Bongino may have given big hint about nature of J6-related pipe bomb case



FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Monday that the bureau will revisit a number of "cases of potential public corruption" that apparently went nowhere under previous management.

Bongino indicated that he and FBI Director Kash Patel have decided to re-open or assign "additional resources and investigative attention" to the following cases: "the DC pipe bombing investigation, the cocaine discovery at the prior administration's White House, and the leak of the Supreme Court Dobbs case."

This renewed interest in improprieties swept aside during the Biden era signals the FBI's new leadership might actually be serious about restoring trust in the agency, which was badly damaged in recent years by its politicization and apparent engagement in "election interference"; its difficulty holding leftist extremists accountable; and its zealous targeting of conservatives and Democrats' political opponents.

Blaze Media contributor and investigative reporter Steve Baker — who with Joseph Hanneman has dug extensively into the planting of pipe bombs near the Washington, D.C., offices of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee on Jan. 5, 2021 — welcomed the news.

Baker noted, however, that there was something "curious" about Bongino framing the cases as instances of "potential public corruption," particularly with regard to the case of the pipe bombs.

"It's not public corruption if it was MAGA [behind it]; if it was Antifa; if it was BLM; if it was Oath Keepers; the Proud Boys; the 3% Militia or something like that," Baker told Blaze News. "It's only a public corruption case if they believe that it's an inside job by Capitol Police, Metro Police, FBI, or U.S. Secret Service."

On its website, FBI uses the term "public corruption" in reference to violations of federal law by public officials at the federal, state, and local levels of government.

RELATED: Was the DNC pipe bomb planted while Kamala Harris was inside on January 6?

Photo from US Capitol Police CCTV camera 8021 on Jan. 6, 2021

Baker downplayed the possibility that the public corruption framing was the result of careless wording, suggesting that Bongino likely "can't even type out a single X post without going through general counsel."

Baker also suggested that if one or more of the cases had been closed, the bureau should have said as much and disclosed its conclusions to the public.

"For them to say that they're reopening the case implies that the FBI closed the case, that it was not an ongoing case. Therefore, they should have told the American people that they didn't or couldn't solve it," said Baker.

Blaze News reached out to the FBI for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Baker indicated that the FBI signaled as recently as January that the investigation into the pipe bomb case was still alive. On Jan. 4, the bureau announced that the $500,000 reward for information pertaining to the bomber remained in effect.

According to Axios, the case remains unsolved even after the FBI assessed over 600 tips and conducted over 1,000 interviews.

RELATED: Blaze News original: FBI agents: True servants of justice — or bullies 'just following orders'?

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

While seemingly easier cases to solve, the probes into who primed pro-abortion radicals by leaking the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and who left cocaine in the Biden White House similarly left the public with their suspicions unverified.

White House mystery

White powder was discovered near the West Executive Entrance of the Biden White House, not far from the Situation Room on July 2, 2023, by members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service. Precautionary closures were undertaken while D.C. Fire and EMS investigated.

Following a field test, a firefighter with the department's hazardous material team concluded that the substance was "cocaine hydrochloride."

'You still don't know what everyone in the public knows.'

The U.S. Secret Service launched an investigation into how the cocaine made it into the White House while Hunter Biden — a longtime drug-abuser who was kicked out of the Navy Reserve for cocaine use — had then been visiting.

The FBI's crime lab conducted "advanced fingerprint and DNA analysis" on the cocaine baggie. Unfortunately, the FBI results received by the Secret Service were allegedly a dead-end on fingerprints and DNA.

The Secret Service announced it was ending its probe into the matter without a suspect on July 13, 2023.

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck suggested that in the cocaine case, the Secret Service and FBI were either evidencing extreme incompetence or engaged in a cover-up, stating in 2023, "At some point you need to say, 'You know, you're really bad at these ongoing investigations because you've had an ongoing investigation on Hunter Biden for how many years? And you still don't know what everyone in the public knows.'"

High court leaker

An initial draft of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked a month early, then published in May 2022 by Politico.

'I personally have a pretty good idea who is responsible.'

The high court characterized the leak as "one of the worst breaches of trust in its history," stressing it was "no mere misguided attempt at protest" but rather "a grave assault on the judicial process."

Chief Justice John Roberts directed Gail Curley, the marshal of the court, to investigate the leak. The marshal failed to identify the responsible party and admitted as much in her 2023 report. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff attested to the thoroughness of the court's inquiry.

In the wake of the investigation's conclusion, President Donald Trump noted on Truth Social, "The Supreme Court has just announced it is not able to find out, even with the help of our 'crack' FBI, who the leaker was on the R v Wade scandal. They'll never find out, & it's important that they do."

RELATED: Kash Patel, Dan Bongino say Jeffrey Epstein DID commit suicide: 'I've seen the whole file'

Photo (left): Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Photo (center): Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Photo (right): Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito later indicated that he had an idea who might have been responsible but that his suspicion wasn't enough.

"I personally have a pretty good idea who is responsible, but that's different from the level of proof that is needed to name somebody," Alito said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "It was a part of an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft ... from becoming the decision of the court. And that's how it was used for those six weeks by people on the outside — as part of the campaign to try to intimidate the court."

Bongino noted in his post Monday, "I receive requested briefings on these cases weekly and we are making progress. If you have any investigative tips on these matters that may assist us then please contact the FBI."

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McGregor’s cocaine confession: A shocking twist in his legal battle



Renowned MMA fighter Conor McGregor has found himself in some serious trouble.

Not only is the former UFC two-division champion facing a civil lawsuit in Dublin’s high court over a 2018 sexual assault complaint after local prosecutors decided not to press criminal charges — he has now added drug use to his criminal resume.

In court, McGregor admitted to using cocaine and confirmed having a bag of the drug on the night of the alleged incident.

While McGregor claims that the sexual act with the plaintiff was consensual, a civil court jury awarded the woman nearly 250,000 euros, which is $257,000, for the alleged assault.


Now, the question remains as to whether or not McGregor’s career is going to take a hit from this.

“Joe Rogan basically said, ‘I don’t know that Conor is ever going to fight again,’” Hilary Kennedy of “4-Minute Buzz” tells Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed.” “He said because he’s using cocaine. He said a lot of fighters, especially towards the end of their careers, turn to drugs.”

However, Rogan may be wrong.

“This morning I saw the headline, ‘Conor McGregor confirms huge boxing fight against Logan Paul and reveals UFC comeback is on after civil rape case,’” Kennedy explains, adding, “He’s going to fight Logan Paul in India. So we’ll see.”

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'Our house is quiet as a tomb': Drunk driver who killed 'pure' 13-year-old girl in cocaine-fueled crash learns fate



A grieving Massachusetts family is attempting to put the pieces together after a drunk driver killed a "sunny" 13-year-old girl in a cocaine-fueled crash.

Gregory Goodsell, 36, attended his company's Christmas party in December 2019. Goodsell was so intoxicated that his co-workers said they tried to prevent him from driving, but he ignored them, the Boston Herald previously reported.

'After Claire died, I didn't want to live.'

Goodsell allegedly attended an after-party at a home before getting behind the wheel of his company truck. Police said Goodsell struck a tree while driving the white Ford F-250 truck, which broke his passenger-side headlight around 6:40 a.m. Dec. 29.

Goodsell reportedly ran a red light and smashed into a Subaru while he was drunk and high on cocaine in Pembroke.

"Through evidence and witness interviews, investigators determined that Goodsell was intoxicated with a BAC of 0.266, under the influence of cocaine, and passed through a red light at 67 miles per hour before broadsiding the Subaru," the office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz stated.

At the time of the crash, police found a bottle of whiskey, a beer can, two nip bottles, marijuana, and a pipe in Goodsell's vehicle.

“I’m so [expletive] up. … I know I shouldn’t have been driving. … I can’t believe I did this. … I drank way too much, I’m so sorry,” Goodsell reportedly told police officers at the scene of the fatal crash.

Investigators determined that the Subaru broadsided by Goodsell contained 51-year-old driver Elizabeth Zisserson; her daughter, 13-year-old Claire Zisserson; and Claire’s 13-year-old friend Kendall Zemotel.

Claire was killed in the crash.

Her mother and friend suffered what the DA's office described as “catastrophic injuries.”

Claire's friend Kendall recalled standing “speechless” while looking at herself in the mirror for the first time at the hospital and seeing a large scar on her right cheek, under her eye, with a feeding tube coming out of her nose.

“Emotionally, I think about something that I know I shouldn’t, but I really can’t help myself — what I could have done to prevent this from happening to us,” Kendall wrote in an impact statement that was read by a prosecutor in the courtroom. “I could have just gone to the bathroom before we left the house that day or taken a little longer to get ready. … I could have saved Claire’s life if I was a minute late to everything I did that morning.”

Kendall added, “Claire was my best friend, the sister I never had, and my twin. Claire was always there for me before I even realized I needed someone. It is so extremely hard to process that Claire is gone. She deserved so, so, so much more out of life.”

Claire's mother said that her emotional scars will never heal.

"After Claire died, I didn't want to live," Zisserson said in court as she wiped away tears. "The ache of Claire's loss is overwhelming to me."

"My world changed the day that Claire was killed. I don't recognize the person I am today, versus the one I used to be," the heartbroken mother explained. "I was a super-busy mom juggling sports, Scouts, carpools, school projects, away games, and everything else in daily life."

“Life was happy and busy and crazy, and we talked about the future with hope and excitement, but now I function in survival mode ruled by loss, fear, and grief," Zisserson added. "The car crash destroyed my life and caused a ripple effect of damage that can never be undone.”

"Our table of four is now three. Our house is quiet as a tomb," she expressed. "The colors of our world are dull."

'Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior.'

Claire's father, Ken Zisserson, added, "One day Claire was here, and the next, she was gone forever."

"When someone says, 'I can't even imagine,' I reply, 'You shouldn't have to. It's not natural,'" he noted.

Claire was described as “pure” and “sunny” by those who knew her best, according to the Patriot Ledger.

Late last month, a jury convicted Goodsell of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, leaving the scene of property damage, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

Before sentencing, the anguished mother asked the judge, "Please help me keep him from ever doing this again. He can watch the sunrise every day, but Claire won't ever see another sunrise. And we won't ever escape the devastation of losing Claire."

Judge Diane Freniere sentenced Goodsell to life in prison for the murder charge and eight years in prison for seriously injuring Kendall, which will run concurrently with a six-year sentence for injuring Elizabeth Zisserson. Goodsell also will serve 12 years for manslaughter concurrently with the murder sentence.

Goodsell will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.

“Judicial discretion does not commit to the court to assign a value to a victim’s life because every human life is incalculable,” the judge told Goodsell. “I have considered the life of an innocent, remarkable bright light, Claire Zisserson, a 13-year-old girl beloved by her family, and a compassionate and kind friend who was taken because of your criminal conduct.”

Goodsell said during sentencing, “I shamefully take responsibility for what happened.”

“Nobody should ever have to attempt to live through the pain that I’ve caused to all these people through my careless, destructive behavior,” Goodsell read from a prepared statement. “If I could go back to that day and die, instead of Claire, I would in a heartbeat.”

“The constant nightmares, never being able to sleep because of what I did that morning, that is something that I will carry with me for the remainder of my life,” he continued. “Sorry is an understatement. I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

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Woman spills cocaine at elementary school, beats staffer who tries reporting — even strangles victim with his own tie: Police



An Illinois woman was arrested after she reportedly attacked a staff member of an elementary school Wednesday — and baggies of cocaine spilled upon the floor sparked the alleged assault, according to authorities.

Officers with the Rockford Police Department arrested Shakeda Barfield, 33, on Wednesday after accusations that she battered an elementary school employee.

The elementary school visitor reportedly became violent and subsequently attacked, punched, scratched, and bit the victim.

According to WREX, the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the following charges against Barfield: possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, aggravated battery/strangulation, aggravated battery to a school employee, and disorderly conduct.

Police were summoned to the Welsh Elementary School around 9:35 a.m. after a 911 call about a “disruptive visitor” who was battering a staff member, according to WTVO.

The news outlet reported that Barfield was at a morning meeting with a school staff member when baggies of cocaine fell from her clothing to the floor. The elementary school employee noticed the baggies of cocaine before Barfield scooped them up, according to court documents.

The school staff member allegedly attempted to call police to report the illegal drugs, but Barfield reportedly became violent and subsequently attacked, punched, scratched, and bit the victim.

During the physical altercation, Barfield purportedly attempted to strangle the male victim with his own tie, court docs said.

Police said the elementary school employee suffered multiple injuries and was bleeding when officers arrived. Medics arrived at the Welsh Elementary School to tend to the staff member's injuries, which were considered non-life-threatening.

The alleged violent confrontation caused a lockdown at the school. Classes reportedly continued after the lockdown was lifted.

Officers arrested Barfield and took her to the Winnebago County Jail.

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Trump opens up about late brother's struggles with alcoholism in moving conversation with Theo Von



During a candid conversation with comedian and podcast host Theo Von released earlier this week, former President Donald Trump opened up about his late brother who struggled with alcohol addiction.

Von, 44, and Trump, 78, touched on a number of topics during the episode of Von's podcast "This Past Weekend," including illegal immigration, Trump's recent debate with Biden, and his son Barron, who's reportedly a fan of Von.

The segments of their conversation that have gone viral on social media, though, related to their discussion about substance abuse, and Trump shared stories about his late brother Fred Trump, an alcoholic who died in 1981 at the age of 42.

'The reason it's good talking about it is, it might help other people. If it helps one other person, it's worth the conversation.'

The former president claimed that Fred "knew he had a problem" with alcohol but could not break it. Because of his struggles, Fred always advised younger brother Donald to steer clear of addictive substances.

"Don't drink, don't drink," Donald Trump recalled Fred saying. "And he said, 'Don't smoke.' He smoked, and he drank."

Donald Trump apparently followed his older brother's advice, telling Von he has "never had a glass of alcohol." Moreover, he admitted that, like Fred, he likely has the "personality" that would lend itself toward addiction.

"I think maybe I'm a personality type where I could have had the problem if I drank," he explained.

"I couldn't have been successful if I had that problem."

During the exchange, Trump also hinted at his continued grief over Fred's untimely death. His voice became rather quiet as he described Fred as a "great guy" and a "great brother" who was "very handsome."

"I admired a lot, so much about him," Trump told Von. "He had so much going. He had the look. He was an unbelievable personality, like, an incredible personality."

When pressed to describe a poignant memory with Fred, Trump shared that Fred was a "very talented" pilot who "loved" to fly and who even helped other skillful pilots improve their craft.

"But ultimately he had to give that [up] because of the alcohol," Trump said. "He had to give that up, which was a hard thing for him to do."

When Von expressed concern that he was touching on too sore of a subject, Trump claimed he wanted to share these stories about Fred in hopes of helping others with similar challenges.

"The reason it's good talking about it is, it might help other people. If it helps one other person, it's worth the conversation," Trump stated.

Trump claimed he also had a friend from business school who likewise died from alcohol addiction. The friend insisted on drinking scotch, which he didn't like, "to be successful in business."

"He hated the taste of scotch, and then he couldn't live without it — literally," Trump recalled of his friend, whom he did not name.

For his part, Von admitted that he has been in recovery for alcohol and drug addiction off and on for the past decade. He claimed he has been sober for the past two years or so.

When Trump asked which addiction, drugs or alcohol, was more difficult to shake, Von claimed drugs were harder but said that consuming alcohol was the gateway to using other drugs.

"If I have a drink then it's tougher for me to prevent myself from [using drugs]," explained Von, who said addiction runs in his family.

Later in the episode, the conversation returned to drug use, and Von went into more detail about the racing feeling caused by cocaine.

"Cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homie," Von said, addressing the 45th president of the United States. "You know what I'm saying? You'll be out on your own porch, you know, you'll be your own street lamp."

Von insisted the feeling is "horrible" but that addicts continue to pursue it anyway. "Just like the guy ... with the scotch," he explained.

The full one-hour interview between Trump and Von — which was apparently arranged in part by UFC president Dana White — can be viewed here.

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Rebel Wilson Understands ‘Body Positivity’ Can Only Go So Far

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America's ON FIRE, and China's holding the gas can!



Author Peter Schweizer has blown the lid open on just how insidious China’s influence over America really is.

“China’s holding an empty can of gasoline, and our leaders are basically not saying or doing anything,” Schweizer tells Sara Gonzales.

“It’s not that they caused these problems, but they’ve exacerbated them and made them worse,” he adds.

Some of those problems are the violent left-wing groups operating in America’s streets and the fentanyl epidemic that's killing thousands of Americans every year.

According to Schweizer, the drug cartels in Mexico may be the junior partners overseeing the fentanyl crisis — but the Chinese are the senior partners. The Chinese start the process when they ship the “component parts of the fentanyl” to a port in Mexico.

This port is run by a Chinese company, which then sends the parts to northern Mexico, where it’s made into fentanyl. That fentanyl is then distributed to the 2,000 Chinese nationals in northern Mexico before it makes its way across the border.

“The cartels are helping kill their customers, but the profit margin for fentanyl is 8 to 10 times what it is for cocaine, so they’re willing to suffer those casualties. Meanwhile, the senior partner, the Chinese,” Schweizer explains, “what they really want to do is kill Americans.”

Now, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans under 45.

“That’s the thing, China’s like, 'Good, we want to kill Americans,'” Gonzales says, disturbed.


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Finally! Trump confirms list of potential VP candidates



People have been anxiously awaiting Donald Trump’s VP candidate list, and now they finally have their wish.

“Donald Trump discussed a short list of potential VP candidates during [a recent] town hall meeting,” says Sara Gonzales.

“So it's, of course, Governor Ron DeSantis from Florida, Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Florida Republican Byron Donalds … and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.”

To gauge her followers’ feelings regarding the list of potential candidates, Sara posted the following poll on her Twitter page:

Unfortunately, “they only allow you to pick four choices, so I couldn't include all of them,” she says.

“Vivek’s running away with it at 50%, but Tulsi Gabbard at 20%, more than DeSantis?” she asks in disbelief.

“We are in such a cult-of-personality era in politics, where policy doesn't really matter,” says Glenn Beck chief researcher Jason Buttrill, adding that “Tulsi Gabbard [getting] 20% over an actual conservative with a proven track record like Ron DeSantis is terrifying.”

If you’re voting based on “the ability to destroy the left and track record, you vote 100% for Ron DeSantis; if you're voting for the smartest man in the room who’s got amazing ideas … you would vote for Vivek,” he continues, noting that Tulsi Gabbard may work well in a Trump administration as a member of the “State Department” or the “[Department of Defense]” but as far as policy goes, she’d be a terrible choice.

“She was a Bernie bro,” says Sara in agreement.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video below.


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