As his father sailed before him, and his son marches behind him, Stephen M. Calk, Sr. served America in uniform. He was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. Amid a highly successful banking career, Calk aspired to serve his country again as a top national-security official or diplomat. This patriotic commitment bought Calk five and a half months behind bars, $1.25 million in fines, and $17.2 million in legal bills. Federal prosecutors turned his bank’s über-collateralized loan to campaign consultant Paul Manafort into Calk’s personal Highway to Hell. If you wonder what lawfare looks like, keep reading. Between his honorable discharge as an Army captain in February 2001 and the start of his jaw-dropping battle with weaponized federal injustice, Calk was founder and CEO of The Federal Savings Bank (TFSB). This Chicago-based institution chiefly supplies mortgages and refinancing to active-duty military personnel, veterans, and new homeowners. “From 2011 to 2019, I built this platform, so we could do business in every state of the union,” Calk told me at his residence in Naples, Florida. “We literally could do this 24/7/365. Whenever soldiers, sailors, and airmen needed us, we would be there.” Stephen M. Calk (Photos courtesy of Mr. Calk)  “Steve ensured that his team took care of all our needs as first-time home buyers,” recalls retired Marine Lieutenant. Colonel Darin Lierly. The Fresno, California-based pilot with a major U.S. airline met Calk in 1986 at Fort Rucker, Alabama’s Army Flight Training School. “I would have likely ended up in a financial bind for many years had TFSB not secured an affordable, responsible mortgage for us.” But for all of Calk’s loyalty and compassion, one former customer suggests that he does not cut corners. “If Steve and I were in a foxhole together, and a grenade flew in, we would probably kill each other fighting to see who would cover it first,” said Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 William R. Sinton, a retired aviator who met Calk 40 years ago, as a fellow pilot trainee. As Sinton eyed a vacation home on Chesapeake Bay, “Steve stepped in and explained the workings of his bank, and how he could help,” Sinton reminisced. “At first, I just casually filled out the loan documents thinking it was just a formality with Steve at the helm.” Sinton should have taken this process as seriously as Calk did. “Steve called me and reminded me that my lack of detail and clarity in my application would not fly with his loan officers, and that I must get my ducks in a row, do my due diligence, and file a thorough and detailed mortgage application,” Sinton continued. “If not, his loan officers would deny it, and Steve would concur.” As Calk kept banking, Donald J. Trump began running for president in 2016. Calk became an early supporter. Trump’s campaign named him one of the “Six Steves” (along with Feinberg, Miller, Mnuchin, Moore, and Roth) who advised the Republican candidate on public policy and sold his program to voters.  Calk was a “super surrogate” who appeared in about three dozen interviews and promoted the America First vision to journalists in the “spin rooms” after all three presidential debates between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. After Trump crushed Hillary in an upset victory, Calk hoped to assist the incoming president. He considered himself suitably educated and experienced to serve as secretary or undersecretary of the Army or U.S. ambassador to England, France, or Germany.  He felt quite comfortable in Europe. “I grew up in Great Britain and learned French there,” Calk said. His U.S. Navy veteran father was an expatriate executive with the Playtex Corporation during the family’s nearly six years in London. “It would not have taken much time to brush up my French skills.” Several Trump aides backed Calk, not least former campaign chief Paul Manafort, and then-ally Anthony Scaramucci. On January 9, 2017, the transition team asked Calk to travel the very next morning from Chicago to Manhattan for a hastily scheduled pre-screening interview at Trump Tower. Calk booked a last-minute American Airlines flight for approximately $1,000, between O’Hare and LaGuardia airports, and he stayed overnight at the Four Seasons Hotel for about $600. Calk never got hired for a Trump-45 post. Regardless, The Empire struck back. Unfortunately for Calk, his roughly $1,600 in travel expenses exceeded the $1,000 threshold that triggers 18 U.S. Code § 215, the federal bank bribery statute. He believes that his high-profile TV segments made him a target of Trump-hating federal prosecutors. “It is my understanding that in their desperate attempt to smear President Trump, they came across my name while investigating Paul Manafort,” Calk fumed. “They then completely fabricated the concept that Manafort’s TFSB loan was ‘risky.’” Deep State careerists at the Justice Department cooked up what they dubbed Calk’s “corrupt scheme.” They argued outlandishly that Manafort’s cost-free employment recommendation was a “thing of value” equal to Calk’s $1,600 job-interview travel costs. Even though Calk paid this money, DOJ conflated it with Manafort’s referral to create a “bribe” to entice Calk’s approval of what the DOJ called Manafort’s “high-risk loans.”  Even by DOJ’s pretzel logic, this case made zero sense. ?Bribes to bankers usually pour into their pockets. This “crime”’s pivotal $1,600 flowed out of Calk’s pocket, to cover his own travel outlays. DOJ prosecuted Calk for bribing himself. ?Manafort’s endorsement of Calk bore no price tag. Human beings routinely advocate capable colleagues, associates, and loved ones for employment. This happens worldwide, daily, for free.  ?TFSB’s loans to Manafort were as risky as betting on the exact time that the Sun will set this evening into the Gulf of America. According to Calk’s April 19, 2024 petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case, “the loans were made on standard terms (or better for TFSB), were approved by the underwriting department, and were supported by so much collateral that they posed effectively no risk to the bank.” (SCOTUS denied Calk’s petition.) TFSB’s $16 million loan to Manafort was over-collateralized by $25 million in real estate. “I personally inspected Manafort’s home in the Hamptons, to make sure it was worth what he claimed,” Calk said. TFSB charged Manafort 7.25% interest, “just like every other portfolio loan we wrote,” Calk specified, plus an additional 3%. “Manafort paid the standard fees, points, appraisal costs, and all else. He got absolutely no favorable treatment.” TFSB disbursed just $8 million of the $16 million loan. After Manafort succumbed to his own legal woes, the DOJ seized his assets, and Manafort defaulted on this debt. TFSB spent a year suing the DOJ to recover the property. When the bank prevailed and repossessed Manafort’s estate, its doors were not just unlocked. They were wide open. The mansion was infested by pests and marred by rain and snow. “The house sustained significant damage because of the feds’ neglect,” Calk recollects. “All of the gardens were overgrown, and tree limbs and branches were strewn about the unattended lawn and gardens.” [Please insert Manafort interest-rate comparison slide] Nevertheless, Calk explained, “The bank did not lose one single penny.” It recovered “100% of principal, interest, fees, and penalties. Therefore, it became the single most profitable loan in the bank’s history. In hindsight, there was zero risk in extending this loan to Manafort. It was the best-collateralized loan in the bank’s history, with cash and millions of dollars of mortgage-free real estate: A mansion in Bridgehampton, New York; a luxury condominium on the Potomac in Old Alexandria, Virginia; and a stunning brownstone in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Beyond real estate worth more than the loan itself, the bank held Manafort’s cash accounts worth $2.5 million in additional collateral, out of an abundance of caution. We held a ton of cash in the bank, with a brick on it.” Despite these exculpatory facts, Joe Biden’s DOJ continued this cruel, unusual case. “I asked my lawyers, ‘Did I cross a line somewhere?’ If so, I would have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor,” Calk frowned. “But I was not going to plead guilty, because I did nothing wrong.” Stephen M. Calk Sr. at Stephen M. Calk Jr.’s graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on May 24, 2025. Calk surrendered at federal court in Manhattan on May 23, 2019. He grimly described being slapped into handcuffs and leg irons before his jailers took his mugshots and fingerprints. “After all of my service to this country, the family I raised, and the business I built, I could not believe I was in that position,” Calk lamented.  Calk vividly remembers one facet of his federal trial, which COVID delayed until June 22, 2021. “As soon as the Manhattan jury heard that I supported President Trump, you could see them stir with discomfort.” The U.S. courthouse’s bipolar heating and cooling system baked and froze jurors as they struggled to absorb arid testimony about property valuations, lending protocols, corporate governance, and other arcana. After three weeks in court, the jury convicted Calk on July 13, 2021. “Calk used the federally-insured bank he ran as his personal piggy bank to try and buy himself prestige and power,” then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss claimed, after the verdict. “Audrey Strauss’s response is absolutely outrageous!” Calk seethed. “I have forgotten more about safe and sound banking and lending risk than Ms. Strauss and her corrupt prosecutors will ever know.” “My persecution and prosecution were clearly an attempt to smear President Trump and detract from the great work of his first administration,” Calk added. “My decision to fight back and refuse to negotiate a lesser charge or admit guilt to a crime I never committed, all at great personal expense, was and is the right thing to do. How could I ever look into the eyes of my children, my family, or the hundreds of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines whom I have supported, if I were not willing to fight this corruption and these lies?” Calk has suffered $1.25 million in fines, five and a half months (of a 366-day sentence) at the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, Minnesota; two months at a Salvation Army halfway house in Fort Myers, Florida (while wearing an ankle monitor), and one month of home confinement. To date, Calk’s legal bills total $17,220,147.03. With that sum, he could purchase median family homes at $405,330 each and donate them to 42 veterans, their spouses, and children. Calk also saw a Visa credit card canceled after more than 30 years. His USAA homeowner’s insurance plan, TSA Global Entry membership, and gun permits were all canceled. “Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, and American Express de-banked me,” Calk grieved. “I was also kicked out of all my business and social clubs. The reputational damage can never be repaired.”  This ordeal’s opportunity cost has been enormous—for Calk, his colleagues, and their customers. At its 2020 peak, TFSB’s 2,200 employees managed $11 billion in annual loan volume. Calk estimates that had he not endured this nonsense since August 2017, TFSB today would have 5,000 staffers overseeing $50 billion in mortgages. Instead, TFSB’s payroll has shriveled to 1,500 people—down 31.8% since TFSB’s zenith in 2020. They oversaw just $3.5 billion in loans last year—down 68.2%. “How many more people could we have helped?” Calk sighed. “It’s staggering.”  While Americans—GIs, veterans, and civilians—hunger for affordable housing, TFSB shrinks. “I had been the driving force of all of TFSB’s growth, recruiting, strategic planning, and hiring of key personnel,” Calk stated. “Now, I can’t work at the bank. I can’t walk in. I cannot even call the bank. It totally lacks my leadership.” Worst of all, because Calk’s beloved brother John (a retired U.S. Army first lieutenant and armor officer) has equity in TFSB, the federal government forbids them to discuss business. So, to be safe, they simply do not speak. Calk’s torture is relentless. Because of his conviction, the Federal Reserve Board could seize TSFB, place it in a blind trust, and force its fire sale. His entire career’s work could go up in smoke at any moment, and he lives minute by minute, worried that the Fed might strike that match. There is a way out: Stephen M. Calk, Sr.’s fully vetted and widely supported pardon papers can be placed on the Resolute Desk at any time. This bizarre, twisted injustice finally could end via the big, beautiful signature of President Donald J. Trump.  The post Justice for Steve Calk appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL — Heritage Action has released their Heritage Action Scorecard, a database that puts members of congress’ voting records up against conservative priorities. The scorecard grades members of congress by analyzing the members’ voting record on core issues for the conservative agenda the American people voted for in the 2024 presidential election when they delivered President Donald Trump a mandate victory. “The Heritage Action Scorecard is the ultimate litmus test for whether conservatives in Congress are in alignment with their campaign promises,” Kevin Roberts, president of Heritage Action, told The Daily Signal. “This Scorecard shows, in no uncertain terms, lawmakers who are meeting those expectations and those who are falling short.” Votes weighed by the scorecard include the SAVE America Act, the One Big Beautiful Bill, the rescissions package, Obamacare subsidy extensions, blocking the Central Bank Digital Currency, and efforts to defund rogue non-governmental organizations. Democrats claim Americans won’t be able to vote without a passport under the SAVE America Act. But is that actually true? pic.twitter.com/HOy4mr4BHA— Heritage Action (@Heritage_Action) March 26, 2026 The scorecard also considers votes on legislation that would codify Trump’s executive orders including the Restoring Equal Opportunity Act, measures to dismantle federal DEI programs, and legislation aimed at countering domestic terrorism. “Republicans were sent to Washington as delegates of their constituencies with a mandate to bring about the next Golden Age,” Roberts added. “By shining a light on critical votes and co-sponsorships, the Scorecard exposes those who have chosen to stand in opposition to the will of American voters. More importantly, it publicly celebrates lawmakers who have chosen to lead with courage.” Heritage Action has been tracking member’s conservative record for more than a decade. While Republicans are in the majority in both the House and the Senate, only a few received a perfect score. In the House, 6% of lawmakers earned a perfect score, many of them members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Some headlining members include Republican Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, and Brandon Gill, Chip Roy, and Keith Self of Texas. Only three senators, Republican Sens. Ted Budd of North Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, and Jim Banks of Indiana, earned a perfect score. A majority of Americans want their elections secure!The Senate must pass the SAVE America Act! pic.twitter.com/EYd828ww30— Heritage Action (@Heritage_Action) March 26, 2026 Perhaps more surprising, however, is that some Republican senators scored less than 50% on the scorecard that measures conservative priorities. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., scored 50%, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, earned a 31%, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, scored only 23%. The Heritage Action scorecard will continue to grade members throughout the year, which means there’s still time for members of congress to improve their scores by voting to codify the Trump agenda and for conservative priorities, as well as co-sponsoring key legislation. Heritage Action told The Daily Signal that while co-sponsorships do not carry the same weight as major floor votes, co-sponsoring critical legislation signals a lawmaker’s wiliness to help lock in conservative policy gains for the future. The post EXCLUSIVE: Heritage Action Scorecard Reveals Which Lawmakers Are Fighting for Conservative Values appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are accusing the United Kingdom of not helping secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane targeted by Iran. “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday morning. “Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself… Go get your own oil!” “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/aPYmL0qspa— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 31, 2026 Iran has attacked oil tankers in the waterway, halting much of the traffic. According to the International Energy Agency, “around 25% of the world’s seaborne oil trade” passes through the narrow strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The blockage has sent oil prices soaring. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States is now over $4, per AAA; one month ago, it was under $3.  Thus far, the United Kingdom has kept its distance from the Iran conflict, while providing some indirect assistance to the U.S. military. “We will take action to defend ourselves and our allies, and we will not be drawn into the wider war,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in March. However, the U.K. has allowed the United States to use its bases for the military operation against Iran. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed the U.K. in a Tuesday morning press conference, echoing the president’s remarks. “I think the president was clear this morning in his [post] that there are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well,” said Hegseth. “It’s not just the United States Navy.” Hegseth on the Strait of Hormuz:I believe Trump was clear this morning in his truth that countries around the world should be prepared to step up on this critical waterway.It’s not just the United States Navy. The last time I checked, there is a large and capable Royal Navy… pic.twitter.com/rSx0G1dSyk— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 31, 2026 He continued, “Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well. [Trump’s] pointing out this is an international waterway that we use less than most. In fact, dramatically less than most.” The British Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The post Trump, Hegseth Urge UK to Enter Iran Conflict, Secure Oil Trade appeared first on The Daily Signal.

After President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of withdrawing his nomination of Dr. Casey Means for surgeon general, press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that the president stands by her. Leavitt told The Daily Signal on Monday evening that “the president stands by her and the Senate should move to quickly confirm Dr. Means as our next surgeon general without further delay.” Trump on Sunday night said that withdrawing Means’ nomination would be “possible.” “Well, we’re looking at a lot of different things,” Trump said in response to a question from The Daily Signal. “I don’t know how she’s doing in the nomination process. I’m more focused on Iran. But, you know, something like that would be possible.” “We certainly have a lot of great candidates for that job,” he said. On Monday, the White House highlighted Means’ record on health care. “Dr. Casey Means has spent her entire career as an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and researcher bringing attention to America’s chronic disease epidemic and how our healthcare system is failing the American people,” Leavitt said in a statement. “An alumna of Stanford University and the Stanford School of Medicine, there is no one better suited to advance President Trump’s agenda to Make America Healthy Again.” Is President Trump considering withdrawing Casey Mean's nomination for surgeon general? "Something like that would be possible," he told @DailySignal. "We certainly have a lot of great candidates for the job." pic.twitter.com/dg47SewSMf— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) March 30, 2026 Means attended Stanford Medical School before dropping out of her surgical residency to pursue holistic medicine. Her Oregon medical license is listed as “inactive,” which Means said was voluntary. She is the author of “Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health,” which she co-wrote with her brother Calley Means, who serves as senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, three Republicans on the Senate health committee have reportedly not committed to voting for her: Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the committee’s chair; Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. At her Feb. 25 confirmation hearing, Cassidy pressed Means about her past vaccine skepticism and pushed her to endorse broad childhood immunization programs. “I believe that vaccines are a key part of any infectious disease public health strategy,” she said. “Anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message.” In her testimony, Means vowed to address the root causes of chronic disease, which she said were diet, overuse of medicine, lack of physical activity, industrial chemical exposure, chronic stress, and loneliness. Reuters contributed to this report. The post White House Defends Surgeon General Nominee After Trump Comments appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Supreme Court held in an 8-1 ruling on Tuesday that a Colorado ban on “conversion therapy” for counselors unlawfully regulates speech and is viewpoint discrimination.  Justice Neil Gorsuch, a President Donald Trump appointee, issued the majority opinion. Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor–both appointees of President Barack Obama–issued concurring opinions.  Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson–an appointee of President Joe Biden–dissented.  The Chiles v. Salazar case involved a challenge to a Colorado law that allows licensed counselors to address issues of sexuality and gender only from the state’s approved perspective.  Kaley Chiles, a Christian licensed counselor in Colorado Springs, used what is called “talk therapy” with patients who voluntarily sought her help. These included minors who said they struggled with issues related to sexuality and gender, and who wanted their behavior to be in accordance with their sex and their religious faith. In the majority opinion, Gorsuch wrote the state law “prescribes what views she [Chiles] may and may not express.” “As applied to Ms. Chiles, Colorado’s law regulates the content of her speech and goes further to prescribe what views she may and may not express, discriminating on the basis of viewpoint,” Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “The law permits her to express acceptance and support for clients exploring their identity or undergoing gender transition, but forbids her from saying anything that attempts to change a client’s ‘sexual orientation or gender identity,’ including efforts to change ‘behaviors,’ ‘gender expressions,’ or ‘romantic attraction[s],” he added. The opinion stated that the government cannot label speech as conduct, as in Chiles’ case it constituted treatment. The opinion added that the “First Amendment is no word game.” “The fact that the state’s viewpoint regulation falls only on licensed health care professionals does not change the equation,” Gorsuch wrote.  The post BREAKING: High Court Strikes Down Colorado Gag Rule for Christian Counselors appeared first on The Daily Signal.