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'Not true': Chicago Mayor Johnson's ICE order has his own prosecutors up in arms
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) touted big plans to go after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. However, the city's top prosecutor is calling out Johnson's anti-ICE executive order as a "wholly inappropriate" disaster, while alleging the mayor's claims of collaboration are "not true."
In late January, Johnson signed the "ICE on Notice" executive order, which directed the Chicago Police Department to investigate and document any alleged illegal activity by federal agents, then refer that evidence to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for potential prosecution.
'Mayor Johnson's statement is not true.'
Johnson claimed that Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke's office was "in complete support of this executive order."
"Our office worked closely in collaboration with the state's attorney's office to ensure that this executive order will have the ability to do exactly what it is designed to do," the mayor told reporters in January.
O'Neill Burke rebuked Johnson's claims, writing in a post on X, "Mayor Johnson's statement is not true. The CCSAO did not receive the Executive Order until it was released to the public. We do not provide legal approval of any matter until we've reviewed it. On such a critical issue, it's important we get it right."
Yvette Loizon, the CCSAO's attorney for policy and external affairs, issued a two-page staff memo criticizing provisions listed in Johnson's order, according to a Saturday report from CWB Chicago. Loizon reportedly called some aspects of the order "wholly inappropriate" and warned that it "jeopardizes our ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions when federal agents have committed a crime."
Eileen O'Neill Burke. E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The memo also allegedly stated that O'Neill Burke is "deeply concerned" about federal immigration agents "who have been wreaking havoc in communities across the country and in our own neighborhoods."
"The Mayor's recent Executive Order introduces additional hurdles," it reportedly read.
Loizon criticized Johnson's executive order for instructing police to refer matters for prosecution "at the direction of the Mayor's Office," arguing that it tainted a process that was intended to be non-political, CWB Chicago reported. Loizon also reportedly contended that defense attorneys may argue that any charges were politically motivated and illegitimate.
Brandon Johnson. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Johnson's office responded to the criticism, claiming that it had "reviewed the language with the State's Attorney's Chief of Policy and made edits based on their feedback."
"The CCSAO's public statements do indicate complete agreement with the objectives of the executive order," the mayor's office insisted.
The CCSAO did not respond to a request for comment.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi told Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) on Wednesday that the Trump administration is committed to working with Congress to end warrantless surveillance of Americans.
The post Pam Bondi: Trump Admin to Work with Congress to Protect Privacy While Ensuring National Security appeared first on Breitbart.
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Judge blasted for drastically cutting sentence of creep who sodomized, kidnapped woman — even as he cursed out judge in court
A judge in Jefferson County, Kentucky, is receiving criticism after she drastically cut the sentence of a man who was was convicted of kidnapping, robbing, and sodomizing a woman.
Rather than following a jury’s recommendation of a 65-year sentence for 24-year-old Christopher Thompson, Judge Tracy Davis instead sentenced him to 30 years behind bars, WDRB-TV reported.
'I don’t have sympathy for nobody. I don’t have sympathy for you, the victim, the victim’s family, I don’t care. Boo hoo.'
Thompson was convicted in December in connection with a 2023 attack in which prosecutors said he abducted a woman, robbed her, and sodomized her twice, the station said.
WDRB, citing court documents, reported that Thompson kidnapped the victim in her own vehicle and forced her to perform oral sex on him in a school parking lot. The station said Thompson then drove her to an ATM, robbed her, drove back to the school lot, and sodomized her at gunpoint again.
What's more, the station said Thompson during his sentencing hearing earlier this month punctuated the proceedings with repeated disruptions, profanity, and direct insults directed toward Judge Davis.
“Before we even get appearances, Mr. Thompson, I’m going to need you to be respectful,” Davis said, according to WDRB.
“I ain’t doing nothing. Eat my d**k,” Thompson responded, according to the station.
WDRB said the intensity only became more extreme moments later.
“It’s fine. OK? It’s fine,” Davis said, according to the station.
“If I could spit on you, I would,” Thompson replied, according to WDRB.
“At the end of the day, I’m the one with the pen,” Davis added, the station said, after which Thompson replied, "I don’t care."
The hearing continued into the sentencing phase despite Thompson's outbursts, and WDRB said prosecutors urged Davis to impose the jury’s recommended 65-year sentence.
Thompson didn't exactly support his own cause, as the station said he stated, “I don’t have sympathy for nobody. I don’t have sympathy for you, the victim, the victim’s family, I don’t care. Boo hoo."
Davis soon imposed a 30-year sentence, WDRB said, citing Thompson’s age and the possibility of rehabilitation.
But Thompson apparently was unmoved. The station said he interrupted by saying, "I don’t care. I don’t care."
“Unfortunately, he fell through the cracks and ended up in this court as an 18- or 19-year-old,” Davis said, according to WDRB. “This court does not believe Mr. Thompson, if given the resources that he can get while incarcerated, is beyond being rehabilitated.”
The station said the reduced sentence has elicited criticism from Louisville Metro Council members, including Minority Caucus Chair Anthony Piagentini: “Where is the concern for the victim? Do we think she’s going to get over this in 30 years? Where is the concern for the safety of the public when he does get released from jail?”
WDRB said Piagentini also raised concerns about judicial transparency and pointed out Davis’ use of shock probation in dozens of cases since 2023: “My next step, in addition to condemning her decision, is to request for all of her shock probation cases to have the public learn about who she is releasing from the sentences that are given. That’s the minimum I can do for the electorate of this community, so that they can ... understand the decisions that she’s making.”
According to the U.S. Justice Department, "shock probation" provides a short prison time — between 30 to 180 days — for a convicted felon after which the remainder of the sentence is served on probation "in the community." The justice department notes that corrections and probation personnel view shock probation as having a future deterrent effect on criminal behavior, and lawyers view it as a level in plea bargaining.
Louisville’s Chief Prosecutor — Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers — said in a statement that her office is "disappointed" by the reduced sentence, WDRB noted.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers. Image source: Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Jefferson County, Ky.
“Due to the defendant’s actions and inappropriate outbursts in court, the jury recommended a sentence of 65 years in prison. While we recognize that the court has discretion in the final sentence, we are disappointed that the court deviated from the sentence for less than half of what the jury of his peers determined was appropriate for this dangerous defendant," Whethers said, according to the station. "The jury’s recommendation was the most appropriate outcome in this case."
WDRB said Whethers added that "our pursuit of justice is unwavering. As prosecutors, our responsibility is to take to trial and present before the jury cases like these, where dangerous individuals pose a severe threat to the community and, as a result, need to be removed from it for as long as possible."
The station noted that Judge Davis imposed an additional sentence of more than four years for Thompson's statements in court and that he must serve that time before his 30-year sentence commences.
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February is Black History Month, and BlazeTV host John Doyle has been dedicating much of “The John Doyle Show” to, in his words, “debunking … mainstream narratives about black history,” including Rosa Parks' famous bus protest, the slave trade, and potential controversies surrounding Thomas Jefferson’s dealings with slave women.
In the latest episode, he dove into a related subject President Trump was recently criticized by the media and several politicians for addressing: the reality of crime in America.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly made claims that 2% of the population is responsible for 90% of the crime rate, using this statistic as justification for his administration’s immigration enforcement, including policies like expanding ICE actions and National Guard deployments in certain cities.
While some media figures and politicians have accused him of targeting marginalized groups with misleading claims, Doyle says Trump is “absolutely right” to point out the reality of crime in America, even if his numbers aren’t exact.
“There are criminals from every racial background. That is obviously true. … It's just the reality of our fallen nature,” he says, “but while we all may share that fallen nature, it is also true that some groups are committing crime at higher rates than others, and that does affect the quality of life — the social fabric of the the society in which we all live.”
By claiming that 2% of the population is responsible for 90% of the crime, Trump is “drawing attention to the reality of repeat offenders, and the truth is that a lot of crime in America is done by, yes, a relatively small group of people, but also a relatively small group of people who have just been like running that for their entire lives,” Doyle explains, “and I'm not referring to like black people overall. Talking about a much smaller subset of the population, which, admittedly, yes, is also overwhelmingly black.”
If we further break down Trump’s numbers or the more commonly cited 13/50 statistic — which posits that black people make up 13% of the population but commit 50% of the crime — we arrive at the “glaring problem,” says Doyle: “Most of the black people that are going around murdering are men,” specifically younger men.
But homicide is just the tip of the iceberg.
“According to the same FBI data, blacks are committing like 27% of all rapes, 53% of all robberies, 33% of all aggravated assaults, like 30% of burglaries, 42% of weapons charges, 42% of prostitution charges. In fact, if you actually account for their population size, there is not a single crime category in which they are not over-represented,” says Doyle, referring to FBI arrest statistics. The state of New York has reported that arrest and conviction data in the state often results in slightly higher conviction rates for black defendants.
Part of the problem, he says, is the “Soros-installed, libtard-installed DAs, prosecutors, judges” whose soft-on-crime policies permit repeat offenders to freely roam the streets.
“We should not have to live this way. Well-to-do people should not be forced to deal with insane violent freaks as they're going about their day-to-day,” says Doyle, praising the Trump administration’s crime-fighting agenda as “spectacular.”
“But that is what leftism is at the end of the day, right? You are reorienting society to accommodate the worst of the worst.”
To hear more, check out the full episode above.
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The post James Van Der Beek, ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ ‘Varsity Blues’ Star Dies at 48 appeared first on Breitbart.
EXCLUSIVE: Texas Rep. on El Paso Border Scare, 'We’re Way Behind in Counter Drone Defenses'
U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) says there is much work to be done to hone Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) defenses along the U.S.-Mexico border in the wake of a federal shutdown of airspace in portions of his district on Tuesday evening. Gonzales told Breitbart Texas he’s working to remedy the situation through funding and education.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Texas Rep. on El Paso Border Scare, ‘We’re Way Behind in Counter Drone Defenses’ appeared first on Breitbart.