Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove just delivered a civics lesson to a now-former top New York prosecutor who was apparently confused about who she worked for.

It all began when Bove, as authorized by Attorney General Pam Bondi, directed Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon to dismiss the federal indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The Biden Justice Department had indicted Adams on a somewhat questionable bribery charge after he had voiced public criticism of President Biden’s policies on illegal immigration.

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When he assumed office, President Donald Trump issued an order to de-weaponize the Justice Department, which had engaged in lawfare against him for years. In the spirit of this order, Bove—while not addressing the merits of Adams’ prosecution or impugning the integrity of the prosecutors—ordered the dismissal without prejudice, meaning charges can be brought in the future.

Bove provided two rationales for the decision. First, the indictment reasonably could be viewed as interfering with the November 2025 mayoral election in which Adams is a candidate. Second, the indictment would hinder Adams’ ability to assist the Trump administration in its illegal immigration enforcement activities. Bove ordered, for instance, that Adams’ security clearances be restored. Bove made clear that the Trump Justice Department and Adams had not bargained to dismiss the indictment in exchange for Adams’ assistance. Adams and his counsel agreed to the dismissal without prejudice, and the unopposed motion awaits a ruling by Manhattan U.S. District Judge Dale Ho.

Even though it called for no improper action by government attorneys, such as lying to the court, Bove’s directive set off a firestorm. Sassoon resigned and wrote a letter in which she asserted that dismissing the indictment would be contrary to the rule of law. She cited her clerkship for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She also clerked for Judge J. Harvey Wilkinson of the Fourth Circuit, and the media made sure to publish Wilkinson's praise of Sassoon’s integrity in order to bash the Trump administration.

Half a dozen other prosecutors under Sassoon refused to dismiss the indictment and resigned. One, Hagan Scotten, used the terms "fool" and "coward" to describe anyone who would file the motion to dismiss the indictment. The media made sure to point out that Scotten had received a Bronze Star and that he had clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, now an associate Supreme Court justice. These points are irrelevant, because what happened here was simple. Bove, acting under Bondi’s direction, issued a lawful order that many subordinates refused to obey. The Department of Justice Manual, Section 9-2.001, decrees that "[t]he United States Attorney . . . has plenary authority with regard to federal criminal matters. This authority is exercised under the supervision and direction of the Attorney General and his/her delegates."

None of these sanctimonious prosecutors resigned during the four years of lawfare directed at President Trump. None of these holier-than-thou officials resigned when Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the FBI to investigate parents who had questioned the way their children were being taught at school board meetings. None of these arrogant attorneys resigned when the Biden Justice Department weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to pursue pro-life Christians who had prayed at abortion clinics while doing nothing about attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and Catholic Churches. None of these preening lawyers resigned when the Biden Justice Department perverted an obstruction statute with a maximum sentence of two decades in prison to pursue January 6 protesters when that statute was, as the Supreme Court ruled last year, inapplicable. But a dismissal without prejudice of an indictment for alleged political corruption has spawned insufferable letters of condemnation and seven resignations so far.

Article II of the Constitution vests the executive power and authority of the presidency in the president. Bondi and Bove are exercising President Donald Trump’s authority not to persecute people, but to stop possible persecutions. Recall that Adams was indicted by the Biden Justice Department after lodging criticism against the administration. Leftists in the media certainly would have sounded the alarm if the Trump Justice Department had indicted a government official critical of Trump. In his extraordinary dissent in Morrison v. Olson (1988), Justice Scalia wrote about the prospect of a weaponized legal system. Times have proven him sadly correct, and Bove referenced the dissent in his damning response letter to Sassoon.

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Former President Obama won a decisive victory in 2008, including a 10-point win in Pennsylvania. Still, the Bush 43 Justice Department filed charges against several members of the New Black Panther Party who allegedly had intimidated voters and poll workers at polling places. Kristen Clarke, who later headed the Civil Rights Division under President Biden, lobbied vigorously and successfully for the Obama Justice Department to drop the charges. This political decision sparked no outrage or letters of resignation from career prosecutors. No media howls erupted.

Here, President Trump’s political appointees issued a lawful and ethical order that two career Justice Department prosecutors—apparently fools or cowards in Scotten’s view—signed. Spoiled-brat bureaucrats refused to obey the directive, believing they knew better. Sassoon, for instance, argued there was no reasonable basis to dismiss the case. That is not her call; the President and his appointees determine what is in the best interest of the nation, not bureaucrats.

Now these miscreants find themselves deservedly out of jobs, soon to be replaced by federal prosecutors who will obey lawful orders because of an understanding that President Trump and his political appointees make these decisions, not career bureaucrats. That is the way our representative democracy works. President Trump does not threaten our democracy; the insubordinate bureaucrats who are attempting to thwart him do.

To these insubordinates, good riddance, for you no longer reign over what you view as the "Sovereign District of New York." Career federal prosecutors in SDNY are learning the hard way that they report to the deputy attorney general, who reports to the attorney general, who reports to the president. Any other way proves we have a deep state, which too many pretend is a conspiracy theory.

Instead of the big game, DOGE leader Elon Musk was focused on U.S. government-funded media. He backed Trump ally Richard Grenell’s call to shut down VOA and Radio Free Europe, replying on X: "Yes, shut them down." Kari Lake, Trump’s nominee for VOA Director, responded, advocating for keeping them open but making them pro-American.  

Lake strongly denied liberal media fears that she would turn VOA into "Trump TV," clarifying that even President Donald Trump wants it to present a fair and accurate portrayal of America — the real Voice of America. To further shake up the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Trump also nominated a fierce conservative media watchdog and Media Research Center President Brent Bozell to lead the USAGM, the parent agency of the Voice of America and other taxpayer-funded international broadcasters.  

With an annual budget of nearly $1 billion, USAGM has rightfully caught Musk’s attention. Despite then-President Joe Biden’s $950 million budget proposal for these media outlets in 2025, most Americans remain unaware of VOA’s role. Outside the U.S., however, VOA is a widely recognized international broadcaster, reaching a weekly audience of 354 million people in 49 languages.  

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Its reach is so extensive that it makes America’s largest domestic radio and TV networks "look like small fry," according to The Guardian. The real concern is that VOA often spreads anti-American narratives instead of promoting U.S. values. The left fears losing a well-funded, poorly monitored and highly influential tools for criticizing American values globally. 

Founded in 1942 during World War II, Voice of America aimed to communicate U.S. policies and counter enemy propaganda. Joined by Radio Free Europe in 1950 and four other federally owned outlets, they played a key role in shaping global perceptions through WWII, the Korean War and the Cold War, until the Soviet Union's collapse.  

However, on April 30, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the International Broadcasting Act, establishing the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to oversee non-military international broadcasting.  

Since then, concerns have risen about some programs favoring adversarial regimes like Iran, China, Russia and Cuba. In May 2020, Trump State Department’s Iran envoy, Brian Hook, criticized VOA in a New York Post article titled "Why Are U.S. Taxpayers Funding a ‘Voice of the Mullahs’ in Iran?" accusing it of promoting hostile regime narratives over American interests. 

The campaign to reform VOA began in 2006, led by then-Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn. Coburn invited to testify about how U.S. taxpayer-funded broadcasts to Iran were undermining U.S. policy and proving ineffective.   

In a letter to then-President George W. Bush, Coburn credited me as the initiator of efforts to reform VOA and Radio Farda, arguing that these media outlets "may actually be harming American interests rather than helping." A report commissioned by the State Department and National Security Council mirrored my testimony, despite resistance from VOA insiders. 

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I became involved in this issue shortly after escaping Evin Prison and fleeing Iran with the help of Bush’s administration. Having endured over five years of torture, I was recognized by Amnesty International as the first known victim of "white torture" in Iran. Before leaving Iran, I briefly watched VOA, shocked by their respect for the Islamic regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), downplaying brutality while promoting internal reform. In my testimony, I urged VOA to stop misleading Iranians with so-called balanced reporting. 

Under President Barack Obama, Coburn continued his campaign to reform VOA, leveraging his strong relationship with the president. He successfully helped appoint eight new BBG members — equally split between Republicans and Democrats.  

On April 6, 2011, I testified again before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee titled: "Is America’s Overseas Broadcasting Undermining our National Interest and the Fight Against Tyrannical Regimes?", alongside BBG governors and John Lenczowski, the founder of The Institute of World Politics, where I was a research fellow and visiting lecturer.  

Despite initial hopes that new leadership at BBG and VOA would resolve the issues, corruption persisted. Coburn’s illness prevented him from completing his efforts, and after the resignation of the VOA Persian service director and some BBG members, VOA returned to its usual anti-American bias. 

USAGM has 4,000 employees and 1,500 stringers, including over 2,000 at VOA, many of whom are bureaucrats shielded by union protections. The most effective way to bypass these obstacles is to shut down these corrupt services. Dissolving VOA and Radio Farda would remove taxpayer-funded platforms for far-left activists pushing anti-American, anti-Israel, and pro-China, pro-Russia, and pro-Iranian Mullah agendas. These services could then be rebuilt with a leaner, dedicated team of pro-American journalists, ensuring VOA truly represents America — a key step in Trump’s strategy to counter adversaries without military intervention. 

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Sean "Diddy" Combs has been charged in a three-count indictment of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution between 2008 and the present. His current trial date is scheduled for May 5, 2025, in the U.S. District Court - Southern District of New York federal courthouse. 

His legal troubles began on March 25, 2024, when Homeland Security agents raided both his Los Angeles and Miami homes as part of a sex trafficking investigation involving him.  

He was indicted six months later in September 2024, and entered a not guilty plea. He was denied bail and has been serving time in jail as he awaits his upcoming trial. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.  

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With regard to his current charges, racketeering conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; sex trafficking by force carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory sentencing minimum of 15 years in prison; and one count of transportation for purposes of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

If he is convicted of the charges against him, he’d be facing significant prison time and possibly life sentences. He pled not guilty and also continued to face a slew of lawsuits from his alleged sex-related crime victims.  

The number of lawsuits has reached 120 and counting, according to news reports, with many filed by Jane and John Does. However, Combs’ long-time ex-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura ignited the onslaught when she filed her lawsuit at the end of 2023.  

In her 35-page federal complaint filed on November 16, 2023, Ventura accused Combs of sexual assault, battery, and sex trafficking, as well as requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts. She claimed physical abuse by him throughout their relationship and also claimed Combs demanded she carry his firearm in her purse, among other allegations. 

The two parties mutually agreed to a settlement on November 17, 2023, and Ventura asked the court to dismiss the case "with prejudice," which means her claims cannot be filed again. 

Dawn Richards, once a member of Danity Kane, a female music group Combs assembled and produced, claimed she witnessed violence against Ventura, and that Combs threatened her life when she tried to intervene. 

In a lawsuit filed on February 2, 2024, Chicago record producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr., filed a 105-page federal complaint accusing Combs, and the people who work with him, of being part of a racketeering organization.  

Jones Jr. claimed he was tasked with soliciting sex workers and procuring drugs to "perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs" among other allegations. This lawsuit is ongoing. 

In Liza Gardner's lawsuit, she accused Combs and R&B artist Aaron Hall of raping her as a teenager in 1990 when she was passed out. It also claims that days after, Combs choked Gardner until she lost consciousness. 

A co-defendant, Devante Swing, was named in this lawsuit for "aiding and abetting" the alleged sexual assault, claiming he was also present in the room when the reported rape happened but did not do anything to stop it. 

Parham is another alleged rape victim of Combs. She claims Combs sexually assaulted her as a payback regarding a comment about Combs’ potential involvement in the murder of Tupac Shakur. 

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Combs was also part of a Jane Doe rape lawsuit with Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) which has since been dismissed with prejudice. 

Combs’ legal team is working fast and furious as lawsuits keep adding up, with their ongoing message being that these lawsuits are a ploy to garner publicity among the alleged victims. 

This isn’t the first time he has been sued for sex-related crimes. In 2017, he was sued by Cindy Rueda, Combs’ former personal chef, for sexual harassment and retaliation in a lawsuit that was later settled in 2019. 

It’s been reported Combs’ net worth has declined from $740 million to $400 million as he continues paying attorney fees for his legal matters. If convicted of his criminal charges, he could see his fortune dwindle even further as he potentially faces fines and restitution, in addition to asset forfeiture.  

Furthermore, in the civil lawsuits filed against Combs, it could be ruled that proceeds from his assets are required to be used to pay the plaintiffs, depending on the outcome of each.  

As someone once synonymous with incredible fame and wealth for a span of several decades, Combs’ music empire and legacy could be dismantled in a matter of weeks, if a jury finds him guilty.  

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