Two Senate #MeToo Champions Under Fire for Supporting Platner

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Two Senate #MeToo Champions Under Fire for Supporting Platner

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) With Maine voters heading to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether Democrat frontrunner Graham Platner will make the cut for November’s senatorial election, the party has faced an uncomfortable reckoning over its moral compass — or lack thereof.

Platner — a self-described communist from an elite, privileged upbringing — remains the best hope of unseating moderate Susan Collins, the closest thing to a Democrat within the GOP caucus, in the ranked-choice election.

And yet, in their thirst for power, many Democrats have been forced to rethink their positions on issues like their supposed opposition to Nazism and misogyny.

With his totenkopf tattoo and unsettling social-media footprint already drawing unflattering comparisons to disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., allegations from three of Platner’s former girlfriends in a recent New York Times article dug the hole even deeper.

The article contradicted Platner’s claims that he was unaware of his tattoo’s Nazi origins, suggesting he actually boasted about it, and further elaborated on his past toxic conduct, particularly among women.

According to Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner for roughly two years, he would frequently say that if intruders broke into his house, “I would rape them to show them that I’m dominant.”

While some Democrats sought to quietly downplay their support for the flawed candidate, a shocking number came out swinging, including those who attacked Fifield as a GOP activist.

Among them was Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a major Platner donor who declared that he was “unimpressed” with the damning allegations.

As constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley observed, that marked a stunning about-face for Whitehouse, who availed himself of every opportunity to grandstand over the baseless allegations from Christine Blasey Ford and other accusers ahead of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 confirmation hearing.

At the time, Whitehouse adhered closely to Democrat talking points that it was necessary to “believe all women,” regardless of the verifiability of their rape claims.

“Today I stand with women who are brave enough to come forward with their stories of abuse and mistreatment,” Whitehouse said at the time. “They deserve to be heard and credible allegations must be investigated. We must believe survivors, not bully them.”

Although Fifield’s account has been corroborated — unlike Blasey Ford’s — by acquaintances who heard her speak out against Platner before his entry into politics, Whitehouse maintained that it was nothing more than a GOP smear campaign.

“I mean, the only one who had anything to say that seemed ‘unsettling’ was a woman who works for right-wing political operations,” Whitehouse said, also dismissing the corroborating accounts of two other ex-girlfriends of Platner’s.

Meanwhile, a New York Post article pointed to another hypocritical Democrat accused of putting power over principles: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

Gillibrand was one of the most outspoken champions of the #MeToo cancel-culture movement, even forcing out fellow Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., after an account surfaced about him nonconsensually touching the breast of a sleeping woman.

Yet, in the decade since, Gillibrand evidently has softened her position on rape. The Post noted that as head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, she was standing by her man.

“We are still going to win Maine,” she told CNN.

Despite the moral certitude they once telegraphed on the matter of toxic masculinity and abusive power dynamics, this is not the first time Democrats have sought to double back on the “believe all women” mantra and to qualify it as only those whose allegations aligned with the Democrat agenda.

During the 2020 presidential election, the longstanding allegations of Tara Reade, a one-time senatorial staffer for Joe Biden, resurfaced briefly, only to be “vetted” dismissively by the mainstream media and its Democrat co-conspirators.

While many tried to hide behind the fig leaf of attacks on Reade’s credibility, others said the quiet part aloud.

“I do believe Reade,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told the Sunday Times. But she went on to say that she still planned on voting for Biden, who was accused of digitally penetrating the vagina of his much younger subordinate during a late night in the office.

To Democrats’ credit, the one thing they have always been consistent about is flip-flopping in times of political expedience.

View co-host Sunny Hostin, also an outspoken left-winger, admitted last week that even though she believed the alarming allegations against Platner, she would still vote for the Nazi sympathizer over the Senate’s top moderate.

“So he’s a liar, a racist, an antisemite. He’s a homophobe. So he has all the things — and character does matter,” Hostin said.

“But we have someone that has almost unbridled power in the White House at this point,” she added. “There are no checks and balances, and the only way that we can maybe bring a bit of our democracy back is by having a Congress that functions and that has these checks and balances. And I do think one of the only ways is to win that seat in Maine.”

Collins previously kept Trump in check by voting to impeach him in 2021. Nonetheless, he was acquitted by the Senate. 

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

As California Ballot Count Drags On, Federal Prosecutors Step In

Luis Cornelio
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As California Ballot Count Drags On, Federal Prosecutors Step In

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Federal authorities in California are investigating multiple allegations of election fraud, one of the state’s top prosecutors announced Friday.

Bill Essayli, the de facto head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, revealed the investigations on June 5, a day after President Donald Trump slammed the state’s slow ballot-counting process following the June 2 primary elections.

“Protecting the integrity of California’s elections is a top priority for my office,” Essayli wrote. He argued that California’s election system “has serious structural vulnerabilities” and said that the state’s universal vote-by-mail system and lack of voter ID laws create “conditions where fraud can go undetected and unpunished.”

Essayli did not specify which allegations are under investigation, but added that his office is coordinating with the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

His comments come as California has yet to declare winners in several statewide primary contests, including races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, despite holding the elections on June 2.

Trump took issue with the delays on June 4 in a post shared via Truth Social.

“Watch California, everybody! Our Election process is as bad, or worse, than any Third World Country,” Trump wrote. “The biggest difference is, they count their Votes much faster — They don’t wait seven days to tell you who won, rigging the Election during each and every one of them. Americans are ashamed of what is happening!”

California is among the slowest states to complete vote counting, in part because it conducts large-scale vote-by-mail elections and accepts ballots received seven days after election day.

Police Still Searching for Ohio Mass Shooting Suspect

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Police Still Searching for Ohio Mass Shooting Suspect

(Headline USA) Police still had no suspects in custody Sunday after a weekend shooting near an Ohio street festival wounded 12 people and sent attendees scrambling for cover in a busy Toledo neighborhood.

Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan said it appeared that at least two people fired weapons on Saturday near the Old West End Festival and were “probably shooting at each other.”

Multiple videos posted to social media showed people running amid the sound of gunshots and emergency officials tending to others who appeared wounded.

As the search for the shooters wore on, Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates vowed “justice will be swift and strong.”

“Those who were frightened, traumatized or harmed by this violence will remain at the forefront of our efforts. I’ve felt outrage before, but this is personal,” Bates said in a statement. “This is my home. These are my friends and neighbors. It is not OK.”

Authorities say a search for the shooters was ongoing and had not identified any potential suspects. They urged festivalgoers to come forward with any photos or videos.

“As far as violence, this is over the top, right?” Toledo police Lt. Dan Gerken said. “Twelve people being shot, that’s the most I’ve been to a scene. I’ve been to a lot of scenes, but this is way over the top.”

Hundreds of people were at the festival, an annual two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district that includes live music, food vendors, home tours and shopping.

The remainder of the festival was canceled Sunday. Organizers said “it would not be compassionate, responsible or possible to continue.”

“We are heartbroken about those that were injured at the Old West End Festival,” the festival said in a statement.

Two of the victims were in critical condition on Saturday, Heffernan said. The ages of the victims ranged from 14 to 61, with most of them in their early 20s.

Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said it was difficult for emergency responders to get the injured to the hospital due to closed roads and traffic from people leaving the festival, but all were transported within an hour.

Kevin Berry was sitting in the neighborhood arboretum listening to live music with friends when he heard gunshots ring out.

“Everybody hit the deck,” he said.

When Berry looked back up, he saw a gun being tossed to the ground less than 50 feet (15 meters) away from him. Officers who were already on site for the festival responded immediately.

Berry, who has medical training and served in the Navy, walked around looking for anyone who might need help and saw at least five people with gunshot wounds.

“The folks who were hit were spread out around the arboretum area,” he said.

George Kral, the city’s safety director, said the Old West End Festival is one of the most iconic festivals in Toledo.

“And it’s a shame that something like this had to ruin it,” Kral said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

FBI Denies that Crooks Emailed Law Enforcement before Trump Assassination Attempt

Ken Silva
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FBI Denies that Crooks Emailed Law Enforcement before Trump Assassination Attempt

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) On Friday, the transparency group Judicial Watch published an explosive press release—claiming to have uncovered an FBI record showing that alleged would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks emailed local law enforcement ahead of his July 13, 2024, attack in Butler, Pennsylvania.

However, the FBI said Sunday that Crooks was e-mailing his community college professors—and not the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, as Judicial Watch had claimed.

To the FBI’s point, the record in question does not reference the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

The record says: “[Redacted] advised she [redacted] Thomas Crooks (CROOKS) in the [redacted] was an [redacted] therefore [redacted] with CROOKS. [Redacted] advised she did not recognize CROOKS when everything was on the news over the weekend but on Sunday night, a New York Times reporter emailed her asking questions.

“[Redacted] advised she checked her emails and records and only had two email communications from CROOKS and both emails were in regard to [redacted],” the record adds. “[Redacted] advised she did not have any personal interaction with CROOKS [redacted].”

After issuing a denial, the FBI apparently provided a less-redacted version of the memo Judicial Watch obtained via FOIA litigation. The un-redacted sections show that Crooks was indeed emailing a teacher.

Headline USA has a pending records request with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office to see if it indeed has any emails from Crooks.

Meanwhile, the FBI continues to hold nearly 75,000 unreleased records on the would-be assassin, who died while attacking Trump—killing a firefighter and gravely wounding two other rallygoers in the process.

Indeed, in January the FBI admitted to having 45,000 records responsive to Judicial Watch’s lawsuit. A month later, that number grew to 75,000.

In response to the lawsuit, the FBI has started making monthly disclosures. To date, the bureau has released five productions of a few dozen pages apiece—200 pages in total.

The FBI said in an April 20 status report that it has sent “narrowing proposals” to Judicial Watch since the number of records is so large. It’s unclear whether Judicial Watch is receptive to that proposal. The parties are set to file another status report on June 22.

Many of the pages released so far are highly redacted. Some are being withheld altogether, either because they’re sealed by the court or because the FBI is citing FOIA exemptions—including redactions to hide the identities of FBI informants.

The sealed records may be related to the DOJ’s grand jury investigation, which was intended to find out Crooks’s motive and whether he had help. As part of that investigation, the DOJ subpoenaed Crooks’s internet and financial records. No witnesses were called to the grand jury.

In December, a judge issued an order that allowed the DOJ to provide those records to Congress. But it’s not clear whether the same records would be subject to FOIA disclosure.

Members of Congress have claimed that the FBI is stonewalling them, but FBI Director Kashyap Patel insists that the bureau provided them everything.

“Congress is accusing us of not turning over all of this stuff — but all of this stuff doesn’t exist. It is an empty narrative they’re firing into a vacuum,” Patel told Fox News in November. “The very limited information we have not turned over is respective to victims’ rights. There isn’t some trove of documents that we haven’t sent over there.”

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Ex-Rep. Swalwell Faces Probe Into Campaign Payments to Defense Attorney

Luis Cornelio
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Ex-Rep. Swalwell Faces Probe Into Campaign Payments to Defense Attorney

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Legal troubles for Eric Swalwell may be far from over, despite his decision to end his campaign for California governor and resign from Congress amid sexual abuse allegations.

The Fair Political Practices Commission, the state agency overseeing campaign finance enforcement, is examining whether Swalwell’s campaign illegally paid defense attorney Sara Azari roughly $330,000, according to numerous news reports.

The Swalwell campaign described one payment, totaling $40,000, as compensation for “professional services” in campaign filings. However, the services reportedly related to personal legal matters involving allegations from two women who accused Swalwell of sexual abuse, as well as other claims of sexual misconduct.

The allegations ultimately derailed Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign despite being viewed as the race’s early front-runner.

Swalwell withdrew from the governor’s race on April 12 amid mounting pressure from fellow Democrats.

Critics argued party leaders turned on him out of concern that a crowded Democratic field could clear a path for a Republican victory in the 2026 election.

Two days later, on April 14, Swalwell resigned from Congress as the scandal continued to gain momentum.

According to the California Post and The Sacramento Bee, investigators within the FPPC are now focusing on a series of recurring payments made to Azari.

The agency is California’s equivalent of the Federal Election Commission and has authority to impose fines and make criminal referrals.

Kendall Bonebrake, a chief in the Fair Political Practices Commission’s enforcement division, initially demanded information about a $40,000 payment made by Swalwell’s campaign to Azari.

The campaign disclosed the payment in an April 23 filing. Bonebrake said her letter stemmed from a complaint received by the agency.

A separate campaign filing dated May 21 showed that Swalwell’s campaign paid Azari an additional $273,351, this time for purported “campaign legal compliance.”

Seven days later, on May 28, Fair Political Practices Commission Deputy Director Christopher Burton informed Swalwell that the agency had launched a formal investigation into potential violations of California campaign finance law.

“We have not made any determination about the possible violations,” Burton wrote, as quoted by the Post and the Bee.

Headline USA has reached out to Bonebrake for comment on the scope of the investigation.

Swalwell’s departure from the race cleared the way for Xavier Becerra, a former Biden-era HHS secretary and California attorney general, to emerge as the leading Democratic contender.

California’s open primary was held on June 2.

More than 80 Anti-ICE Agitators Arrested in Newark

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More than 80 Anti-ICE Agitators Arrested in Newark

(Headline USA) More than 80 anti-ICE demonstrators have been arrested following a series of protests at Delaney Hall in Newark, where demonstrators say they are showing up in solidarity with detainees.

The protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, have used traffic cones, trash cans and other items as makeshift shields, and they tried to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images online of bloody wounds and bruises sustained by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Videos on social media show officers in riot gear deploying tear gas and using batons to beat back the demonstrators. Some videos have shown police on horseback marching into the crowds.

On Friday night, ICE officers arrested four on charges of assaulting law enforcement officers, obstruction and threats, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X. Newark police, meanwhile, said they a Seattle man was charged with criminal mischief for smashing car windows.

“No one has the right to come into our city, destroy personal property, or incite violence,” Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda posted on social media. “Think twice before coming to Newark with any other agenda than to protest peacefully.”

One law enforcement official was charged with stealing $10,000 worth of camera equipment from an Associated Press photojournalist who had been injured while covering the standoff. The journalist, Angelina Katsanis, was struck in the knee by a wood beam during a clash between police and demonstrators. She sought medical attention and used a geo-tracking device to trace her missing gear to his home, the state’s attorney general said Thursday.

Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill was initially reluctant to intervene in the growing protests. But as the violence intensified, she declared the situation had “grown unsafe” and “unacceptable” and called in the state police to restore order.

State troopers set up designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints as ICE officers who had been stationed in front of the detention center agreed to stand down.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, meanwhile, imposed a 9 p.m. curfew and sent in city police to enforce it.

But just a week later, the Democrat said the city would scale back its police presence, saying arrests had dropped and he was reluctant to continue spending tax dollars to guard a privately owned facility.

The state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit this week against Geo Group, alleging that the facility denied state health inspectors “full access” to investigate allegations.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Donald Trump, Knicks Fan, Heads to New York to Root on His Team

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Donald Trump, Knicks Fan, Heads to New York to Root on His Team

(Headline USA) There was a time when Donald Trump was just another celebrity sitting courtside at New York Knicks games. He was famous, but not yet flanked by Secret Service agents or defined by the politics that have left him deeply unpopular in his hometown.

Now, more than a decade after attending his last Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, Trump is making a rare trip back to New York City as president to cheer for them in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Invited by Knicks owner James Dolan, he will be the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.

The Knicks are seeking their first championship since 1973, when Trump was 26 and a relative newcomer to the family real estate business that vaulted him to wealth and fame. Two years after that triumph, the team’s owners at the time hired him as a consultant as they looked to sell the arena.

Trump has been to more major sporting events than any of his predecessors, including the Super Bowl and Daytona 500, golf’s Ryder Cup in the New York City suburbs, where he was cheered, and last year’s U.S. Open men’s tennis championship in Queens, where he was booed and blamed for long security lines.

On June 14, when he turns 80 while wrestling with myriad crises including the war with Iran, economic unease and court rulings blunting his agenda, he will host a UFC fight on White House grounds. Trump also has expressed interest in attending soccer’s World Cup, which kicks off this week across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

A courtside regular in the 1990s

Trump and the Knicks came into existence the same year, 1946.

His affiliation with the team — at least in the public record — dates to 1975 when he acted as a real estate adviser to the then-owners of the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, who were looking to sell the building known in a bit of Trump-style branding as “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

Trump claimed to reporters at the time that two groups of “Arab oil interests” were interested in paying $50 million to $75 million. But the arena’s leadership passed on the idea, saying it was “not conceivable” to make such a deal during the Middle East oil crisis raging at the time.

Trump was not much of a known entity when the Knicks won their only championships in 1970 and 1973.

By the time they rebounded in the 1990s, Trump was front and center, taking his then-wife Marla Maples to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in 1994 and his current wife, first lady Melania Trump, to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999. In between, he added to his Knicks fan bona fides with a cameo in the Knicks-themed Whoopi Goldberg film “Eddie” in 1996.

Back then, Trump was a more of a mythic figure than a consequential one, known as much for the women he dated and married as the buildings he built.

But just as those Knicks came up short in the NBA Finals against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets and David Robinson and the Spurs, Trump was running into problems of his own. His business empire was in disarray after his casinos fell into financial trouble and his airline, Trump Shuttle, went out of business.

Like the Knicks, Trump went into rebuilding mode and charted a new course: reality TV with NBC’s “The Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice,” and then, politics. On a Knicks TV broadcast in 2010, he hinted at a possible presidential run.

That same year, as the Knicks struggled to recapture the magic of the 1990s, Trump recorded a video trying to persuade LeBron James to join the team.

“The real winners of the world want to be here,” Trump told him.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Platner Struggles to Explain Ex-Girlfriend’s Texts

Luis Cornelio
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Platner Struggles to Explain Ex-Girlfriend’s Texts

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New details have emerged suggesting that Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner may not have been truthful about when he learned that a tattoo on his chest was linked to Nazism.

Platner is now struggling to explain why a former girlfriend appeared to recognize the tattoo’s meaning before he claims to have learned its significance himself.

The controversy resurfaced Thursday after Platner addressed the issue during an interview on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, the same day The New York Times published a report detailing allegations from three of Platner’s ex-girlfriends.

One of those women is Lindsey Fifield.

She told the Times that Platner is lying when he claims he did not know his tattoo was a Nazi symbol.

He called it “my Totenkopf,” she recalled.

“I would never have known what that was. He would joke about it being a Nazi tattoo,” she added.

She showed the outlet text messages in which she told friends in August 2025 that Platner had a Nazi tattoo. Platner, however, has claimed he did not realize the tattoo was linked to Nazism until October 2025, when reporters pressed him about it.

Asked about the discrepancy and Fifield’s text messages, Platner said, “Well, she certainly didn’t send that text to me.”

He added, “So, whoever she sent it to and was talking to, that’s — I can’t say why, but I will say that I certainly didn’t know. And the text messages she’s sending to friends who may have recognized it, they didn’t tell me that, so.”

The tattoo controversy is one of several allegations raised by at least three women who dated Platner before he emerged as the presumed Democratic nominee for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat.

The women described Platner’s behavior as toxic and aggressive.

At one point, Fifield alleged that Platner left marks on her shoulders after blocking her from leaving a room during their relationship.

Platner and his allies have attacked Fifield for coming forward, accusing her of being politically motivated because of her previous work at the Heritage Foundation. Notably, the attacks against Fifield are at odds with Democrats’ “believe women” mantra.

Platner became the party’s presumptive nominee after Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign in April. The general election is set for November.

In addition to the toxic behavior allegations and the tattoo controversy, Platner has faced criticism for crude remarks about public masturbation and prostitution, comments downplaying sexual assault and statements suggesting that an American soldier who narrowly escaped death in Afghanistan did not deserve to survive.

Jennifer Lopez’s Remark About New Yorkers Triggers Leftists

Luis Cornelio
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Jennifer Lopez’s Remark About New Yorkers Triggers Leftists

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Jennifer Lopez, the infamous anti-Trump singer, sparked backlash from both the right and the left after saying in an interview that being a “real New Yorker” requires being born in the city.

The comments were made during an appearance on Subway Takes, a comedy talk show in which host Kareem Rahma interviews people on the New York City subway.

In the interview, Lopez said her “take” was that birthplace determines identity as a New Yorker.

“Yes! Yes! I know everybody wants to claim the city. Everybody wants to claim our city, but you have to be born in New York. You have to be born in one of the five boroughs to be a New Yorker,” Lopez said.

The remarks quickly spread online, drawing criticism from both the right and the left.

On the right, commentators said Lopez’s comments raised broader questions about national citizenship.

“Do you think she realizes the broader implications of what she’s saying? Or nah?” wrote RedState writer Bonchie.

“If you say this about America at large they’ll kill you,” one user wrote.

The account End Wokeness also highlighted the discussion by pointing to New York City’s current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who was born in Kampala, Uganda.

From the left, critics argued the comments were explicitly exclusionary as nearly half of the city’s population is made up of immigrants.

One of the commentators echoing that sentiment was Jess Coleman, general counsel in the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office.

“I know this is a comedy show and all, but continuing to parrot this take in a city that’s 40% immigrants, at a time when immigrants are directly under attack, is just so boring and tone deaf,” wrote Coleman.

Aaron Carr, founder of Housing Rights Initiative, chimed in, writing: “Saying this about a city where ~40% of the population is made up of immigrants continues to be the holy grail of idiotic takes.”

Comedian Gianmarco Soresi added: “We can’t keep thinking like this if we want Zohran to become president.”

Headline USA’s attempts to reach Lopez through her agent at Creative Artists Agency were unsuccessful, as were calls to her production company.

White House Disputes Reports of Aggressive Israeli Spying on US Officials

Luis Cornelio
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White House Disputes Reports of Aggressive Israeli Spying on US Officials

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The White House pushed back Friday on reporting from several outlets claiming that Israel’s aggressive spying on U.S. officials has raised concerns within the Trump administration’s intelligence community.

Israel has long been accused of conducting intelligence operations targeting the U.S. However, recent reporting suggested that those activities have intensified, particularly as President Donald Trump conducts peace negotiations with Iran.

NBC News and The New York Times were the first entities to report on the concerns, citing two unnamed current U.S. officials and one unnamed former U.S. official.

Among the individuals reportedly targeted were Trump peace envoy Steve Witkoff, Pentagon policy official Elbridge A. Colby, and one of his deputies, Michael P. DiMino IV.

The report was drafted after U.S. defense personnel stationed in Israel allegedly found surveillance software that had been “surreptitiously” installed on their phones, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, NBC News reported that the DIA assessment described Israel’s intelligence operation as occurring at a “critical” level, both in terms of human intelligence collection and technical surveillance operations.

The DIA similarly posted an internal message that raised the counterintelligence threat by Israel as “critical,” according to NBC News.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., rejected the characterization through a spokesperson, calling it “completely false.” The embassy denied that Israel conducts intelligence operations against U.S. officials or institutions.

“Israel intelligence collection efforts are aimed at its enemies, not its allies. Any claims to the contrary are either misinformed or politically motivated,” the spokesperson added.

The White House also rejected NBC News’ framing of the assessment, saying: “This entire story is false and sourced to someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of what’s going on.”

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