Former DNC Staffer: Chair Ken Martin Has Made Himself 'Pretty Irrelevant'

Obstructing justice was a serious crime but CNN didn’t seem to care when they took time on Monday’s CNN This Morning to whine about agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) getting aggressive with liberals who tried to interfere with arrests. Host Audie Cornish and guest Garrett Graff, a columnist for The Washington Post, huffed about everything from recruitment to falsely suggesting they don’t use warrants. “[W]e keep talking about what it's going to look like as ICE raises the number and recruits, the number of people in the agency. Can you talk about the role of these videos, how citizens are starting to affect how ICE is seen?” Cornish asked. Graff touted those “random members of the public trying to step in” to interfere with arrests by supposedly trying to “document what is happening.” He clutched his pearls about how ICE was, “actually get more aggressive and more violent and more brutal in their policing tactics, which is exactly the wrong direction that one would hope a healthy law enforcement agency was heading.” He lauded how it was leading to ICE “losing the sort of support of the public and the moral legitimacy of the American people.” But warned, “That’s a very dangerous situation for a law enforcement agency in a democracy to be in.” What was actually happening in many of those situations was that liberal extremists were trying to interfere and hinder ICE’s ability to arrest and deport criminal aliens, and those with lawful deportation orders.     Cornish tried to paint a dystopian image of how ICE operated; whining about they follow local police around to “snatch people” off the street. She suggested – without evidence – that they didn’t have warrants for the people they apprehend, which Graff played along with: CORNISH: We talked about them sort of trailing D.C. police vehicles. But in terms of them being in all these unmarked vehicles, being able to kind of snatch people. You heard that person saying -- asking about a warrant. Do those things matter under ICE's sort of rules of engagement? GRAFF: Well, in theory, they are supposed to. In theory, due process and civil rights apply in all law enforcement situations across the country. That's a cornerstone, a bedrock of American – America's legal system in a free and open democracy. After years of the liberal media demanding people wear masks or be barred from society in the early 2020s, suddenly they were a serious problem for Graff. “The challenge is, and worries me about these videos, is the extent to which ICE is blocking itself from that public accountability. You know, you see them increasingly moving about the country masked,” he bellyached. “You see them not identifying themselves clearly with law enforcement credentials.” Adding: “So, these are agents who are operating as anonymously as possible, even for their own agency.” It’s been noted time and time again, that ICE agents were taking extra precautions to protect their identities because liberal extremists have been targeting them and their families for retribution. Apparently, CNN and Graff didn’t care if they met that fate. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN This Morning August 25, 2025 6:38:05 a.m. Eastern (…) AUDIE CORNISH: And, Garrett, we keep talking about what it's going to look like as ICE raises the number and recruits, the number of people in the agency. Can you talk about the role of these videos, how citizens are starting to affect how ICE is seen? GARRETT GRAFF: Yeah, I think one of the things that's really disturbing to me about the recent behavior that we've seen from ICE is that it's clear that they are losing the sort of support of the public and the moral legitimacy of the American people. And that's a very dangerous situation for a law enforcement agency in a democracy to be in. And it strikes me that as they certainly understand that they are under this increased scrutiny from the public, that you have sort of random members of the public trying to step in, document what is happening. You're seeing ICE actually get more aggressive and more violent and more brutal in their policing tactics, which is exactly the wrong direction that one would hope a healthy law enforcement agency was heading. CORNISH: What's different about the control of ICE, how it's run compared to other law enforcement agencies? We talked about them sort of trailing D.C. police vehicles. But in terms of them being in all these unmarked vehicles, being able to kind of snatch people. You heard that person saying -- asking about a warrant. Do those things matter under ICE's sort of rules of engagement? GRAFF: Well, in theory, they are supposed to. In theory, due process and civil rights apply in all law enforcement situations across the country. That's a cornerstone, a bedrock of American – America's legal system in a free and open democracy. The challenge is, and worries me about these videos, is the extent to which ICE is blocking itself from that public accountability. You know, you see them increasingly moving about the country masked. You see them not identifying themselves clearly with law enforcement credentials. And one of the things that actually really troubles me about a lot of these videos is, federal agents, federal officers, in high risk situations, they -- they don't wear name tags, but they have unique identifier codes that go on their tactical vests, on their uniforms, that would help identify them internally in the aftermath of an internal investigation, for instance. You saw Justice Department officials, prison guards, for instance, wearing these types of identifiers in the George Floyd protests when they were called to D.C. in 2020. It's really notable to me that ICE is not wearing, in at least many of the videos that I'm seeing, those unique identifier codes that would even make them accountable internally to internal use of force investigations. So, these are agents who are operating as anonymously as possible, even for their own agency. CORNISH: That's Garrett Graff, journalist and historian. I'm sure we'll have you back to talk more about this. Thank you, Garrett. GRAFF: Any time, Audie.

In his latest push for peace, President Donald Trump called for the denuclearization of two global superpowers.In the Oval Office Monday, Trump called on Russia and China to abandon their nuclear programs, saying denuclearization is a "big aim" for the administration. Trump also signaled that Russia was "willing" to denuclearize and expressed confidence that China would follow.'We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate.'"One thing we're trying to do with Russia and with China is denuclearization," Trump said. "It's very important." "One of the things I discussed with President Putin the other day, it wasn't just that, it was also other things," Trump added. "And I think the denuclearization is a big aim. But Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it, too."RELATED: Trump says Democrats are pleading with him to save their crime-ridden cities: 'They've lost control' Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images"We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate," Trump said. "We have to stop nuclear weapons. The power is too great." Trump's call to denuclearize the two superpowers is a reiteration of his remarks from February, when he lamented the financial and moral cost of nuclear war. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many,” Trump said at the beginning of his second term. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”RELATED: 'Seems like a Purge': Trump warns of 'revolution' in South Korea ahead of summit meeting Photo by FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images “We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive,” Trump added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A lesbian theme in a children's movie led popular rapper Snoop Dogg to avoid going to the theater with his grandchildren, and many on the left are melting down over it.The 53-year-old hip-hop mogul, whose given name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus, made the comments while being interviewed on the "It's Giving" podcast. He said that his grandson was confused over a scene showing a lesbian couple kiss in the "Lightyear" movie.'These are kids. We have to show that at this age? They're going to ask questions! I don't have the answer.'Broadus said that the movie said the lesbian couple had a baby."My grandson, in the middle of the movie, is like, 'Papa Snoop, how did she have a baby with a woman? She's a woman,'" he recalled."I'm scared to go to the movies now," he added."It threw me for a loop," Broadus said. "I'm like, 'What part of the movie was this?' These are kids. We have to show that at this age? They're going to ask questions! I don't have the answer."The "Lightyear" movie was criticized by many for its woke inclusion, and it did not fare well at the box office. Despite being part of a very popular franchise, the movie came in second in its first week of release and went on to be one of Pixar's worst-performing films.News outlets like USA Today made it appear as if the majority of social media opinion went against the rapper."Biggest sellout in Hip-Hop," reads one response cited by the outlet."How is answering his grandson's question even close to the horrors of answering how a man has a baby with a woman?????" another popular response reads."I'm so tired.. Genuinely so tired of the rampant homophobia nowadays," another user responded.RELATED: 'Lightyear' movie flops at the box office amid woke controversies Others accused the rapper of being politically incorrect since he performed at a pro-cryptocurrency event during the celebration after President Donald Trump's inauguration. "Y'all can't hate enough on me. I love too much," Snoop Dogg replied at the time. "Get your life right. Stop worrying about mine. I'm cool. I'm together. Still a Black man. Still 100% Black."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

ProPublica — an investigative journalist outfit that has received donations from Laurene Powell Jobs and her leftist Emerson Collective, from George Soros' Foundation to Promote Open Society, and from Crankstart Foundation, Lincoln Project donor Michael Moritz's family foundation — ran a sob story on Friday about a so-called "Afghan scholar" whose receipt of American funds through the U.S. Institute of Peace was exposed earlier this year by the Department of Government Efficiency. The liberal publication tried to paint former Taliban official Mohammad Qasem Halimi as a victim, the work he did as "routine" yet "ambiguous," DOGE's publicization of Halimi's financial link to the U.S. as irresponsible, and the DOGE worker who briefly controlled USIP as inept.The game the establishment media is playing is 'an insult to our nation.'ProPublica's concern-mongering has not found resonance at the Trump State Department, which is aware that Halimi was part of the regime that harbored the terrorists who attacked America on 9/11.In a Monday statement to Rikki Ratliff-Fellman, executive producer for Glenn Beck, the department defended cutting off Halimi, reiterated that he was indeed a former Taliban member, and underscored that the game the establishment media is playing is "an insult to our nation."Quick backgroundPresident Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 19 aimed at reducing the scope of the federal bureaucracy.Among the federal entities that the Trump administration subsequently worked to shutter or scale down was the USIP, a think tank with an apparent problem with political bias and a budget last year of $55 million.RELATED: America First foreign policy gets an Office of Natural Rights Taliban extremists in Kabul. Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images.The Trump administration canned 10 voting members of the USIP board of directors along with the institute's president, former Clinton official George Moose; terminated nearly all of the institute's staff and activities around the world; had elements of the DOGE take over the institute's headquarters; and transferred USIP's property to the General Services Administration.Fired members of the board sued on March 18 to prevent a housecleaning at the USIP, claiming the wind-down was a "lawless assault." Although an Obama judge declared in May that the changes at the federal entity were "null and void," the D.C. Court of Appeals stayed the lower court's ruling.DOGE highlights Taliban linkFollowing its takeover of USIP headquarters and just hours after notifying Halimi of his contract's termination, the DOGE shared some of its findings in March 31 on X, noting, "USIP contracts (now cancelled) include: — $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, an ex-Taliban member who was Afghanistan's former Chief of Protocol."According to Halimi's bio on the Doha Forum site, "he is the former Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Afghanistan" and "was assigned as a Deputy Justice Minister of Technical and Professional Affairs in 2017."That bio omits any mention of Halimi's arrest and detention by American forces from 2002 to 2003 at Bagram Air Base or his time with the Taliban.Deutsche Welle reported that Halimi went to work for the Taliban in 1998, working first in its foreign ministry, then becoming chief of protocol.'This is real. We don't encounter that in most agencies.'"I don't deny that I supported the Taliban," Halimi told DW. "I had a very good time in the Foreign Office. It was really the best time in my life. Back then, Afghanistan really needed the Taliban."Halimi spoke glowingly about Mullah Mohammad Omar, the first leader of the Taliban who offered sanctuary to Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden both before and after the 9/11 attacks, stating, "I cannot say it any differently today than I said it back then: Afghanistan needed Mullah Omar back then."RELATED: The Islamification of America is well under way Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty ImagesSpeaking to DW in 2017, Halimi stated, "To this day I still have friendly relations with the Taliban" — an organization Secretary of State Marco Rubio is looking at for a possible foreign terrorist organization designation.Halimi reportedly switched sides after his release by American forces.The USIP contract for this friend of the Taliban was mentioned again in an April 1 post on X, which was shared by Elon Musk and ultimately went massively viral. The caption on the corresponding post read: "With help from the FBI and Metro Police DOGE was able to access the agency and discovered massive fraud, waste and abuse-including payments to Taliban and Iraq."The following month, a DOGE staffer told "Jesse Watters Primetime" in a May 1 group interview, "We found that [USIP] were spending money on things like private jets, and they even had a $130,000 contract with a former member of the Taliban. This is real. We don't encounter that in most agencies."Tears for the TalibanAccording to ProPublica, Taliban security forces allegedly beat and temporarily imprisoned members of Halimi's family just days after news of his USIP funding was brought to light.Blaze News has reached out to Afghanistan's Ministries of Interior Affairs and Foreign Affairs for comment.While the alleged violence was perpetrated by Halimi's former comrades, the liberal publication characterized the Trump administration's public recognition of Halimi's Taliban link and exposure of his supposedly benign USIP contract as an "attack" — an attack that former State Department and White House officials supposedly said was "not only absurd, but also dangerous."ProPublica, which downplayed Halimi's Taliban past and highlighted his work with the former Karzai government, complained that after this "attack," Halimi is now without work and "wonders how he will support his wife and children and whether there’s any chance he can clear his name."'An overwhelming majority of Americans would agree that the Federal Government should not be funding former members of the Taliban when our country is $36T in debt.'"Why would one of the richest men in the world commit such an act of injustice?" Halimi said to ProPublica. "Sometimes I think that if Elon Musk himself were fully informed about this matter, he would likely be deeply ashamed."Whereas the liberal publication proved eager to portray the former Taliban official as a sympathetic character, the publication alternatively characterized Nate Cavanaugh — the former DOGE staffer who worked ardently to expose the rot at USIP, briefly served as its president, and canceled Halimi's contact — as a privileged incompetent.The publication noted, for example, that Cavanaugh: is a "28-year-old college dropout"; "had nothing in his background to suggest he would be chosen to wind down an international conflict-resolution agency"; started two companies that haven't "successfully" taken off; and "comes from a wealthy family."Cavanaugh — whom Blaze News has reached out to for comment — apparently made no apologies for carrying out the task President Donald Trump mandated him to do."An overwhelming majority of Americans would agree that the Federal Government should not be funding former members of the Taliban when our country is $36T in debt," said Cavanaugh.Cavanaugh's successor similarly appears not to be panged by ProPublica's sympathies for the Taliban alumnus.Darren Beattie, undersecretary for public diplomacy at the State Department and acting president of USIP, said in a statement to Ratliff-Fellman, "Under President Trump's February 19 Executive Order, the United States Institute of Peace was directed to reduce operations to its statutory minimum — ending, among other things, a contract with former Taliban member Mohammad Qasem Halimi.""The idea of funding former Taliban members on one hand, and publicly lamenting the Taliban’s success in reducing Afghanistan’s opium production on the other, highlights the schizophrenic and dangerous approach to 'conflict resolution' adopted by USIPs previous leadership," continued Beattie. "The fact that the establishment media defends using taxpayer dollars this way is an insult to our nation and the heroes who have fought to protect it."Beattie added, "Above all, this underscores President Trump’s resolve to end the weaponization of government, cut off funding to adversaries, and shut down reckless so-called peace-building programs that end up undermining our national security."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It was certain that his release would be short-lived.

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