Judicial Watch Sues for Emails of Anti-Trump FBI Executive Accused of Harassing Whistleblowers

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for emails of Dena Perkins, a section chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), regarding whistleblower retaliation (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No, 1:25-cv-00891)).

Perkins was identified by Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as an official who retaliated against whistleblowers who were considered pro-Donald Trump:

So, now I’m going to spend some time sharing statements from the whistleblowers who were retaliated against by some of the FBI officials Trump has recently fired.

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A third FBI whistleblower said, “On January 6, 2021, I took leave and went to see the President speak on the Ellipse. Later, my wife and I were among a crowd southwest of the Capitol. Even though we were involved in no violence, never set foot on the steps leading to the Capitol building, and never entered it, I self-reported my presence to the FBI after seeing the violence in news reports. The FBI did nothing at first, but more than a year later suspended my security clearance. Under the supervision of Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins, investigators questioned my co-workers about whether I ever vocalized support for President Trump or objections to the COVID-19 vaccine. I was forced to take early retirement to pay bills and have essentially been sidelined from employment opportunities due to FBI abuse of the clearance system to target me for my political beliefs.”

A fourth FBI whistleblower and a registered Democrat said, “As a Security Division employee, I witnessed abuses committed against multiple employees by FBI senior leaders, particularly by Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins. I also saw Security Division retaliate against five of its own employees for protesting these unlawful practices. Because I spoke out against these abuses, Perkins and Timothy Dunham suspended my security clearance, costing me my job and continuing employment, totaling approximately $700,000 in lost wages and retirement benefits.”

A fifth FBI whistleblower said, “Although some FBI leaders who abused the clearance process like Dena Perkins and Jeff Veltri have already left, they weren’t alone. Timothy Dunham approved Perkins’s wrongdoing and engaged in his own. While most Security Division employees are fantastic, some FBI leaders still remain within the Security Integrity and Investigations Section who’ll continue this abuse of the process.”

From FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen, “Jeff Veltri and Dena Perkins caused the suspension of my security clearance because I questioned whether the FBI Director was truthful to Congress and whether the FBI was obeying the law and Constitution in the January 6, 2021 investigations. Their actions left me without pay for over two years while other FBI officials prevented me from having other income. Although the FBI ultimately reinstated my clearance and settled my lawsuit, my career at the FBI was over and the financial and emotional damage to me and my family will never be completely restored.”

Another FBI whistleblower said, “After I was assigned to review Marcus Allen’s security clearance case, I noticed the file was missing relevant communications of Jeff Veltri, who ordered the opening of the case, Dena Perkins and FBI attorney Tasha Gibbs. Allen was entitled to those communications, which were evidence that his clearance suspension was retaliatory. Shortly after I completed the vast majority of work on the communication recommending Allen’s reinstatement, the Allen case was reassigned to another adjudicator and I was transferred to a different unit, apparently in reprisal for reporting the wrongdoing in the Allen suspension. I soon resigned from the FBI to avoid further retaliation. I believe Veltri, Perkins and Gibbs were responsible for retaliating against Allen, and that Giulio Arseni, Perkins and Gibbs were likely responsible for the retaliation against me.” [Marcus is represented by Judicial Watch.]

From FBI whistleblower Garret O’Boyle: “I faced retaliation from junior, mid and senior level ‘leaders’ in the FBI. More than 29 months later, I’m still indefinitely suspended without pay and benefits. Other whistleblowers have since confirmed that the FBI intentionally stranded me in the middle of a move and withheld our possessions to maximize the pain of my suspension. A new era of accountability and true whistleblower protection at the FBI is long overdue. FBI officials like Sean Clark, Sean Fitzgerald, Jeff Berkebile, Dena Perkins, Jeff Veltri, Jennifer Moore, Michael Schneider, Timothy Dunham and other leadership up to Christopher Wray are responsible for what happened to me and my family. Ensuring that they no longer work at the FBI isn’t retribution, its responsible leadership.”

Judicial Watch sued after the Justice Department failed to respond to a May 10, 2024, FOIA request for:

1. All emails sent to and from Section Chief Dena Perkins regarding “whistleblower”, “whistleblowers”, “O’Boyle”, “Veritas” and/or “Trump”.

1. All SF-50s and SF-52s for SC Perkins.

SF-50s and SF-52s are documents recording personnel actions such as promotions.

Perkins was among several FBI officials reportedly fired by the Trump administration.

“Our lawsuit shows elements of the FBI are still in cover-up mode about its mistreatment of agents who indicated support of Donald Trump or opposition to FBI abuses,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “Transparency and accountability can’t come soon enough.”

Judicial Watch is perhaps the nation’s leading FOIA litigant against the FBI on its corruption issues, as well as lawfare against President Trump.

In March 2025, Judicial Watch filed suit against the Justice Department for details of any investigations, inquiries, or referrals concerning potential misconduct of any person working for Special Counsel Jack Smith.

In September 2024, Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department for messages among top leaders of the FBI referencing social media posts of Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri, head of the Miami Field Office, which is investigating the September 15 assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

In May 2024, Judicial Watch uncovered a recording of a phone message left by an FBI special agent for someone at the Secret Service in the context of the raid on President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

In April 2024, Justice Department records showed that the FBI opened a criminal investigation of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt after her killing and listed four “potential violations of federal law,” including felony rioting and civil disorder.

Judicial Watch in January 2023 sued the Justice Department for records of communications between the FBI and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.

In November 2023, Judicial Watch, along with CatholicVote Civic Action, received FBI records showing top officials rushing to craft a public response to the leaked FBI intelligence memo that revealed its targeting of Catholics who adhere to traditional beliefs on church issues. In December 2023, heavily redacted records from the FBI showed that the agency’s Office of General Counsel reviewed the controversial targeting of the Catholics by the Richmond field office of the FBI.

In his book Rights and Freedoms in Peril Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton details a long chain of abuses officials and politicians have made against the American people and calls readers to battle for “the soul and survival of America.”

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https://www.judicialwatch.org/fbi-executive-whistleblowers/

>>22900645

Site of attempt on Trump's life was a mere 6 miles away from similar attempt on life of Washington

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/trump-assassination-attempt-butler-pennsylvania-chilling-tie-george-washington-first-president?msockid=0747983cf6ba635223098daef7346262

Steve Bannon full interview with Bill Maher (@ 17 min timestamp)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH4pkmzZpOE

Jasmine Crockett under FEC investigation over ‘very suspicious’ ActBlue donations

The Federal Election Commission opened an investigation into firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, regarding donations to her 2024 campaign made through ActBlue, a Democrat fundraising powerhouse organization.

The Coolidge-Reagan Foundation, a conservative advocacy group, made the FEC complaint on March 26, as first reported by The Daily Signal.

On April 2, the FEC notified the Coolidge-Reagan Foundation it would review the matter and notify Crockett.

“The respondents will be notified of this complaint within five business days,” Wanda D. Brown, the FEC assistant general counsel for complaints examination and legal administration, said in the letter.

“You will be notified as soon as the Federal Election Commission (FEC) takes final action on your client’s complaint. Should you receive any additional information in this matter, please forward it to the Office of the General Counsel.”

Brown wrote the letter to Dan Backer, a Washington lawyer representing the Coolidge-Reagan Foundation.

“The FEC opened an investigation. There is a process, but they are investigating,” Backer told The Daily Signal.

The complaints reference a specific suspect donor reported to have given 53 separate donations totaling $595 to Crockett’s campaign through the ActBlue portal.

The suspect donor was a 73-year-old Texas resident named Randy Best, according to the FEC complaint.

However, Best’s wife—in a video promoted by one of Crockett’s opponents for 2026, Sholdon Daniels—denied knowing anything about the donations. The complaint contends this possibly means Best—and potentially other donors through ActBlue—did not make the donations listed under their names.

The bigger picture is that Crockett’s campaign received about $870,000 in total donations through ActBlue. The Coolidge-Reagan Foundation’s FEC complaint says. That includes the $595 recorded from Best, who lives in Plano, Texas.

“Rep. Crockett, through her principal campaign committee Respondent Jasmine for US, has received thousands of other donations through ActBlue totaling over $870,000,” the FEC complaint says. “It is unclear how many of these are similarly fraudulent transactions, made in the name of unsuspecting innocent people who did not actually provide the funds.”

ActBlue fundraising has faced questions by congressional Republicans and GOP state attorneys general. In a story cited in the FEC complaint, The Daily Signal previously reported several elderly Americans said they were not aware of ActBlue donations in their name.

The next step is for the respondent—Crockett—to have 15 days to respond to the allegations. The FEC historically grants extensions of 30 and 60 days, Backer said.

Crockett is not alone among Democrats getting donations through the ActBlue portal. Republican state attorneys general, as well as the GOP-controlled House Oversight and Accountability Committee, opened an investigation into ActBlue’s fundraising practices.

For its part, ActBlue has consistently said it follows the law, and the attacks are partisan.

The Daily Signal reached out to Crockett’s congressional office, Crockett’s campaign, and to ActBlue with email inquiries. None responded.

An FEC spokesperson told The Daily Signal the agency cannot comment on a pending case until the matter is resolved.

“It could be a reasonable defense for Rep. Crockett and other Democrats to say, ‘We didn’t solicit those donations, they all came in from ActBlue,’” Backer said in an interview. “But that would be wilful blindness.”

“The problem is legally, the campaign committee treasurer is responsible for due diligence,” Backer continued. “The treasurer could say, ‘We had absolute confidence in ActBlue.’ But ActBlue has been under investigation by state and federal authorities. That excuse might have worked a year ago.”

https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/04/10/fec-investigating-rep-jasmine-crockett-on-actblue-donations/

>>22900900

https://x.com/SholdonDaniels/status/1899651558817575239

Savanah Hernandez

@sav_says_

Live look at the New York migrant crisis:

This is the outside of the men’s migrant shelter that opened up at the end of February in the Bronx.

It’s doubling as both a shelter and a mailroom where migrants can pick up their mail, that oftentimes includes notification letters for approvals on government programs or even forms of ID.

The shelter contains 2,200 beds and was specifically opened to house migrant men.

https://x.com/sav_says_/status/1910419281747337336

Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds DECLINES to seek reelection in 2026

https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1910733064650588497?t=5s

Judge will halt Trump administration from ending humanitarian parole for people from four countries

A federal judge said Thursday that she will prevent the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with temporary legal status to leave the country later this month.

The ruling is a significant, although perhaps temporary, setback for the administration as it dismantles Biden-era policies that created new and expanded pathways for people to live in the United States, generally for two years with work authorization.

US District Judge Indira Talwani said she would issue a stay on an order for more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to leave the country, sparing them until the case advances to the next phase. Their permits were to be canceled April 24.

During a hearing, Talwani repeatedly questioned the government’s assertion that it could end humanitarian parole for the four nationalities. She argued that immigrants in the program who are here legally now face an option of “fleeing the country” or staying and “risk losing everything.”

“The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision,” Talwani said, adding that the explanation for ending the program was “based on an incorrect reading of the law.”

“There was a deal and now that deal has been undercut,” she said later in the hearing.

Last month, the administration revoked legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in 30 days.

They arrived with financial sponsors, applying online and paying their own airfare for two-year permits to live and work in the US. During that time, the beneficiaries needed to find other legal pathways if they wanted to stay longer in the US, parole is a temporary status.

President Donald Trump has been ending legal pathways for immigrants to come to the US, implementing campaign promises to deport millions of people who are in the US illegally.

Outside court, immigration advocates, including Guerline Jozef, founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said attacks on this program contradict the Trump administration’s strategy on immigration.

“We hear the narrative of people coming here illegally and the administration wanting to erase illegal immigration,” Jozef said. “But, we clearly see today that is not the case. Even those people who have legal status, are paying their taxes and working are under attack.”

Cesar Baez, an activist of the political opposition in Venezuela, said he feared for his life and left his country to come to the US under the sponsorship of a doctor. He arrived under the humanitarian parole program in December 2022, and for the last year, has been working as a producer at a media outlet in Washington.

He has applied for a working visa as another way to get legal status and has also requested asylum, but those processes have also been paused under the Trump administration.

For him, the judge’s announcement means hope.

“It is very important for me to have protections and not be removed to Venezuela,” said Baez, 24. “I have no doubt that if I set foot in the country, I would immediately be imprisoned.”

Zamora, a 34-year-old Cuban woman who asked to be identified only by her last name due to fears of being detained and deported, received the judge’s news as relief.

“I was terrified of being left without a work permit,” said Zamora, whose parole and work permit expire in September. “We are people who, in order to come here, have gone through several background checks, and the government take away our status as if we had been criminals and entered illegally.”

Advocates, who called the administration’s action “unprecedented,” said it would result in people losing their legal status and ability to work and argued that it violated federal rule-making.

The government’s lawyer, Brian Ward, argued in court that ending the program doesn’t mean that individuals couldn’t be considered for other immigration programs. He also said the government wouldn’t prioritize them for deportation — something Talwani found suspect, given they could be arrested if they happened to go to the hospital or were involved in a car accident.

The end of temporary protections for these immigrants has generated little political blowback among Republicans other than three Cuban-American representatives from Florida who called for preventing the deportation of the Venezuelans affected. One of them, Rep. Maria Salazar of Miami, also joined about 200 congressional Democrats this week in co-sponsoring a bill that would enable them to become lawful permanent residents.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/11/politics/humanitarian-parole-trump-administration-judge-immigration/index.html

Average Person Starts to Panic When Phone Battery Life Drops to 38%

NEW YORK — Most of us have felt that moment of unease when we glance at our phone and notice the battery life dwindling. A fresh survey has pinpointed exactly when this worry kicks in for Americans—and it’s much earlier than you might expect.

According to new research by Talker Research, Americans typically start to worry about their phone’s battery when it hits 38%—what researchers are calling America’s “panic percentage.” This threshold arrives long before most phones display any warning signs, with iPhone batteries only turning red when they drop below 20%.

The nationwide study of 2,000 Americans revealed striking differences in how various demographics handle the dreaded low-battery situation. While the average person starts fretting at 38%, a more laid-back third of Americans (34%) stay calm until their battery dips below 20%. Even more surprising, about one in eight people (13%) remain unfazed until their phone battery plummets below 10%—truly living on the edge of digital connectivity.

On the flip side, a quarter of Americans (24%) begin worrying before their phone even drops to half power. For these individuals, seeing that battery icon tick below 50% is enough to trigger an active search for the nearest outlet.

Age plays a key role in battery anxiety levels. The research uncovered a clear pattern showing younger people growing concerned at higher battery levels than their older counterparts.

Generation Z respondents reported the earliest onset of charging anxiety, beginning to worry when their batteries hit 44%. Millennials followed closely, starting to fret at around 43% battery life. Generation X proved more relaxed, typically holding out until 38% before concern sets in.

Baby Boomers emerged as the most composed when facing a diminishing phone battery. On average, they wait until their phones reach 34% before they start looking for a charging solution. This generational gap hints at differing relationships with technology and connectivity across age groups.

The survey also looked at how people monitor their battery life, uncovering another split in user habits. Most Americans (61%) prefer seeing the exact numerical percentage displayed on their screens, suggesting they want precise information about their remaining power. Meanwhile, a significant minority (39%) rely solely on the visual battery bar to gauge their power status—a method that offers a general sense without the exact numbers.

The survey adds yet another exclamation point to our growing psychological attachment to our devices. For many people, particularly younger users, the relationship with phones goes beyond practicality. The fear of being disconnected or missing out drives anxiety levels up even when batteries have plenty of life left.

Manufacturers and app developers might take note of these findings as they design battery indicators and power management features. Understanding when users begin to worry could inform how warnings are communicated and when power-saving modes might most effectively kick in.

The findings could also guide businesses in strategic placement of charging stations, particularly in venues frequented by younger customers who experience battery anxiety earlier.

Methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 general population Americans with 1,000 men and 1,000 women. The survey was administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Friday, Jan. 31 and Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

https://studyfinds.org/phone-panic-battery-life/

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) officially launched his bid for Colorado governor on Friday

Bennet, who has represented the state in the Senate since 2009, touted his work at the federal level to expand the Child Tax Credit, cut costs of prescription drugs and protect large swaths of Colorado’s public lands in his campaign announcement.

The longtime senator had grown increasingly frustrated with Washington politics, telling POLITICO late last month that the “answer to that over the next decade is as likely to come from the states as it is from Washington.”

He echoed that sentiment in his campaign launch video, in which he bashed President Donald Trump for “taking a wrecking ball to our economy and our democracy.”

“Our best solutions to these challenges will not come from the broken politics practiced in Washington,” Bennet said, but instead from the state level.

The gubernatorial hopeful has already received multiple endorsements from Democrats in his home state, including his fellow Sen. John Hickenlooper, a former governor who offered his “wholehearted” endorsement Friday morning, and Rep. Joe Neguse, who lauded Bennet’s track record of service to the state and called him a “visionary public servant.”

Democratic state Attorney General Phil Weiser is also already in the race.

Bennet’s seat in the Senate is not up until 2028, and he does not need to resign to run. Should he win his bid for the state’s top office, Bennet will likely have the opportunity of selecting someone to replace him as Colorado senator. Whoever is appointed to the seat could run for a full term in 2028.

He would also join a growing group of Democratic senators set to leave Washington, as the party faces a crisis of direction under Trump’s administration. Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire all plan to depart Washington after announcing their retirements earlier this year, leaving all three of their seats open in the midterms.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/11/congress/michael-bennet-colorado-governor-00008068

Pentagon to end $5.1 billion in IT contracts with Accenture, Deloitte, others

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum Thursday outlining $5.1 billion in cuts to Department of Defense spending through terminated contracts.

The Pentagon leader said the contracts amounted to “nonessential spending” on third-party consultants for services “more efficiently” performed by the department’s workforce using existing resources.

“We need this money to spend on better health care for our warfighters and their families, instead of $500 an hour business process consultant,” he said in a statement announcing the cuts. “That’s a lot of consulting.”

Hegseth said a Defense Health Agency contract for consulting services from Accenture, Deloitte, Booz Allen and other firms was discontinued alongside an Air Force contract with Accenture to resell third-party enterprise cloud IT services.

A Navy contract for business process consulting services was also eliminated as was a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s contract for IT helpdesk services was canceled, according to Hegseth.

He added that the department is also slashing 11 contracts related to diversity, equity and inclusion, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and related “nonessential activities.”

“If you’re keeping score at home, today’s cuts bring our running total to nearly $6 billion in wasteful spending over the first six weeks of the Department of Government Efficiency effort here at the Defense Department,” Hegseth said.

The moves come after the Defense secretary cut $70 million in funding at three colleges in the past weeks in the Trump administration’s overhaul of federal spending.

Pentagon officials are also seeking to reduce the department’s workforce by 5 percent to 8 percent of its civilian employees over the next several months totaling 50,000 to 60,000 jobs.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5244601-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-cuts/