Jack Smith Seized Sensitive Payroll Data of Conservative Nonprofit, Bombshell Files Reveal

Luis Cornelio
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Jack Smith Seized Sensitive Payroll Data of Conservative Nonprofit, Bombshell Files Reveal

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New documents show that Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained sensitive payroll data from one of the most prominent conservative organizations in the country, the Conservative Partnership Institute.

CPI became the subject of Smith’s aggressive crackdown of President Donald Trump seemingly in part because of its proximity to Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff and Cleta Mitchell, a legal scholar and election law expert.

The new files, obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee and released by journalist Catherine Herridge, indicate that Smith had access to CPI’s payroll information through its ADP system.

A Headline USA review of the redacted files found that the information included employees’ names, Social Security numbers, tax withholdings and health care benefits.

It remains unclear why Smith’s team obtained the files or how the information was used, but their contents raise serious questions about the broad scope of the investigation and whether such files were even necessary for the probe.

A separate file also seemed to show that Smith seized a summary of CPI’s bank account activity with Capital One from March 26 to March 31, 2021.

The file included CPI’s bank account number, the number of deposits and withdrawals for the six days, the remaining balance and the account’s maintenance fees. The specific amounts and other sensitive information were redacted from the documents released to the public.

The extraordinary records add to a growing list of evidence exposing that Smith’s investigation swept up sensitive information extending beyond Trump.

The Senate Judiciary Committee revealed in 2025 that at least 430 Republican and conservative individuals and entities were targeted by subpoenas issued by Smith’s team as part of what lawmakers have decried as a “fishing expedition.” Even lawmakers had their phone records secretly subpoenaed as part of the investigation.

Most recently, the Republican-led committee revealed that Smith also got his hands on communications involving White House officials and journalists, including some of the most prominent voices on the political right.

Headline USA has reached out to CPI for comment.

For his part, Smith has denied any wrongdoing. In several congressional hearings, Smith claimed that his probe followed standard investigative procedures and adhered to DOJ protocols, though the growing list of damning evidence suggests otherwise.

His investigation and subsequent prosecution of Trump are now under probe by the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers across multiple congressional committees.

Trump Puts Russia Sanctions on Ice

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Puts Russia Sanctions on Ice

(Headline USA) President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that puts on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest.

Trump personally signed the legislation just last month and his move came just two days before a deadline set in the law itself for its implementation. It drew shift condemnation from congressional Democrats.

Named after late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation had sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine.

Trump’s unexpected decision comes a week after he stunningly said the U.S. had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try to bring down global energy prices, despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published Oct. 1 found that Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the Iran war and blame him for higher prices. Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to near-historic lows and pressure is mounting as Republicans try to hold control of both chambers of Congress after midterm elections on Nov. 3.

Graham, a close ally and friend of the president, had just returned from Ukraine when he unexpectedly died in July. He had advocated for stricter U.S. sanctions against Russia as a way of pressuring it to end its war in Ukraine.

His colleagues in Congress responded with bipartisan support after his death and Trump attached his signature to the legislation — then changed his mind Friday.

The package had been meant to starve Russian President Vladimir Putin of the resources Moscow needs to continue its war in Ukraine after invading its neighbor more than four years ago. The bill, also drafted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., had sought to sanction Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving.

It also directed Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.

Blumenthal said in a statement that Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.”

“These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin,” Blumenthal said.

Democratic Virginia Rep. Don Beyer noted on social media shortly after the announcement of the sanctions being suspended that he and others had “warned” Trump might make such a move. The veteran congressman, who spoke out against the bill as it was debated, called on Congress to “fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.”

The White House did not immediately explain how pausing the sanctions was in the national interest. The decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.

Still, it comes as Trump has increasingly lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for failing to make a deal with Putin to end the fighting.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, had remained mostly quiet since the passage of the bill with large majorities in the House and Senate following Graham’s sudden death — with lawmakers urged ahead by Zelenskyy.

Under last week’s agreement, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”

Trump’s striking a diesel deal with Putin has been pilloried by Republicans and Democrats alike who say it will help Russia execute its war against Ukraine — without making a different to global fuel prices, which are elevated mostly due to Trump’s war on Iran.

The sanctions that Trump has now suspended, meanwhile, also had become a campaign centerpiece for Sen. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister who was appointed to serve out the remaining months in his current term. She is now running to replace him in the Senate more permanently.

Darline Graham said in a statement after Trump signed the bill, “I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day.” In a debate earlier this week with Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, Graham — who has Trump’s endorsement and is expected to campaign with him in South Carolina next week — said she had been “so proud” to help get the measure passed.

She acknowledged, however, that it was the president’s purview as to how he implemented it.

“It gives the president tools that he can use if he so chooses, to end the war through economic sanctions,” Graham said Sunday during a debate in Columbia. “So that’s up to him as to whether or not he wants to use it, or whether he wants to use something else, but I think the purpose of it is to bring down the gas prices and ultimately end the war. And when the war ends, gas prices will fall.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

New White House Press Secretary is Out

Headline USA Editor
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New White House Press Secretary is Out

(Morgan Sweeney, The Center Square) Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary, a White House official confirmed to The Center Square Friday.

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he had allowed Zacharia to “reconsider” the role, and the White House confirmed shortly afterward that Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the job.

She spent just five days in the role and held her first White House press briefing Tuesday. Zacharia took questions from only three reporters, one of whom was chosen by the White House for its new media seat, and wrapped up the briefing in roughly 15 minutes. 

Zacharia came to the White House from Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, where she worked as a senior communications adviser, according to her LinkedIn profile. Although she graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, her legal credentials came under scrutiny amid reports that she was never admitted to practice law in the United States. Zacharia acknowledged Thursday on Fox News’ “Hannity” that she failed the California bar exam but has maintained that she worked in international transactional law in China.

Zacharia replaced former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt after Leavitt resigned, citing a desire to spend more time with her family.

New Jersey State Prosecutor Charged in AI Porn Case

Jose Nino
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New Jersey State Prosecutor Charged in AI Porn Case

(José Niño, Headline USA) A New Jersey deputy attorney general has been charged in Pennsylvania after investigators alleged he used artificial intelligence to create and distribute child sexual abuse material online. A CBS Philadelphia report identified the defendant as Brian Richard Fitzgerald, 51, a Lower Makefield Township resident.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said Fitzgerald faces felony counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, disseminating images or film of child sexual abuse material, and criminal use of a communication facility. Authorities have alleged misconduct, not secured a conviction, and Fitzgerald remains entitled to due process. 

CBS Philadelphia reported that the inquiry began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a July 10, 2026, CyberTip regarding an illicit image posted by a Discord user. Investigators used digital forensic work and account records to connect the Discord account and related internet address to Fitzgerald’s Edgewood Road home, according to prosecutors.

Police carried out a search warrant at the residence on Thursday. The district attorney’s office said investigators recovered prompts and scripts that they believe were used with an artificial intelligence program to generate child sexual abuse material. 

Authorities also cited Discord chat records associated with the username thegentlemanpervert_2160_07833. According to CBS News, investigators said those records showed Fitzgerald admitting to creating multiple illegal images with artificial intelligence and sharing them with other users. 

“No one is above the law, least of all someone entrusted with upholding it,” Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said. “Our office will pursue these cases aggressively and hold offenders fully accountable, regardless of their profession or title.”

Fitzgerald was arraigned Thursday and transported to the Bucks County Correctional Facility after a judge set bail at $2 million, CBS News reported. A preliminary hearing is scheduled later in October.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino  

New York Troops Deployed to Texas Border

Headline USA Editor
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New York Troops Deployed to Texas Border

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) Trump administration’s border security efforts are ongoing, including sending more National Guard troops to the southwest border.

The most recent to be sent to Texas are from New York.

Last week, 120 New York Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 204th Engineer Battalion were sent to Texas to participate in a federal mission, Operation Ardent Vanguard. Mobilization ceremonies were held at the armory in Binghamton, New York, including families of the Forward Support Company participating in an official send-off on Oct. 11.

The ceremonies marked the beginning of a yearlong mobilization to Texas in support of U.S. Border Patrol.

U.S. Army soldiers in both companies have spent 12 months preparing for the deployment.

The Headquarters and Headquarters Company will provide mission command for an Army task force operating in the region, led by Army Lt. Col. Kevin O’Reilly, battalion commander.

Speaking to the soldiers and their families, O’Reilly said the Binghamton-based National Guard units have a history of service dating to the Civil War.

He connected this legacy of service to their mission in Texas to support national security efforts along the border.

“This is a long mission; stressors will come up on mission and at home,” he said. “Look to your left and right. We are a team, and we are going to help each other.”

He also urged them to support each other as a team. “Don’t internalize and think you are alone,” he said. “I charge you to look out for each other. No matter what we face, we will overcome.”

They were deployed to the Texas-Mexico border after roughly 400 National Guard troops were deployed to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas after U.S. Coast Guard crew were fired on by cartel operatives earlier this month, The Center Square reported.

More than 20,000 troops have been deployed to the southwest border after President Donald Trump declared an invasion at the southwest border on his first day in office. He also implemented a series of directives, including directing the U.S. military to secure U.S. borders. This included directing U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to oversee border security and strategic planning to implement territorial integrity and deploying federal personnel, including the National Guard, to take operational control of the southern border, The Center Square reported.

Trump declared an invasion after 55 Texas counties were the first and only ones to declare an invasion in the U.S., changing the national conversation, The Center Square exclusively reported. A majority of voters polled believe the U.S. was being invaded under the Biden administration.

At the height of the border crisis, 24 governors sent National Guard troops and other resources to Texas to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, The Center Square reported. “While the federal government has abdicated its duties, Republican governors stand ready to protect the U.S.-Mexico border and keep families safe,” they said in a joint statement at the time. “Texas Governor Greg Abbott has exemplified leadership at a critical time, leading the way with Operation Lone Star, and deploying the Texas Tactical Border Force to prevent illegal crossings and keep the border secure.”

At the same time, the Biden administration sued Texas to thwart border security efforts, losing nearly all cases, The Center Square reported.

Through the Trump administration’s Operation Ardent Vanguard, NORTHCOM is supporting border security efforts being implemented by the U.S.  Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This includes “border defense, detection, monitoring and infrastructure support,” the DOW said. The Forward Support Company is providing logistics support, including maintenance, fuel transportation, supplies and materials to the 204th Engineer Battalion.

States Sue OpenAI Over Child Safety

Headline USA Editor
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States Sue OpenAI Over Child Safety

(Headline USA)  At least eight states are suing artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, saying the company’s popular chatbot model violated state consumer protection laws by hurting children and deceiving adults in what prosecutors described as a reckless pursuit of profit.

The company’s chatbot model, ChatGPT, is giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging paranoia and coaching people to kill themselves or hurt or kill others, the lawsuits said.

At the same time, the lawsuits contend that chatbots are pretending to be agreeable and compassionate while preying on the vulnerable and on teenagers, the first generation to grow up with artificial intelligence.

“OpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a statement.

The states also accused OpenAI of giving life to rogue AI models — or “cyberhacking agents” as one lawsuit called them — that hacked into other companies, lied to human users and wrote themselves new mission instructions.

In a statement, San Francisco-based OpenAI said it has built safety protections into ChatGPT for children, and that it would continue to do so to improve the model. It also said it is reviewing what it calls “misaligned models” and that it had found nothing close to the rogue incident discovered in July when an AI agent hacked into another AI company.

The wave of lawsuits is the latest filed by states under their consumer protection laws, accusing tech giants that offer AI chatbots and social media platforms of harming children. The states that filed separate lawsuits Wednesday in state courts are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia.

Matthew Bergman, the founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, called the lawsuits “the most significant coordinated state action ever taken against an artificial intelligence company.”

In its lawsuit, Arizona said ChatGPT encourages teens to share personal information with it and, at times, discourages them from sharing that information with parents, authorities or friends.

The states say that the risks and harms — to teenagers and to the broader public from rogue agents — were foreseeable, but that OpenAI has misled people into thinking that ChatGPT undergoes adequate safety testing while the company undermines safety in the pursuit of profit.

“Those revenues have come at great cost to the public, which has suffered irreparable harm — including lost loved ones, disturbing cyberattacks, and now a plausible threat of civilizational collapse — due to (OpenAI’s) reckless behavior and ChatGPT’s uniquely dangerous features and content,” Idaho wrote in its lawsuit.

ChatGPT is the most popular chatbot in the world, commanding nearly half the American marketplace, states said in their lawsuits.

It’s possible all of the allegations in the states’ lengthy lawsuits date to incidents and findings before August, when OpenAI introduced a version of ChatGPT designed for teenagers, with stronger protections around subjects like suicide and sexual chats.

Still, the states said it is far from clear that the current version is any less dangerous.

A watchdog group, Common Sense Media, said last week that some of OpenAI’s protections in its ChatGPT for Teens product don’t work as intended and it urged OpenAI to restrict the chatbot to adults until it can offer a safe product for teens.

Coordinated, multistate lawsuits against the tech industry have borne fruit.

In August, Meta agreed to add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms in an $18 billion landmark legal settlement that ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state.

Although the safety measures that Meta agreed to adopt did not apply industrywide, the company quickly urged its competitors to adopt similar measures.

OpenAI is making a similar appeal.

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company is committed to working with states on “advancing pragmatic AI policies that apply to the entire AI industry — not just one company.”

OpenAI also said it works with external experts who review its policies and ChatGPT’s behavior.

ChatGPT is intended for users age 13 and older, and users under 18 need permission from a parent or guardian to use it, OpenAI said. The chatbot model for teens is designed to reduce exposure to self-harm, violence, eating disorders and explicit sexual or graphic content, it said.

Nearly nine in 10 teens who use ChatGPT use it for learning, information, skill-building or productivity, the company said. On average, teens spend under 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT, it said.

But Laura Zimmermann, Common Sense Media’s director of youth AI research, questioned the value of OpenAI’s statistics.

For one thing, ChatGPT can do a student’s homework in seconds, so even 15 minutes can have a big impact on a teenager’s development, Zimmermann said. She also questioned whether OpenAI knows which users are teenagers or children, given that her organization’s testing found that ChatGPT couldn’t or didn’t detect which user is a child.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Georgia Amusement Park Reopens After Fatal Ride

Headline USA Editor
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Georgia Amusement Park Reopens After Fatal Ride

(Headline USA) Six Flags Over Georgia is set to open its gates Friday evening for the first time since a man fell to his death from one of the amusement park’s towering roller coasters.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old school employee from Atlanta, was thrown from the Goliath coaster on Monday, and authorities are investigating what happened. The park was already scheduled to be closed Tuesday through Thursday and is reopening as scheduled Friday evening, though Goliath is not expected to be running.

Witnesses described seeing Kariem ejected from the coaster, and some people who rode the Goliath before him that day said they had concerns about its restraints.

Officials in Cobb County, where Six Flags is located, held a news conference Friday for the first time since Kariem’s death. Police wouldn’t discuss the investigation, saying they will wait for state investigators to determine what went wrong before deciding whether criminal charges are warranted.

Asked what she might say to assure patrons that Six Flags is safe, Lisa Cupid, chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said people should “use their judgment.”

“We certainly want people to enjoy the time that they’re here in a safe way,” Cupid said. 

“But to do so also requires discretion.”

The Georgia coaster passed its latest annual state inspection in March with no safety violations found, according to an Associated Press review of documents obtained from the Georgia agency that inspects amusement park rides.

Inspections from 2016 to 2021 found a total of 18 safety violations related to the ride that included corrosion on welds, loose handrails in the waiting area and maintenance needed on grout and padding around the ride’s support structure. Inspectors said Six 

Flags corrected each violation within days. None of the problems appeared to involve the ride’s restraints.

At least 11 roller coasters in the United States and Canada — including the ride on which Kariem died — have been temporarily closed. They were all manufactured by the same company and equipped with similar restraints.

Online photos and videos of the coasters show each equipped with clamshell restraints, which are mounted in front of each seat on a vertical bar that sit between the rider’s knees. The bar locks the padded restraint into place over the rider’s lap and upper legs.

It’s unclear from the images whether any of those coasters also have seat belts or other secondary restraints. Goliath in Georgia has no such backup restraints.

Goliath’s manufacturer, the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, was granted a U.S. patent for its clamshell restraint system in September 2001.

In the patent document, the company states that most roller coasters bind riders in “very tight retention devices” that “detract from their comfort.” It says the company’s clamshell restraints give each rider a sensation “that he is seated on a flying carpet or that he is at the controls of a kind of flying scooter, while still guaranteeing optimum security.”

Bollinger & Mabillard has said by email that it won’t comment on the Georgia death until it has a “better understanding of what transpired.”

Kariem was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride. Goliath, one of Six Flags Over Georgia’s headline attractions, towers above the park’s entrance. It opened in 2006 and features a series of hills and turns. It doesn’t take riders upside down, but its first hill rises to 200 feet (61 meters) and it has a top speed of 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers).

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

RINO Rep. Maria Salazar Pledges Colombian Support

Jose Nino
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RINO Rep. Maria Salazar Pledges Colombian Support

(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., drew renewed attention after posting, then deleting, a message celebrating support from Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella. A Breitbart report said Salazar removed language pledging to act as a political voice for Colombians in Congress while leaving the president’s endorsement visible.

Salazar wrote, “I receive with immense pride the support of my friend, President Abelardo de la Espriella.” She added, “Representing thousands of Colombians in South Florida has made Colombia a cause I carry with me every day to Congress.” Coverage from The Hill confirmed that the Colombian president described her as Colombia’s “best friend” in the United States Congress.

In the statement reported by Breitbart, Salazar continued, “Abelardo has in me a friend. Colombia, an ally. And Colombians, a steadfast voice in the United States Congress.” The exchange came as Salazar seeks another term in a heavily Hispanic South Florida district.

The episode has also revived debate about Salazar’s DIGNIDAD Act, her immigration measure introduced as H.R. 4393. The bill would create a renewable seven-year protection from removal for illegal aliens who meet work or education requirements, pay restitution, and satisfy other conditions. It also creates potential paths to lawful permanent residence for qualifying applicants, including some with DACA status. 

Salazar has defended the proposal as a border security and immigration reform package. Her office has described it as “the most serious and viable path forward to addressing our immigration crisis,” arguing that it couples enforcement provisions with a permanent framework for long-term illegal aliens. 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino  

Trump Teases Meeting With Kim Jong Un

Jose Nino
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Trump Teases Meeting With Kim Jong Un

(José Niño, Headline USA) President Donald Trump said he may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a November trip to Asia, reviving the possibility of direct diplomacy after years without a summit between the two leaders. The Epoch Times reported that Trump offered no details about a potential date or venue.

“I may. That will be exciting, won’t it? But I get along with him,” Trump told reporters when asked if he expected to see Kim during the visit. The Epoch Times said Trump is scheduled to attend the ASEAN summit in the Philippines on November 16 before traveling to Shenzhen, China, for the APEC summit on November 18 and November 19.

Trump also floated a meeting with Kim in August. At that time, he said North Korea possessed “57 very powerful nuclear weapons” and argued that Pyongyang would not have developed that arsenal under his earlier leadership. Trump held three meetings with Kim in 2018 and 2019, but their diplomacy ended without an agreement because the governments differed over North Korean denuclearization and sanctions relief.

The prospect of renewed talks emerges as military tensions remain high. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Oct. 12, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. At least one missile traveled more than 900 kilometers, or about 559 miles, before falling into the sea.

Pyongyang’s launch followed South Korea’s Oct. 8 test of its first hypersonic glide vehicle. A South Korean military spokesperson said the North’s missile activity appeared to protest Seoul’s successful test and display Pyongyang’s continuing military development, per a report by Yonhap. 

North Korea has also used a new defense museum to showcase its weapons program. State media images showed the Hwasong 20 intercontinental ballistic missile among displays at the facility, alongside other missile systems and drones. According to Korean JoongAng Daily, analysts said a map shown near the launcher appeared to depict strike ranges reaching beyond the United States mainland and into several other regions.

“The exhibition appears intended to highlight the achievements of Kim’s defence science development programme,” Shin Jong woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said. “It gave the impression of propaganda aimed at gaining a strategic advantage ahead of a potential North Korea US summit.” 

Kim has said North Korea will not surrender its nuclear weapons, setting a formidable obstacle for any new round of negotiations. The Epoch Times reported that Kim has also made improved ties contingent on Washington ending what he calls a hostile policy toward Pyongyang. 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Trump Pardons Alaska Truckers Targeted by the Feds

Jose Nino
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Trump Pardons Alaska Truckers Targeted by the Feds

(José Niño, Headline USA) President Donald Trump issued unconditional pardons Tuesday to Alaska diesel mechanics Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming during a campaign rally in Wasilla, according to Just the News. The men had pleaded guilty in 2022 to federal Clean Air Act violations involving changes to vehicle emissions equipment.

Trump invited Czubak and Fleming onto the stage before signing their pardons. The Hill reported that the men had faced charges over work involving diesel truck engines, with prosecutors alleging they had tampered with or removed emissions controls from vehicles.

“They wanted to put them in jail for 10 years because they fixed an engine, how sick,” Trump said.

Trump also criticized the regulations at issue, arguing that certain emissions equipment made vehicles more difficult and expensive to operate. “The concept is that if you allow people to fix the engines, they’re going to take all of the environmental crap that makes it bad, makes it expensive, that they’re going to do undo that. And when you undo that, you therefore send fumes into the air, so we’re going to put them in jail for ten years,” he continued. 

Just the News reported that Trump extended relief beyond an earlier clemency action involving an Alaska diesel mechanic. In July, Trump pardoned Michael Wayne Hanzuk, a Wasilla mechanic convicted for modifying emissions systems on diesel engines used in Alaska’s extreme climate. Senator Dan Sullivan welcomed that earlier pardon and called the prosecution unjust in a press release back in July. 

Federal prosecutors alleged that Czubak, Fleming, and Hanzuk altered or removed pollution control equipment from at least 37 vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020, according to The Hill’s account of reporting by the Anchorage Daily News. Czubak and Fleming each admitted violating the Clean Air Act through illegal equipment tampering. 

Fleming expressed gratitude after Trump signed the paperwork. “This means the world to me,” Fleming said. “We’re not criminals. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We want to help Alaskans. We want to help people with diesel trucks, with vehicles across the world.” 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

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