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Trump’s Abuse of Federal Power: National Guard, ICE, and the Jack Smith Report
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Donald Trump is escalating his misuse of the National Guard in American cities, even as legal challenges ([link removed]) mount against his federalization efforts. This week, as a judge extended ([link removed]) the order blocking federal troop deployments to Portland, Ore., Trump announced that he was considering sending troops ([link removed]) to San Francisco, Calif. — another city he has mischaracterized as being crime-ridden.
* As in Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., such a deployment would directly oppose ([link removed]) the wishes of state and local officials.
* “Contrary to Trump’s lie, no ‘government officials’ here have requested federal occupation,” state Sen. Scott Weiner posted ([link removed]) online Wednesday. “We don’t need Trump’s authoritarian crackdown in our city. Bottom line: stay the hell out of San Francisco.”
* In other cities and states, Trump’s allies are using their official power to promote and expand the president’s military deployments on American soil. This week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said ([link removed]) that he hopes to have federal troops in the state by next month.

As these dangerous tactics escalate, we’re investigating ([link removed]) Trump’s abuses of power, erosion of transparency, and efforts to use the presidency to punish perceived political opponents, including by usurping state and local power.
* Trump’s unprecedented domestic deployments raise serious legal questions about the president’s authority. The governments of Portland and Oregon have sued Trump ([link removed]) alleging the deployment was “patently unlawful” and violated the Constitution.
* According to recent ([link removed]) reporting ([link removed]) , the Department of Defense and the White House have used Signal — a secretive, private, and non-governmental messaging app with auto-delete capabilities — to coordinate at least one of the deployments. We launched an investigation ([link removed]) earlier this year when high level Trump administration officials reportedly used Signal to coordinate military attack plans in Yemen.
* Leaked images of officials’ Signal conversations surfaced earlier this month, revealing details about the administration’s plan to deploy the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to Portland.
* Trump’s extraordinarily unusual deployments overstep the president’s authority and infringe on the power of state and local governments. These actions must not be normalized. We are committed to fighting for transparency, holding the government accountable and informing the public of efforts to seize control and consolidate executive power.


** Demanding Answers about DHS’s Taxpayer-Funded ICE Recruitment Ads
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As the government shutdown continues, it was revealed this week that the Department of Homeland Security has spent at least $51 million ([link removed]) of taxpayer money to run advertisements thanking Donald Trump for his border policies and urging undocumented immigrants to self-deport. The campaign is reportedly the most expensive political ad campaign of the year.

The Trump administration is also spending millions more taxpayer dollars ([link removed]) on television ads to recruit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of its $30 billion initiative to hire 10,000 new ICE officers by the end of the year.
* These ads are flooding ([link removed]) Youtube, social media platforms, and streaming services like Spotify and Hulu. Thirty-second television ads playing in select cities urge current law enforcement ([link removed]) officers to “join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst.”
* To investigate ICE’s ad blitz, we submitted records requests ([link removed]) for the agency’s communications, strategy documents regarding recruitment efforts, and advertising budgets.

ICE is also offering new recruits sign-on bonuses as large as $50,000 and up to $60,000 in student debt relief.
* Those who decide to take the offer will join an agency whose budget has ballooned to $76.5 billion ([link removed]) — 10 times its prior size — thanks to the spending bill Trump signed into law in July.
* The administration hopes this influx of funding and officers will help it achieve its goals of arresting 3,000 immigrants each day and deporting one million people a year.

This rapid expansion comes as the Department of Homeland Security is cutting internal oversight ([link removed]) and blocking external accountability.
* This summer, DHS adopted a policy that blocks members of Congress from accessing detention facilities and the information needed to perform their legally authorized oversight duties. We are representing Congressional members ([link removed]) in a lawsuit challenging the administration’s illegal blocking of ICE facility oversight.

At a time when ICE is detaining more individuals than ever before — over 56,000 people — and as reports of mistreatment, deplorable conditions, and in-custody deaths continue to mount ([link removed]) , the need for oversight has never been more urgent. We’re demanding the public and members of Congress have access to the information they need to hold ICE accountable.


** The Public Deserves the Full Jack Smith Report
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More than nine months after Special Counsel Jack Smith submitted his report on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, Volume II remains hidden from the public. We petitioned the court ([link removed]) to vacate the order ([link removed]) blocking the full report’s release.
* We sued the Justice Department ([link removed]) in February for failing to respond to our FOIA request seeking the full report.
* This week, the House Judiciary Committee asked Smith to testify ([link removed]) about his investigation into Trump before the end of the month.
* In a letter to Smith, the committee chairman accused the special counsel of conducting “politically motivated investigations," and the Biden-Harris Justice Department of having “weaponized federal law enforcement.”
* Smith refuted accusations that politics played a role in the investigation of Trump’s mishandling of classified documents in an interview ([link removed]) released this week.
* We’re demanding answers about the administration’s use of executive power to target its political opponents and transparency about the special counsel’s findings. Read more here ([link removed]) about our petition for the release of the report.


** Other Stories We’re Following
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** American Oversight in the News
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* Exclusive: U.S. Secret Service bill revealed for JD Vance’s holiday in Scotland (The Scotsman ([link removed]) )
* Trump admin must turn over Signal chats, group says (Law360 ([link removed]) )


** Trump Administration Accountability
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* U.S. kills 6 alleged drug smugglers in new strike off Venezuela, Trump says (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Trump team plans IRS overhaul to enable pursuit of left-leaning groups (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Part enabler, part buffer: The bind of the Justice Dept.’s no. 2 (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Hegseth’s legal fixer at the center of Pentagon’s new media restrictions (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* U.S. attorney was forced out after clashes over how to handle Russia inquiry (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Judge accuses Homeland Security of bullying states into accepting conditions to get FEMA money (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* The “presumption of regularity” in Trump administration litigation (Just Security ([link removed]) )
* Trump picks longtime aide Dan Scavino to head White House personnel office (The Hill ([link removed]) )
* Key Trump nominee accused of sexual harassment (Politico ([link removed]) )
* U.S. government pays for 2025's most expensive political ad campaign (Axios ([link removed]) )


** Voting Rights
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* Former Republican election official buys Dominion Voting — a target of 2020 conspiracy theories (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Five years after trying to aid Trump, Pennsylvania’s Fulton County faces steep penalty (Votebeat ([link removed]) )
* North Carolina lawmakers will attempt to redraw congressional districts (WRAL ([link removed]) )


** Immigration
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* Trump considers overhaul of refugee system that would favor white people (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Virginia surveillance network tapped thousands of times for immigration cases (WHRO ([link removed]) )
* How a small Chicago suburb became a flash point in ICE’s crackdown (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Judge orders ICE official into court as aggressive tactics continue despite her ruling: 'I'm not blind' (Chicago Sun-Times ([link removed]) )
* Federal immigration officers in Chicago area will be required to wear body cameras, judge says (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* We found that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents. They’ve been kicked, dragged and detained for days. (ProPublica ([link removed]) )


** State and National News
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* Emails show Senate GOP fuming at Interior DOGE aide (E&E News ([link removed]) )
* Transparency takes a hit during shutdown (E&E News ([link removed]) )
* West Virginia’s school vaccination law has been effective. That may change. (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue (Missouri Independent ([link removed]) )
* How Missouri became a battleground over gender-affirming care (Missouri Independent ([link removed]) )
* Under federal pressure, Fenway Health ends gender-affirming medical care for trans patients under 19 (Boston Globe ([link removed]) )
* Judge upholds North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for kids (Associated Press ([link removed]) )


** Threats to Education
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* These activists want to dismantle public schools. Now they run the Education Department. (ProPublica ([link removed]) )
* Students with hearing and vision loss get funding back despite Trump’s anti-DEI campaign (ProPublica ([link removed]) )

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