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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 194

What Just Happened?

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 194: What Just Happened?

Bonus Quote of the Day

April 25, 2025 · 2:19 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Mr. Santos, words have consequences. You got elected with your words, most of which were lies.”

— Federal judge Joanna Seybert, quoted by the Daily Beast, while sentencing former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).

Crime and Punishment

George Santos Is Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison

April 25, 2025 · 12:12 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“George Santos, the former Republican congressman from New York whose outlandish fabrications and criminal schemes fueled an unforeseen rise and spectacular fall, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison on Friday,” the New York Times reports.

“His sentence will bring an end, or at least a pause, to a turbulent period in which Mr. Santos was catapulted from anonymity to political and pop cultural infamy, a national spotlight that, even when negative, he often relished more than rejected.”

Associated Press: “The New York Republican, who served in Congress for barely a year before his House colleagues ousted him in 2023, pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.”

Crime and Punishment

Trump Would ‘Love’ to Send Americans to Foreign Prisons

April 25, 2025 · 10:29 am ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump doubled down this week on his proposal to send American citizens to foreign prisons,” Politico reports.

Said Trump: “I would love to do that if it were permissible by law. We’re looking into that.”

Crime and Punishment, White House

Trump Pardons Michele Fiore Before Sentencing

April 24, 2025 · 4:25 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump has pardoned former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore, a Republican who was convicted of wire fraud charges last year for using money intended for a fallen police officer’s memorial for her personal use,” the Nevada Independent reports.

“Fiore was set to be sentenced next month on her conviction of six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count would have carried a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.”

Crime and Punishment

Kristi Noem’s Bag Stolen from Restaurant

April 21, 2025 · 11:10 am ET · Leave a Comment

CNN: “The Secret Service, which provides security for Noem, reviewed security camera footage at the restaurant and saw an unknown white male wearing a medical mask steal her bag and leave the restaurant.”

“The thief got away with Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks, and about $3,000 in cash.”

Crime and Punishment

Kash Patel Embraces the Limelight

April 20, 2025 · 10:49 am ET · Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Mr. Patel seems to relish his new status as director, cutting a highly visible path while running the most important law enforcement agency in the nation. His embrace of the spotlight appears to be a break from the recent past. Previous directors did the job with little fanfare, deflecting any attention that might detract from the work of the bureau.”

Crime and Punishment

Tim Walz Staffer Caught Vandalizing Teslas

April 18, 2025 · 6:28 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A member of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration has been repeatedly caught on camera allegedly vandalizing parked Tesla vehicles with his keys while out walking his dog,” the Daily Mail reports.

“Dylan Bryan Adams, 33, a fiscal policy analyst for the State of Minnesota, was captured on vehicle surveillance footage allegedly dragging a key across the exteriors of several Teslas, stripping paint and causing thousands of dollars in damage.”

Crime and Punishment

Former DeSantis Aide Arrested for Indecent Exposure

April 17, 2025 · 10:38 am ET · Leave a Comment

A former spokesman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been arrested and charged with “exposure of sexual organs,” a third-degree felony under Florida law, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Crime and Punishment

Arsonist Targeted Josh Shapiro Over Palestine

April 16, 2025 · 10:13 am ET · Leave a Comment

The suspected arsonist who allegedly tried to kill Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro decided to firebomb his official residence because of “what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” ABC News reports.

Crime and Punishment

‘This Is Not Incarceration’

April 15, 2025 · 12:16 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Jonathan Last: “Do you believe that anyone from America who goes into CECOT will ever come out?”

“I do not. This is not incarceration; it is liquidation.”

“Incarceration is a penal act. It is controlled by laws. There are well-understood mechanisms governing the length of terms, applications for parole, processes for release.”

“Liquidation is a political act. It is arbitrary, opaque, and unappealable. There are no controlling laws or processes. There is only power.”

“This is why Donald Trump cannot allow Kilmar Abrego Garcia to return to the United States. And it is why the democratic opposition must go to the mattresses to bring him home.”

Crime and Punishment

Quote of the Day

April 15, 2025 · 11:56 am ET · Leave a Comment

”What distinguishes a concentration camp from a prison (in the modern sense) is that it functions outside of a judicial system. The prisoners are not indicted or convicted of any crime by judicial process.”

— From the Holocaust Encyclopedia.

Crime and Punishment

Man Intended to Beat Josh Shapiro with a Hammer

April 14, 2025 · 8:07 am ET · Leave a Comment

“A man who authorities said scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire had planned to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he found him,” the AP reports.

Crime and Punishment

Suspect in Custody After Arson Attack

April 13, 2025 · 5:45 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“One person is in custody in relation to the fire set to to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, early Sunday,“ NBC News reports.

“Cody Balmer is in custody and will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person.”

Crime and Punishment

FBI Suspends Staffer on Patel’s Enemies List

April 11, 2025 · 6:51 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The FBI has suspended an analyst on Kash Patel’s so-called enemies list after Mr. Patel told lawmakers that the bureau under his leadership would stay out of the political fray and not punish employees for partisan reasons,” the New York Times reports.

“Last week, the bureau placed the analyst, Brian Auten, on administrative leave… The reasons for the suspension remain unclear.”

Crime and Punishment

Felon Freed by Trump Is Sent Back to Prison

April 4, 2025 · 1:32 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“A violent felon whose sentence was commuted by President Trump was arrested Friday and charged with violating the terms of his supervised release after he was accused of a string of crimes that included assaulting a 3-year-old child,” the New York Times reports.

Crime and Punishment

Man Arrested Four Times Since Trump Freed Him

April 2, 2025 · 11:17 am ET · Leave a Comment

“Jonathan Braun has repeatedly been in legal trouble since President Trump commuted his federal prison sentence more than four years ago as part of a rushed, last-minute process of granting clemency to allies and well-connected special pleaders before leaving office,” the New York Times reports.

“On Saturday, Mr. Braun, a major player in the predatory lending business, was arrested on Long Island on charges of assaulting an acquaintance and his 3-year-old child, according to court documents. It was the fourth time he has been arrested since Mr. Trump freed him.”

Crime and Punishment

Musk Disclosed Social Security Fraud Arrest

April 2, 2025 · 11:02 am ET · Leave a Comment

“Elon Musk appeared to boast of advance knowledge of a planned arrest related to alleged Social Security fraud during an appearance on a live stream Monday night promoted to his more than 200 million social media followers, frustrating top law enforcement officials,” ABC News reports.

Crime and Punishment

Cory Booker Staffer Arrested for Carrying a Gun

April 1, 2025 · 12:46 pm ET · Leave a Comment

A staffer for Sen. Cory Booker was arrested Monday by U.S. Capitol Police for carrying a pistol on Capitol grounds without a license, NOTUS reports.

Crime and Punishment

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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