. senator traveled to El Salvador on taxpayer dime to meet with an MS-13 gang member, [a] public safety threat, terrorist,” Homan said, without providing evidence that Van Hollen is using taxpayer money for the trip.

When ABC News reached out to Van Hollen’s office for comment on how the trip was funded, his office replied, “the Senator traveled in his official capacity with bipartisan approval to follow up on the case of a constituent and conduct oversight of U.S. foreign assistance programs. He did fly commercial.”

Abrego Garcia has never been convicted of a crime in the U.S., and his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, told ABC News on Wednesday that her husband has “never been convicted for anything.”

Homan accused the senator of not taking time to meet with victims of MS-13 gang members in his state and inaction under the Biden administration to address border concerns.

“What concerns me is Van Hollen never went to the border the last four years under Joe Biden. … What shocks me is he’s remained silent on the travesty that happened on the southern border. Many people died, thousands of people died,” he said.

Upon returning to the U.S., Van Hollen told reporters his trip was about more than Abrego Garcia’s case.

“This case is not only about one man, as important as that is,” Van Hollen said. “It is about protecting fundamental freedoms and the fundamental principle in the Constitution for due process that protects everybody who resides in America.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested Friday that a newly released batch of documents related to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy raise “more questions than answers.”

Her comment comes after doubts and conspiracy theories advanced by the late senator’s son and current secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On Friday, Gabbard and Kennedy Jr. announced the release of more than 10,000 “previously classified” records related to the 1968 assassination of then-Sen. Kennedy, who was shot moments after delivering a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles as part of his campaign for Democratic presidential nomination.

His confessed killer, Sirhan Sirhan, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. But Kennedy Jr. has in the past cast doubt on Sirhan’s role in his father’s death and vocally supported his release from prison.

On Friday, Gabbard suggested in an interview with the Daily Wire that the new records, which include previously undisclosed FBI records about Sirhan’s contacts prior to the killing, raise fresh questions about the long-accepted narrative of Kennedy’s assassination.

“There’s no ‘smoking gun,'” Gabbard said. “But there are a lot of interesting things that have not been previously known that really call into question what really happened and who was behind it.”

“There are more questions than answers,” she continued.

Among the newly released documents are several frantic cables distributed in the hours after Kennedy’s assassination by federal investigators, who gave their investigation the code-name “KENSALT.”

Records show that FBI field offices from Birmingham to Boston scrambled to gather information on Sirhan’s background, contacts, and other leads. The records also include interviews with witnesses and responding police officers.

One file includes a hand-written note purportedly penned by Sirhan calling for Kennedy to be “disposed of like his brother was,” referring to President John F. Kennedy, who was killed five years earlier.

Robert Kennedy Jr. said in a statement on Friday that “lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government.”

“I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency,” he continued. “I’m grateful also to Tulsi Gabbard for her dogged efforts to root out and declassify these documents.”

Attorneys for Sirhan have for years attempted to have him released from prison. In 2011, his lawyer told ABC News Sirhan was “set up” and “hypno-programmed.” Those assertions have gone unheeded. Parole boards have repeatedly denied his release.

President Donald Trump commissioned the release of records related to Kennedy’s assassination in an executive order signed in January. Gabbard subsequently launched a task force to facilitate “maximum transparency” in the release of records about the assassinations of Kennedy, his older brother, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Gabbard said Friday that an additional 50,000 records pertinent to the investigation of Kennedy’s death would be processed and made public in short order.

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(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered an immediate halt to the planned firings of nearly 1,500 employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and is ordering the Trump administration to hand over communications and make top officials available for testimony to determine whether they deliberately violated one of her court orders.

District Judge Amy Berman Jackson told attorneys for the government she was “deeply concerned” about the apparently rushed efforts to implement a Reduction In Force, or RIF, of approximately 1483 employees at the CFPB which was set to take effect at 6 pm tonight.

Jackson said the moves by CFPB leadership, including Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and general counsel of the OMB Mark Paoletta, in apparent coordination with a staffer from Elon Musk’s DOGE operation, Gavin Kliger, may be in direct violation of a preliminary injunction she had put in place — which the D.C. Circuit upheld in part. That injunction required terminations at the agency to be carried out only after “particularized assessments” of individual employees’ performance.

She told attorneys from the Justice Department the reductions in force were “not going to happen in the meantime” and ordered them to advise the agency leadership to make that clear to employees who had been informed they would be ousted. Many of those employees sat in her courtroom Friday, and several broke into tears following the hearing.

Jackson further ordered a hearing for April 28 where she said Paoletta should be prepared to testify under oath, and Kliger should also plan to be in attendance to potentially provide testimony. She also said the government should retain and be prepared to provide any communications between Paoletta, Vought and Kliger in advance of the hearing to help her determine whether her preliminary injunction was deliberately violated.

The Trump administration had begun the process this week of firing 1,474 employees at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, according to a sworn declaration from Paoletta, the agency’s chief legal officer.

The administration plans to run the agency with a 206-person staff, according to court filings Friday morning, a steep decrease from the 1,680 employees who previously worked for the consumer-protection agency. Some departments within the CFPB were cut entirely or reduced to a single employee, according to Paoletta.

“An approximately 200-person agency allows the Bureau to fulfill its statutory duties and better aligns with the new leadership’s priorities and management philosophy,” Paoletta wrote.

According to Paoletta, agency leadership conducted a “particularized assessment” of each department to determine how to run the CFPB with the “smaller, more efficient operation.”

“Leadership has discovered many instances in which the Bureau’s activities have pushed well beyond the limits of the law,” he wrote.

The CFPB, created by Congress to safeguard Americans against unfair business practices in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, has been targeted for elimination by President Donald Trump as part of his efforts to slash the federal government.

Trump has said the CFPB is “very important to get rid of” and that the organization was “set up to destroy some very good people.”

Its oversight applies to everything from mortgages to credit cards to bank fees to student loans to data collection. By law, the CFPB has the rare ability to issue new rules and to impose fines against companies who break them.

Since its establishment in 2011 through last June, the CFPB said it has clawed back $20.7 billion for American consumers.

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