Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft's business practices, starting a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft's cloud computing business and related product lines such as [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) and cybersecurity, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It's the latest action of more than three years of aggressive antitrust enforcement shepherded by FTC Chair Lina Khan, [who was elevated](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-government-and-politics-57d894c1f85a5d6d2ad4d7d05934e4f8) to lead the agency by President Joe Biden after he came into office pledging tougher scrutiny of monopolistic behavior by Big Tech companies. Khan's FTC already lost one antitrust fight with Microsoft last year when a federal [judge declined to block](https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-xbox-playstation-call-of-duty-2322c62e67e6c1316b3ce043e66cff62) its $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. This case would go deeper into the core of Microsoft's business in a way the company hasn't experienced in the U.S. since its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department in the 1990s. Microsoft declined to comment. Bloomberg News first reported about the investigation last week. The case will only move forward if President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the FTC decides to continue the investigation and take it to court. Some analysts are expecting a lighter approach to the tech industry under Trump, though incoming Vice President JD Vance has praised Khan's work. A number of other tech-related antitrust matters are also in play, including the Department of Justice's [investigation into chipmaker Nvidia](https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-openai-microsoft-ai-antitrust-investigation-ftc-doj-0adc9a4a30d4b581a4f07894473ba548) and its push to break up Google — possibly [spinning off the Chrome web browser](https://apnews.com/article/google-android-chrome-antitrust-f4b73387d152a1c14c9df65bf0149a69) — after a federal judge ruled Google [maintained an illegal monopoly](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/5/24155520/judge-rules-on-us-doj-v-google-antitrust-search-suit) for the last decade.

Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft’s business practices, starting off a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon Antitrust enforcers with the Federal Trade Commission have opened a wide-ranging investigation into Microsoft's business practices, starting a big legal project that an incoming Trump administration must take up or abandon. The FTC is investigating Microsoft's cloud computing business and related product lines such as [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) and cybersecurity, according to a person who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It's the latest action of more than three years of aggressive antitrust enforcement shepherded by FTC Chair Lina Khan, [who was elevated](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-government-and-politics-57d894c1f85a5d6d2ad4d7d05934e4f8) to lead the agency by President Joe Biden after he came into office pledging tougher scrutiny of monopolistic behavior by Big Tech companies. Khan's FTC already lost one antitrust fight with Microsoft last year when a federal [judge declined to block](https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-xbox-playstation-call-of-duty-2322c62e67e6c1316b3ce043e66cff62) its $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. This case would go deeper into the core of Microsoft's business in a way the company hasn't experienced in the U.S. since its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department in the 1990s. Microsoft declined to comment. Bloomberg News first reported about the investigation last week. The case will only move forward if President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the FTC decides to continue the investigation and take it to court. Some analysts are expecting a lighter approach to the tech industry under Trump, though incoming Vice President JD Vance has praised Khan's work. A number of other tech-related antitrust matters are also in play, including the Department of Justice's [investigation into chipmaker Nvidia](https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-openai-microsoft-ai-antitrust-investigation-ftc-doj-0adc9a4a30d4b581a4f07894473ba548) and its push to break up Google — possibly [spinning off the Chrome web browser](https://apnews.com/article/google-android-chrome-antitrust-f4b73387d152a1c14c9df65bf0149a69) — after a federal judge ruled Google [maintained an illegal monopoly](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/5/24155520/judge-rules-on-us-doj-v-google-antitrust-search-suit) for the last decade.

Florida officials filed charges on Wednesday against the man accused of [trying to assassinate](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/15/us/politics/trump-shooting-golf-course.html) President-elect Donald J. Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September, defying federal prosecutors who had asked the state to suspend its investigation while their own moved forward. The state charged Ryan W. Routh with attempted felony murder, citing injuries that a child sustained in a crash on Interstate 95 shortly after police officers shut down the highway in pursuit of Mr. Routh. He [has pleaded not guilty](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/us/trump-golf-ryan-routh-gunman-plea.html) to federal charges, including the [attempted assassination of a presidential candidate](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/politics/trump-assassination-attempt-routh-hearing.html). Ashley Moody, the Florida attorney general, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Republicans, have repeatedly criticized the Biden Justice Department over its investigation of Mr. Routh, questioning federal prosecutors’ credibility because [until recently](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/us/politics/jack-smith-trump-election-documents-charges.html), they were also prosecuting Mr. Trump. Mr. DeSantis [began the state’s parallel investigation](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/17/us/politics/trump-assassination-attempt-investigation.html) two days after the shooting, saying the federal agencies could not be trusted. In October, Ms. Moody sued the Justice Department, asking a federal judge to stop the department from blocking the state’s investigation after federal authorities said theirs should proceed first. Ms. Moody’s complaint said that among other things, federal officials did not want Florida to interview witnesses while the federal investigation was going on. Having dueling federal and state investigations could complicate them both, especially because the federal system does not allow for depositions as the state system does, said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami who is now a defense lawyer. When a witness provides statements to multiple investigators, defense lawyers become more likely to find inconsistencies in the testimonies that could allow them to create reasonable doubt. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F12%2F18%2Fus%2Fflorida-trump-assassination-plot-charges.html).

President Trump fired 17 inspectors general, the internal watchdogs who monitor federal agencies, on Friday night, capping a week of dramatic shake-ups of the federal bureaucracy focused on loyalty to the president, three people with knowledge of the matter said. The sweeping move did not affect Michael E. Horowitz, the inspector general for the Justice Department, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter. But inspectors general at several major agencies were believed to have been fired. The Washington Post [reported the firings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/24/trump-fire-inspectors-general-federal-agencies/) earlier. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The firings threatened to upend the traditional independence of the internal watchdogs, and critics of Mr. Trump reacted with alarm. “Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse and preventing misconduct,” Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.” People involved in the Trump transition had signaled such a shake-up was likely. And it is in keeping with an effort that Mr. Trump began in early 2020, when he dismissed five inspectors general from their roles. At the time, Mr. Trump was dealing with a raging coronavirus pandemic across the country, but he also was seeking to reshape the government to remove people he saw as trying to damage him. That included Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the U.S. intelligence community, who dealt with the anonymous whistle-blower complaint that led to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment by the House. Democrats accused Mr. Trump of trying to gut the independent offices. Mr. Horowitz delivered to the Justice Department in late 2019 a report about the F.B.I. investigation of potential links between his campaign and Russians that began in 2016, called Crossfire Hurricane. Mr. Horowitz found that the F.B.I. had a valid basis for opening the investigation, but he was critical of the application for a warrant to secretly monitor a Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page. He also said the F.B.I. director at the time the investigation was opened, James B. Comey, had violated the department’s policy with secret memos about his interactions with Mr. Trump that later became public. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Mr. Comey, a decision that infuriated Mr. Trump.

**Welcome to The Logoff.** Today’s edition is about Donald Trump’s efforts to purge the Federal Bureau of Investigation of his perceived enemies — a power struggle with ramifications for the rule of law throughout the United States. **What’s happened so far?** On Friday night, the Department of Justice moved to fire several senior FBI executives — including the head of the Washington field office. Additionally, DOJ is demanding a list of FBI personnel who investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. **What’s next?** DOJ says the list will be reviewed “to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary” — raising the possibility that they’ll fire some or all of the thousands of FBI staff who worked on the January 6 investigation. **Meanwhile, legal advisers are preparing to sue to block the firings if they go forward.** **Is this normal?** Absolutely not. I asked two scholars of FBI history if there was any precedent for this. Both said no. Agents can be fired for corruption or incompetence after a review, but a mass firing for participating in an investigation is unheard of, they said. **What’s the larger context?** The firing of top officials could make the FBI less effective in critical areas such as counterterrorism. And mass firings of FBI staff involved in the January 6 investigation would serve as a warning to bureau employees about what happens if they investigate Trump’s political allies, corroding the independence the agency depends on to enforce federal law. **What’s the long-term fear?** Both historians mentioned potential long-term fears for the rule of law — and for civil liberties — if Trump continues on this path. “This is what authoritarian secret service and intelligence operations look like,” Beverly Gage, a history professor at Yale University who wrote a book about the FBI, told me. “They are the security wing of one man, serving at his behest, rewarding his friends and punishing his enemies. … We’ve got a lot of battles ahead, but it is extremely bad news.” As a reminder: Logging off doesn’t mean turning off your brain. It means taking care of yourself so you — and not the doomscroll — are in charge. To that end, I offer this remarkable Vox piece about [one person’s quest for confidence](https://www.vox.com/even-better/392058/gaining-confidence-coach-research-self-improvement-success), and all the revelations she had along the way. See More: * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [Trump Administration](https://www.vox.com/trump-administration)

[Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) on Tuesday opened yet another front in his assault on global trade norms, ordering a new investigation into possible tariffs on copper imports to rebuild US production of a metal critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors and a wide range of consumer goods. Trump, looking to thwart what his advisers see as a move by China to dominate the global copper market, signed an order directing commerce secretary Howard Lutnick to start a new national security investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the same law that Trump used in his first term to impose 25% global tariffs on steel and aluminum. A White House official said any potential tariff rate would be determined by the investigation, adding that Trump preferred tariffs over quotas. The White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said the investigation would be completed quickly, “in Trump time”. [ What are the tariffs on steel and aluminum Trump announced? ](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/10/trump-steel-aluminum-tax) Navarro claimed China was using state subsidies and economic influence to gain control over global copper production, in much the same way it now dominates steel and aluminum production. That said, the countries set to be most affected by any new US copper tariffs would be Chile, Canada and Mexico, which were the top suppliers of refined copper and copper articles in 2024, according to US Census Bureau data. “Like our steel and aluminum industries, our great American copper industry has been decimated by global actors attacking our domestic production,” Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, said in a statement. “To build back our copper industry, I will investigate the imposition of possible tariffs.“ Lutnick said US industries and national defense depended on copper and “it should be made in America, no exemptions, no exceptions”. “It’s time for copper to come home,” Lutnick added. The White House official said the investigation would look at imports of raw mined copper, copper concentrates, copper alloy, scrap copper and derivative products made from the metal. The official declined to identify any specific derivatives, saying that would prejudge the investigation. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/trump-copper-tariffs-investigation#EmailSignup-skip-link-11) Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion The official added that the Department of Energy recognized copper as a critical material in the medium term due to increased demand for solar energy technologies and global electrification, noting that it was the second most widely used material in US weapons platforms. The official said based on current demand for electric vehicles and power-hungry artificial intelligence applications, there will be a US copper shortage in the future, and the US cannot develop adequate copper smelting and refining capacity unless there is a reasonable certainty of long-lasting trade protection for the sector. The move is the latest effort by Trump to build a tariff wall around the nation’s economy as part of his drive to rebuild a long-declining US manufacturing base and redraw decades of trade relationships. Trump said on Monday that separate 25% general tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada were “on schedule” ahead of a 4 March implementation deadline despite efforts by both to avoid them by securing their US borders and halting the flow of fentanyl, the deadly opioid.

President Trump moved on Thursday to punish the law firm WilmerHale, where Robert S. Mueller III worked before and after he served as special counsel in the Trump-Russia investigation, expanding his [widespread campaign of retribution](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/politics/trump-law-firms-perkins-coie.html). In an executive order, Mr. Trump hit the elite firm with many of the same penalties that he had applied to its competitors who had taken on cases or causes he did not like. He directed the cancellation of all government contracts with WilmerHale, and the suspension of any security clearances of its employees. The order also barred WilmerHale employees from federal buildings, banned them from communicating with government employees and prevented them from being hired at government agencies. Other elite law firms have been hit with similar sanctions, leaving them to choose whether to fight the orders or [cut a deal](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/us/politics/paul-weiss-trump.html) with Mr. Trump to [remove the restrictions](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/business/trump-law-firms-skadden-arps.html), even as a judge has already blocked one of the orders [because it is likely to be unlawful](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/us/politics/trump-perkins-coie-judge.html). The order said Mr. Trump was in part punishing WilmerHale for [the firm’s connections to Mr. Mueller](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/us/politics/robert-mueller-wilmerhale.html), who led an inquiry that the order described as “one of the most partisan investigations in American history.” In fact, Mr. Mueller was appointed as special counsel by [Mr. Trump’s own deputy attorney general](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html) amid [concerns about Mr. Trump’s desire](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html) to shut down the F.B.I. investigation of his campaign after he took office. Mr. Mueller, then working at WilmerHale, resigned from the firm to lead the investigation, and returned to WilmerHale after the investigation was closed. Mr. Mueller retired from WilmerHale in 2021. “WilmerHale rewarded Robert Mueller and his colleagues,” the order said, adding that “Mueller’s investigation epitomizes the weaponization of government, yet WilmerHale claimed he ‘embodies the highest value of our firm and profession.’” The order also attacked diversity efforts at WilmerHale, as well as its representation of clients who Mr. Trump disagreed with, asserting that the firm “backs the obstruction of efforts” against illegal immigrants and drug trafficking. In a statement, WilmerHale defended Mr. Mueller’s character and said the firm had “a longstanding tradition of representing a wide range of clients, including in matters against administrations of both parties.” The firm added, “We look forward to pursuing all appropriate remedies to this unlawful order.” Matthew Goldstein contributed reporting.

Department store chain Kohl's terminates CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause following internal investigation NEW YORK -- Department store chain Kohl's terminates CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause following internal investigation.  [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/pope-francis-live-updates-leader-catholic-church-dies/?id=91681792) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/americans-describe-trump-term-in-one-word-poll/story?id=121279635) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-reacts-joe-rogans-warning-becoming-monsters-deportations/story?id=121284580)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pushing to investigate whether Harvard University violated federal sanctions by collaborating on a health insurance conference in China that may have included officials blacklisted by the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The New York Times. Mr. Rubio signed off on a recommendation to the Treasury Department last month to open an investigation, which experts and former Treasury officials said was an unusual attempt from a cabinet secretary to target a domestic entity for sanctions enforcement. Whether the agency within the Treasury that handles sanctions, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, opened an investigation in response was unclear — but such a move could expose Harvard to significant legal risks. Mr. Rubio’s action is the latest example of the Trump administration’s [whole-of-government approach](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/harvard-university-trump.html) to bringing the Ivy League university to heel. President Trump has sought for months to impose his political agenda on Harvard by reshaping its curriculum, admissions and hiring processes. The effort initially relied primarily on accusations that university officials had not done enough to address antisemitism on campus. In recent weeks, however, the administration’s focus has expanded to other issues, including allegations about Harvard’s foreign ties, particularly to China. A potential sanctions investigation demonstrates how Harvard’s problems with the government extend far beyond questions of whether the school will continue receiving federal funding. Mr. Trump and his allies appear determined to upend nearly all aspects of the institution, which has long symbolized the pinnacle of higher learning in the country and attracted influential scholars from around the globe. A spokesman for the Treasury Department declined to comment on a possible or pending sanctions investigation. A State Department spokeswoman also declined to comment. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Frubio-harvard-sanctions-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Frubio-harvard-sanctions-investigation.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Frubio-harvard-sanctions-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Frubio-harvard-sanctions-investigation.html).

The New York attorney general was an hour into a Westchester County town hall, expounding on her view of her mission during President Trump’s second term — on democracy and the need to defend it, on courage and the need to display it — when a middle-age man stood up and told her she was going to prison for mortgage fraud. The attorney general, Letitia James, did not visibly react. As members of her staff escorted the man from the room, she thanked him with a small smile, said the allegations were baseless and turned her attention to a less fired-up attendee who was taking the microphone. The episode in Westchester last month neatly encapsulated the role Ms. James has staked out in recent years as one of Mr. Trump’s chief antagonists, and the risks of having done so. The audience member was referring to allegations that have become the subject of a criminal investigation by Mr. Trump’s Justice Department, whose leaders have [rewarded the president’s allies](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/trump-pardons-jan-6.html) and [targeted his foes](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/us/politics/trump-biden-investigation.html). Ms. James has been one of the president’s nemeses since she brought a fraud lawsuit against him three years ago, leading to a half-billion-dollar penalty that Mr. Trump has appealed. And unlike [many of his enemies](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/trump-democracy.html), she has not fallen silent during his second term. Her office has filed 21 lawsuits against him, working with other Democratic attorneys general to take aim at everything from Elon Musk’s slashing approach to the federal government to the administration’s sudden freezing of federal funds for states. Many of the suits have successfully barred the White House from achieving its goals, at least in the short term. In May, for instance, [a judge blocked Mr. Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/judge-education-department.html) from moving forward with mass layoffs that would have gutted the U.S. Department of Education. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-james-ny-attorney-general-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-james-ny-attorney-general-investigation.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-james-ny-attorney-general-investigation.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-james-ny-attorney-general-investigation.html).

The Department of Justice has issued two subpoenas to [Letitia James](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/letitia-james), the [New York](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/new-york) attorney general who has been repeatedly criticized by [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump), according to reports. One of the cases relates to a civil fraud case brought by James’s office against Trump, which resulted in the president [owing New York state $500m](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/22/trump-now-owes-more-than-500m-how-will-he-pay), the New York Times [reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/nyregion/letitia-james-subpoena-trump-doj.html). The other case relates to the attorney general’s investigation into National Rifle Association (NRA), a rightwing gun lobbying group. Trump has repeatedly attacked James, calling her a “horrible, horrible human being” [earlier this year](https://nypost.com/2025/05/06/us-news/trump-calls-ny-ag-letitia-james-a-total-crook-says-doj-will-do-whats-right-on-fraud-criminal-referral/). In May, federal prosecutors [opened a criminal investigation](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/08/trump-fbi-investigation-letitia-james) into James, after the Trump administration alleged she may have falsified paperwork for properties she owns in Virginia and New York. [NBC News reported](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-opens-investigation-new-york-ags-office-brought-fraud-case-trump-rcna223731) that the government’s new cases are focused on whether James deprived Trump and the NRA’s legal rights in its civil lawsuits. The investigation will raise further concerns that Trump is using the legal system to pursue personal vendettas. Last month the justice department announced a new “strike force” to investigate unsubstantiated charges that Barack Obama and top officials conspired to hurt Trump’s 2016 campaign, as legal experts [told the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/04/trump-justice-department) that the department is “being used as a personal weapon” by Trump. Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for James, told the Times that any investigation into Trump’s fraud case was “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign”. “Weaponizing the Department of Justice to try to punish an elected official for doing her job is an attack on the rule of law and a dangerous escalation by this administration,” Lowell said. “If prosecutors carry out this improper tactic and are genuinely interested in the truth, we are ready and waiting with facts and the law.” A spokesperson for James said: “We stand strongly behind our successful litigation against the Trump Organization and the National Rifle Association, and we will continue to stand up for New Yorkers’ rights.” The Department of Justice declined to comment when reached by the Guardian.

 U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin, Russia's President, during a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018. Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images The question of whether Russian interference in the 2016 election was a decisive reason Donald Trump won the presidency is one that has dogged Trump for the better part of a decade. It's also been the subject of numerous investigations. But even though that question has been asked and answered, the current Trump administration is launching another investigation in an effort to reach a different conclusion. Last month, Trump's Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, declassified documents and leveled an unprecedented accusation: The Obama administration knowingly pushed the idea of Russian interference as false narrative to sabotage Trump's campaign. And this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of his 2016 campaign's relationship Russia. What is there left to learn? For sponsor-free episodes of _Consider This,_ sign up for C_onsider This+_ via Apple Podcasts or at [plus.npr.org](http://plus.npr.org/). Email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). _This episode was produced by Michael Levitt, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun._

Reports say Attorney General Pam Bondi has authorized an investigation into the investigation of Trump's 2016 campaign's relationship with Russia. What is there left to learn?

The FBI reportedly recorded Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan accepting $50,000 in cash from undercover agents who were posing as business contractors last year. A [new report](https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/tom-homan-cash-contracts-trump-doj-investigation-rcna232568) from MSNBC on Saturday reveals that the agents recorded Homan, six weeks before the 2024 election, allegedly promising to assist in securing government contracts across the border security industry during Trump’s second term. Six sources familiar with the matter told MSNBC that the [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) and justice department – then run by Joe Biden’s administration – had intended to hold off and assess whether Homan would follow through on his alleged promises after he was appointed as Trump’s border czar. However, the investigation stalled after Trump took office, and in recent weeks, officials appointed by Trump decided to close the case, according to MSNBC. According to the sources, a justice department official who was appointed by Trump called the case a “deep state” investigation. In a separate statement to MSNBC, the FBI director, Kash Patel, and the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, said: “This matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and justice department prosecutors. They found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.” They added: “The Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. As a result, the investigation has been closed.” The White House deputy press secretary, Abigail Jackson, told MSNBC the investigation was “blatantly political”. Jackson added that it was “yet another example of how the Biden Department of Justice was using its resources to target President Trump’s allies rather than investigate real criminals and the millions of illegal aliens who flooded our country”. Homan was captured on video accepting $50,000 in cash at a meeting spot in Texas on 20 September 2024, according to an internal summary of the case reviewed by MSNBC and sources who spoke to the outlet. Four sources familiar with the matter told MSNBC that multiple federal officials believed they had a solid criminal case against Homan for conspiracy to commit bribery. However, since Homan was not a public official at the time he accepted the money and Trump had not yet become president, his actions did not meet the criteria for a standard bribery charge. Officials eventually decided to continue monitoring Homan once he joined Trump’s second presidential administration. MSNBC reports that officials had been looking at four potential criminal charges including conspiracy, bribery and two kinds of fraud, before Trump’s new justice department shut down the investigation. Homan, who was previously the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) during Trump’s first term, was appointed by Trump to run what he has [described](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/12/who-is-tom-homan-trump-border-czar) as the “biggest deportation” project the US has ever seen. Prior to his appointment as border czar, Homan was a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the Washington DC-based thinktank behind Project 2025. After the MSNBC report was published, Adam Schiff, a California Democratic senator and a former federal prosecutor, [wrote on social media](https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/1969508887641391584): “Border Czar Tom Homan was caught by the FBI accepting bribes – on camera – to deliver government contracts in exchange for $50,000 in cash. Pam Bondi knew. Kash Patel knew. Emil Bove knew. And they made the investigation go away. A corrupt attempt to conceal brazen graft.” In [an angry outburst](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727) on his social media platform on Saturday night, Trump appeared to direct his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to appoint a White House aide, Lindsey Halligan, interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, so that she could seek criminal charges against Schiff and another of the president’s political rivals, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James. Trump has demanded that both Schiff and James be prosecuted on [mortgage fraud claims](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/24/trump-lawfare-mortgage-fraud-lisa-cook) both deny. On Friday, the prosecutor who was serving as the district’s interim US attorney, Erik Siebert, [was forced out](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/19/us-attorney-letitia-james-erik-siebert), reportedly for refusing to bring charges against James, due to a lack of evidence. Trump insisted on Saturday that he had fired Siebert for political reasons, and seemed to advocate for him to be replaced by Halligan, his former personal lawyer and a one-time contestant in the Miss Colorado USA beauty pageant now serving as a special assistant to the president.

_This story appeared in [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump), a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. [Subscribe here](https://www.vox.com/pages/logoff-newsletter-trump-administration-updates)_. **Welcome to The Logoff:** The Trump administration has ended a federal bribery investigation into one of its top immigration officials. **What happened?** Last year, President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan was reportedly recorded accepting $50,000 in cash from “businessmen” — undercover FBI agents — in exchange for promising to help secure government contracts, spurring a Justice Department investigation. Homan was a private citizen when he is said to have accepted the cash, but he had boasted about playing a prominent role in a potential second Trump administration in the months leading up to the payment. The investigation was closed earlier this year by the Trump administration. **Who is Homan?** As border czar, Homan has been one of the public faces of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. He served as acting ICE director in Trump’s first term, and claimed last year that he would “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” **What has the Trump administration said about the case?** The White House denied Homan accepted the money — despite the reported existence of an audio recording of him doing so — and described the investigation into Homan as entrapment and “another example of the weaponization of the Biden DOJ.” **Why does this matter?** The Homan story — thousands in cash delivered clandestinely in a takeout bag — would be a major scandal in any other era, under any other administration. Here, it’s one data point in a growing body of evidence for the politicization of Trump’s DOJ, including the [Friday resignation of US Attorney Erik Siebert](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/19/trump-letitia-james-erik-siebert-virginia/) and a [subsequent Truth Social post](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/20/trump-bondi-truth-social-00574380) by Trump calling for criminal charges against his political opponents. The [latest episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tT2t89pzOL4Y0pMcEthYn) of Vox’s _The Gray Area_ podcast has some great news: The sun will save us. That’s the promise, more or less, of environmental activist and writer Bill McKibben’s latest book, _Here Comes the Sun_, which is all about how solar and wind energy are poised to drive a clean-energy revolution. My colleague Sean Illing spoke with McKibben for _The Gray Area_, and you can listen to their conversation [here](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tT2t89pzOL4Y0pMcEthYn) (or read an excerpt [here](https://www.vox.com/podcasts/462027/clean-energy-climate-solar-wind-optimism)). Have a great evening! See More: * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Immigration](https://www.vox.com/immigration) * [Policy](https://www.vox.com/policy) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump)

Donald Trump’s long public campaign to get someone in his administration to bring criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director he fired in 2017, finally succeeded on Thursday, but the president has been so public about his loathing of the indicted man, and his desire to see him jailed, that it might be hard for prosecutors to convince a jury that the case was not brought for political reasons. Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 after he reportedly refused a request to pledge his loyalty to the newly elected president, and then publicly confirmed to Congress that the [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) was conducting a counterintelligence investigation of Russian efforts to help Trump get elected in 2016. Trump’s firing of Comey backfired, however, because it helped convince then deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein [to appoint a special counsel](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/appointment-special-counsel#:~:text=For%20Immediate%20Release,regard%20to%20partisan%20political%20considerations.), former FBI director Robert Mueller, to, in his words, “oversee the previously confirmed FBI investigation of Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election and related matters”. Although Mueller’s report, issued in 2019, [concluded](https://theintercept.com/2019/04/18/annotating-special-counsel-robert-muellers-redacted-report/) that his team “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities”, the investigation unearthed evidence that a Russian effort did take place and, in Mueller’s words, “established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome”. Mueller added that the Trump campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts”. Mueller declined to charge Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, with violating campaign finance laws by soliciting information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government in a meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, although the investigation made it plain that the Trump campaign had been open to help from Russia. When a publicist for the Russian oligarch who paid Trump to stage his Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013 wrote to tell Don Jr that a Russian prosecutor wanted to offer the Trump campaign “official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia”, calling it “part of Russia and its government’s support to Mr Trump”, Trump’s son replied, “If it’s what you say, I love it,” and got Trump’s campaign chair Paul Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to attend the meeting. The indictment of Comey comes as Trump seeks to use the power of the justice department to punish a man he sees as a central figure in the Russia investigation he has continually described as “a witch-hunt” and “a hoax”. One of the ironies of the situation is that Comey, who cast himself as a rigidly non-partisan law enforcement official, played an outsized role in helping Trump to get elected in the first place. It was Comey who, as [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) director in the summer of 2016, decided not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server to conduct official business while secretary of state, but took it upon himself to hold a press conference to explain his decision. In that public forum, [Comey said](https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/statement-by-fbi-director-james-b-comey-on-the-investigation-of-secretary-hillary-clinton2019s-use-of-a-personal-e-mail-system) that while Clinton and her staff had been “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information” and there was “evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information”, he had concluded, as a former prosecutor, that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case”. That news conference offered Trump, then running against Clinton, ammunition to describe her use of a personal email server as reckless. Trump embraced that line of attack, particularly after [WikiLeaks published](https://x.com/wikileaks/status/856404404278362112) emails from Clinton campaign aides that had been stolen by Russian government hackers. Then, days before the November election, Comey suddenly announced that the FBI had reopened its investigation of Clinton’s own emails, after copies of some messages were found on the laptop of the disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, who was then married to Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin. Although Comey announced, before election day, that the review of the additional emails had found nothing of substance, Clinton [dropped in the polls](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-comey-letter-probably-cost-clinton-the-election/) in the closing days of the campaign, and narrowly lost to Trump. Another irony is that Comey was indicted by the new, Trump-appointed US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, an office where he once served as a federal prosecutor. He went on to hold two of the most senior positions in the justice department, as the US attorney for the southern district of New York, and then deputy attorney general under George W Bush, before later being appointed FBI director by Barack Obama in 2013. Comey’s indictment comes nearly nine years after Hillary Clinton observed, [in a 2016 debate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XzL1sQWRd4), “It’s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.” Trump replied: “Because you’d be in jail.”