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Articles by Eric Tucker
Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years behind bars
Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent call to free Stephen Hubbard and that, unlike previous releases, the U.S. did not have to give up anyone in return.
Grand jury subpoenas being sent in investigation targeting Trump-Russia probe
WASHINGTON— The Justice Department is demanding testimony before a Florida grand jury in an investigation aiming to establish an intelligence community conspiracy against President Donald Trump, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer COVID questions
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up a referral to the Justice Department for potential investigation over whether the country’s longtime top infectious disease official properly exercised his constitutional rights.
Government withdraws subpoenas of three New York Times reporters after admitting legal errors
NEW YORK — Criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the government on Thursday grudgingly withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The withdrawals in U.S. District Court followed a remarkable back and forth between a visibly irritated Judge Arun Subramanian and government lawyers.
Trump doubles down on U.S. election attacks in primetime speech
The president revisited debunked theories about his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden in a primetime speech Thursday.
Eight indicted in planned attack on White House UFC cage-fighting show
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Eight men were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges Thursday for their alleged roles in a thwarted drone and sniper attack on the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House in June. The indictment, returned in Ohio, charges all eight in two separate conspiracies, one to provide material support to terrorists and a second to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official.
Eight indicted in planned attack on White House UFC cage-fighting show
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Eight men were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges Thursday for their alleged roles in a thwarted drone and sniper attack on the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House in June. The indictment, returned in Ohio, charges all eight in two separate conspiracies, one to provide material support to terrorists and a second to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official.
The FBI is directing hundreds of analysts to its probe of Georgia's 2020 presidential election
ATLANTA — The FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia's Fulton County. A memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press calls for the FBI to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a “priority investigation.” It said each of them is to conduct a check of an estimated 708 records by July 17.
Trump administration scrapping $1.8B fund to compensate allies
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is scrapping plans for a $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated allies of the Republican president, the Justice Department's top official said Tuesday in retreating from a program that faced a fierce political backlash that had threatened to stall key elements of the White House agenda.
DOJ opens investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of assault, source says
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store 30 years ago, lied during the course of civil litigation against him, according to a person familiar with the matter. A lawyer for Carroll declined to comment through a spokesperson on Thursday.
Blanche doesn't rule out payments for violent Jan. 6 rioters as he defends $1.8B fund
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday wouldn't rule out the possibility that people who carried out violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol will be considered for payouts from a new $1.776 billion fund to pay individuals who believe they were targeted politically. “What I will commit to is making sure that the commissioners are effectively doing their jobs, and that includes setting guidelines as you’re describing,” Blanche told Sen.
Pam Bondi, Trump loyalist who oversaw DOJ upheaval, is out as his attorney general
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.
U.S. faces elevated terrorism threats against backdrop of Iran war and cuts at FBI, Justice Department
WASHINGTON — In New York City, two men who federal authorities say were inspired by the Islamic State brought powerful homemade bombs to a far-right protest outside the mayoral mansion. In Michigan, a naturalized citizen from Lebanon rammed his vehicle into a synagogue, where he was shot at by security before he shot himself to death.
Speaker Johnson says he disapproves of DOJ logging lawmaker searches of Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that he did not think it was appropriate for the Justice Department to be tracking the search histories of lawmakers who are reviewing files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Families of 2 men killed in boat strike sue Trump administration over attack they call 'unlawful'
WASHINGTON — Families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in a Trump administration boat strike last October sued the federal government on Tuesday, calling the attack a war crime and part of an “unprecedented and manifestly unlawful U.S. military campaign." The complaint echoes many of the frequently articulated concerns about the boat strikes, noting for instance that they have been carried out without congressional authorization and at a time when there is no military conflict between the...
FBI searches Washington Post reporter's home in classified documents investigation
WASHINGTON — FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s home on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of taking home classified information, the Justice Department said. Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump’s transformation of the federal government, had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Virginia home, the Post reported.
U.S. captures Venezuela's leader, plans to prosecute them and 'run the country'
CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country in a stunning military operation early Saturday that plucked a sitting leader from office — the culmination of months of escalating Trump administration pressure on the oil-rich South American nation. Maduro and his wife, taken overnight from their home on a military base, were aboard a U.S. warship on their way to New York, where they were to face criminal charges.
U.S. plans to 'run' Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro
CARACAS, Venezuela — Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country Saturday, President Donald Trump said the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.
Man suspected in shooting at Brown University found dead in New Hampshire
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Updated 10:14 PM EST, December 18, 2025 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, officials said. Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said at a news conference.
Man suspected in shooting at Brown University found dead in New Hampshire
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, a law enforcement official and a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The man was found dead Thursday evening. He is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the person familiar with the matter said.
Police are investigating link between Brown shooting, killing of MIT professor
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Authorities said Thursday that they're looking into a connection between last weekend's mass shooting at Brown University and an attack two days later near Boston that killed a professor at another elite school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That is according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Epstein email says Trump 'knew about the girls', White House calls its release a Democratic smear
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.
Democrats release Epstein email that says Trump 'knew about the girls'
WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Epstein wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls," according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear. The White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.
Ex-Trump national security adviser Bolton charged with storing and sharing classified information
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton was charged Thursday with storing top secret records at home and sharing with relatives diary-like notes about his time in government that contained classified information.
Former Trump adviser John Bolton charged with storing, sharing classified info
GREENBELT, Md. — John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser during his first term and later became a vocal critic, was charged Thursday with storing top secret records at home and sharing with relatives diary-like notes about his time in government that officials said contained classified information.
Ex-FBI Director Comey indicted after Trump pushes for prosecution of longtime foe
WASHINGTON - James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump's chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution.
Rifle recovered in search for Charlie Kirk's killer as FBI releases photos of a person of interest
OREM, Utah - The sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk is believed to have jumped off a roof and fled into a neighborhood after firing one shot and has not been identified, authorities said Thursday in disclosing they have recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack and are reviewing video footage of the person they believe was responsible.
3 fired FBI officials sue Patel, saying he bowed to 'campaign of retribution'
WASHINGTON - Three high-ranking FBI officials were fired last month in a "campaign of retribution" carried out by a director who knew better but caved to political pressure from the Trump administration so he could keep his own position, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that seeks reinstatement of the agents.
DOJ escalates scrutiny of Trump foes with probes of Letitia James, Adam Schiff
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is escalating efforts to scrutinize perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump with investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff. The Justice Department has subpoenaed James for records related to a lawsuit the Democrat filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings, according to a person familiar with the matter.
DOJ official meets with Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend
By ERIC TUCKER, KATE PAYNE and COREY WILLIAMS, The Associated Press The meeting in Florida, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he was working to arrange, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent after fierce backlash from parts of President Donald Trump's base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S., charged with transporting people in the country illegally
By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, LINDSAY WHITEHURST and BEN FINLEY, The Associated Press His abrupt release from El Salvador closes one chapter and opens another in a saga that yielded a remarkable, monthslong standoff between Trump officials and the courts over a deportation that officials initially acknowledged was done in error but then continued to stand behind in apparent defiance of orders by judges to facilitate his return to the U.S.
Four additional victims identified in Boulder attack, bringing number of injured to 12
By COLLEEN SLEVIN and ERIC TUCKER, The Associated Press BOULDER, Colo. - Four additional victims have been identified in the Boulder attack in which a man is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group that had gathered to bring attention to Israeli hostages in Gaza, authorities said Monday, bringing the number of injured to 12.
Four more victims identified in Boulder attack, bringing number of injured to 12
BOULDER, Colo. - Four additional victims have been identified in the Boulder attack in which a man is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a group that had gathered to bring attention to Israeli hostages in Gaza, authorities said Monday, bringing the number of injured to 12. The man planned the attack for more than a year and specifically targeted what he described as a "Zionist group," authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime.
Man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers charged with murder
WASHINGTON - The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington as they left an event at a Jewish museum told police after his arrest, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," federal authorities said Thursday in announcing criminal charges.
Trump administration sues Maine over participation of transgender athletes in girls sports
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Wednesday sued Maine for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes in girls and women's sports, escalating a dispute over whether the state is abiding by a federal law that bars discrimination in education based on sex. The lawsuit follows weeks of feuding between the Republican administration and Democratic Gov.
Taliban release American who was abducted in Afghanistan more than two years ago
WASHINGTON - An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday. George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January.
Taliban frees an American man who was abducted in Afghanistan more than 2 years ago
WASHINGTON - An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday. George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January.
Justice Department official accuses FBI chief of 'insubordination'
WASHINGTON - A top Justice Department official accused the FBI's acting leaders of "insubordination" in a Wednesday memo in which he sought to soothe anxiety inside the bureau over the potential for a broad purge of agents involved in investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The memo from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said agents "who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner" while investigating the Capitol attack face no risk of being fired.
Trump's FBI chief pick, Kash Patel, insists he has no 'enemies list'
WASHINGTON - Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, insisted to deeply skeptical Democrats on Thursday that he did not have an "enemies list" and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president's adversaries or launch investigations for political purposes.
Passenger jet with 64 aboard collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Airport near DC
ARLINGTON, Va. - An American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There were multiple fatalities, according to a person familiar with the matter, but the precise number of victims was unclear as rescue crews hunted for any survivors. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said.
Passenger jet collides with helicopter while landing at Reagan airport in Washington
ARLINGTON, Va. - A passenger jet collided Wednesday with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Pardons by Trump, Biden reveal distrust of each other
By ERIC TUCKER, The Associated Press The clemency Monday by departing President Joe Biden and new President Donald Trump - one benefiting relatives and public servants not accused of criminal wrongdoing, the other aiding rioters convicted of violent felonies - are vastly different in scope, impact and their meaning for the rule of law.
Justice Department says it plans to release only part of special counsel's Trump report for now
The revelation was made in a filing to a federal appeals court that was considering a defense request to block the release of the two-volume report while charges remain pending against two Trump co-defendants in the Florida case accusing the Republican former president and current president-elect of illegally holding classified documents. Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge presiding over the classified documents case, granted the request Tuesday, issuing a temporary block on the report.
Judge temporarily blocks release of special counsel report on Trump cases as court fight simmers
WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the public release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on investigations into Donald Trump as an appeals court weighs a challenge to the disclosure of a much-anticipated document just days before the president-elect reclaims office.
FBI says driver in New Orleans rampage acted alone, was '100%' inspired by Islamic State group
NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers acted alone, the FBI said Thursday, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in the deadly attack that officials said was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Ninth telecoms firm hit by massive Chinese espionage campaign, White House says
By ERIC TUCKER, The Associated Press WASHINGTON - A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday.
Special counsel moves to dismiss criminal charges against Trump
WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors moved Monday to dismiss the criminal charges against President-elect Donald Trump that accused him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election and to abandon the classified documents case against him, citing longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution.
Anxiety, dismay inside the Justice Department after Trump taps Gaetz
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER WASHINGTON - Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general has many Justice Department employees reeling, worried not only about their own jobs but the future of the agency that the Trump loyalist has railed against.
New book puts Trump-Putin ties back in the spotlight
By ERIC TUCKER, The Associated Press WASHINGTON - A new book's assertion that former President Donald Trump may have had as many as seven private phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving the White House has refocused attention on their politically fraught relationship and on Trump's sustained dialogue with world leaders as he seeks a return to power.
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