INTERNACIONAL
Ex-government officials pen letter blasting Kash Patel’s FBI ‘purge’
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A group of former FBI, intelligence, diplomatic and national security officials released a letter blasting FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino for firing several bureau agents, saying they were targeted for not being loyal to President Trump.
The group, which dubs itself The Steady State, claims Agents Brian Driscoll, Michael Feinberg and Walter Giardina were fired as part of a campaign to dismantle the FBI’s «long-standing independence» while also setting it up as a «tool of political loyalty.»
The Steady State also claimed the agents were canned because they were not loyal to President Donald Trump, before accusing the administration of appointing Patel and Bongino to powerful roles despite not having resumes that meet the «basic standards» to lead the «world’s premiere law enforcement agency.»
«It is not about reform. It is about control. The aim, it seems, is to transform the FBI from a respected, constitutionally grounded investigative service into a personal enforcement arm of a political figure,» the letter reads. «We have seen these dynamics abroad—leaders who demand loyalty from security services not to the law, but to themselves. These regimes do not end well.»
FBI OUSTS FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, AGENT INVOLVED IN J6 PROSECUTIONS, WITH MORE EXPECTED
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP)
«The FBI has long been a bulwark against such corruption: an institution where rule of law and civil liberties are held in balance with the demands of national security,» the letter continued. «Its independence is not a bureaucratic feature; it is a democratic necessity.»
The Steady State told their friends and colleagues in the FBI that they recognize the pressure they are under.
«The nation is watching, and will be inspired by the FBI. And history will remember,» the letter concluded.
Last Thursday, the FBI ousted Driscoll, the former FBI acting director, as well as others, including Giardina, a special agent at the FBI who played a role in the investigation of Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro. Also let go was Steve Jensen, the acting director in charge of the Washington Field Office.
KASH PATEL TORCHES ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ ABOUT BONDI FEUD AMID MAGA FUROR OVER EPSTEIN FILES
President Trump named Brian Driscoll to serve as acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (FBI)
Driscoll, for his part, served as acting director of the FBI prior to the confirmation of Patel, and Jensen played a key role in the January 6 investigations.
Senior FBI officials told the trio they needed to leave by Friday.
FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR DAN BONGINO SLAMS NEW YORK TIMES FOR ‘POORLY THOUGHT-OUT HIT PIECE’
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has been criticized by former FBI agents and other members of the federal intelligence community for not having a resume fit to lead the world’s premiere law enforcement agency. (Fox & Friends)
The FBI, Bongino and Patel declined to comment on Fox News Digital’s questions about The Steady State’s claims and on reasons why the agents were removed from their positions.
MSNBC journalist Ken Dilanian shared on social media a copy of the letter from Patel to Giardina.
«This document provides official notice that you are being summarily dismissed from your position at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and removed from the federal service, under my authority as the FBI Director, effective immediately,» Patel wrote. You have exercised poor judgment and a lack of impartiality in carrying out duties, leading to the political weaponization of the government.»
FBI’S TOP BOSS KASH PATEL SAYS BUREAU RAN COVER FOR HILLARY BUT IT ALL ENDS UNDER TRUMP
A person passes by the FBI seal on the wall of the FBI headquarters. (Reuters)
Former FBI Agent Phil Kennedy, who has been vocal on social media regarding the new regime’s handling of personnel matters, shared The Steady State’s letter, referring to the firings as the recent FBI «purge.»
«Walter Giardina, the disgraced anti-Trump Agent who worked on Jack Smith’s documents case with Kash’s pilot, has reportedly been terminated by the FBI,» Kennedy wrote in another post. «It’s a Bureau bloodbath.»
A scene from the January 6 riot at the US Capitol in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
News of the agents’ firings comes months after thousands of FBI personnel in February were ordered to fill out a questionnaire asking detailed questions about possible roles in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots.
The questionnaire, first reported by Fox News Digital, sparked concern that it could be used to retaliate against agents involved in the January 6 investigations. Those concerns reached a fever pitch later that month, after then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered the bureau to compile a list of all current and former personnel who worked on January 6 cases.
The Trump administration has not yet said whether it will move to act against the individuals involved.
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In February, President Trump declined to answer questions over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is «corrupt» and that then-FBI director nominee, Patel, would «straighten it out.»
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
fbi,kash patel,dan bongino,police and law enforcement,justice department,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
La Casa Blanca dice que los contactos con Irán siguen siendo «fluidos», pero el precio del petróleo vuelve a subir a más de US$100
La Casa Blanca ha comunicado a la BBC que los planes para entablar conversaciones con Irán siguen siendo «fluidos», añadiendo que cualquier especulación «no debe considerarse definitiva», cuando la guerra en el Golfo cumple este martes 25 días.
Esto ocurre después de que Trump y el presidente del Parlamento iraní dieran versiones contradictorias sobre posibles diálogos entre ambos países respecto a la guerra en curso.
Trump afirmó anteriormente que había pospuesto los ataques amenazados contra centrales eléctricas iraníes tras mantener conversaciones «productivas» con Teherán.
Irán calificó dichas afirmaciones sobre las conversaciones de «noticias falsas» (fake news).
Según CBS, socio de la BBC en EE. UU., un funcionario del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Irán afirma que Teherán ha recibido «puntos de parte de EE.UU.» a través de mediadores, como un posible precursor de las discusiones.
Mientras tanto, el precio del petróleo volvió a subir por encima de los 100 dólares por barril, tras haber caído el lunes cuando Trump publicó por primera vez sobre las conversaciones entre EE.UU. e Irán.
El petróleo subió en una sesión volátil —reduciendo la fuerte caída del lunes— ante la preocupación de que la guerra en Oriente Medio pueda intensificarse, ya que el flujo de crudo a través del estratégico estrecho de Ormuz hacia los mercados mundiales sigue interrumpido.
El Brent superó los 100 dólares por barril, tras desplomarse un 11% el lunes, después de que el presidente Donald Trump aplazara durante cinco días su amenaza de atacar la infraestructura energética de Irán. El crudo de referencia estadounidense, el West Texas Intermediate (WTI), avanzó cerca de un 2%.
El crudo Brent ha subido cerca de un 40% este mes ante el temor de que las hostilidades entre Estados Unidos, Israel e Irán, que han sacudido Oriente Medio, desencadenen una crisis energética mundial e impulsen la inflación. La guerra ha obstaculizado el tránsito por el Estrecho de Ormuz, obligando a los productores del Golfo Pérsico a recortar millones de barriles de su producción diaria de petróleo. Los productos derivados, como el diésel y el combustible para aviones, han subido incluso más que el crudo, presionando a los consumidores e inquietando a los gobiernos.
Las consecuencias siguieron extendiéndose. Chile se dispone a aumentar los precios de los combustibles hasta un 50%, mientras que en Asia, Japón ordenó una revisión de toda su cadena de suministro de productos petrolíferos y se dice que el país ha realizado consultas a los participantes del mercado sobre una posible intervención en el mercado de futuros de crudo.
En otros lugares, Tailandia aumentó el precio del diésel, el mayor refinador de petróleo de China afirmó que daría prioridad al suministro local y Filipinas advirtió que la inmovilización de aviones debido a la escasez de combustible para reactores era una posibilidad real.
«Una pregunta fundamental es si el mercado mundial del petróleo puede mitigar la interrupción en el Estrecho de Ormuz», señalaron en una nota analistas de Macquarie, entre ellos Vikas Dwivedi. «Nuestro análisis sugiere que la respuesta es afirmativa, pero solo si se despliegan diversas medidas de mitigación sin los retrasos burocráticos habituales».
Aliados de Estados Unidos, como Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, han endurecido sus posturas contra Teherán debido al bombardeo de sus territorios. Riad comunicó a Estados Unidos que estaba dispuesta a atacar a Irán si sus propias plantas de energía y agua eran blanco de la República Islámica, según personas con conocimiento del asunto.
Los aliados de Estados Unidos en el Golfo Pérsico se acercaban poco a poco a contribuir a la lucha, informó el Wall Street Journal. Entre ellos, el príncipe heredero saudí, Mohammed bin Salman, está ahora ansioso por restablecer la disuasión y se encuentra cerca de tomar la decisión de unirse a los ataques, según el periódico, que cita a personas familiarizadas con la situación.
Con información de BBC News y Bloomberg
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A military transport plane with 128 people on board, mostly soldiers, crashed shortly after taking off Monday in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured, the head of Colombia’s armed forces said.
Gen. Hugo Alejandro López Barreto said four military personnel were still missing.
«Sadly, as a consequence of this tragic accident, 66 of our military elements died,» he said.
«At the moment, we have no information, or indications, that it was an attack by an illegal armed group,» Barreto added.
LAGUARDIA PLANE CRASH VIDEO SHOWS JET COLLIDE WITH FIRE TRUCK AFTER FRANTIC AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL WARNING
A military transport plane crashed near Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, shortly after takeoff March 23, 2026, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens injured. (MiPutumayo via AP)
In a video posted on social media, Deputy Mayor Carlos Claros said the bodies of the victims were taken to the small town’s morgue, and the only two clinics in town treated the injured before they were flown to larger cities. Puerto Leguizamo is located in Putumayo, an Amazonian province that borders Ecuador and Peru.
«I want to thank the people of Puerto Leguizamo who came out to help the victims of this accident,» Claros told Colombian television station RCN.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on X the plane that crashed Monday was transporting troops to another city in Putumayo.
Images shared online by Colombian media outlets showed a black cloud of smoke rising from a field where the plane crashed and a truck with soldiers rushing to the site.
The airplane had 128 people on board, including 115 from the Army, 11 crew members and two from the national police. Baretto said 57 people were evacuated.
FEDS INVESTIGATE ALARMING NEAR MISS BETWEEN ALASKA AIRLINES JET, FEDEX PLANE AT BUSY NEWARK AIRPORT
Emergency crews and local residents rushed to help survivors after a deadly military plane crash in southern Colombia March 23, 2026. (Colombia’s Armed Forces press office via AP)
Media outlets shared videos of soldiers being rushed from the site on motorcycles driven by local residents, while another group of residents tried to put out the fire the crash had created in a field surrounded by dense foliage.
Carlos Fernando Silva, the commander of Colombia’s air force, said details of the crash were not yet known, «except that the plane had a problem and went down about two kilometers from the airport.»
The air force commander added that two planes, with 74 beds, were sent to the area to fly the injured back to hospitals in the capital, Bogota, and elsewhere.
President Gustavo Petro seized on the accident to promote what he called his longtime campaign to modernize planes and other equipment used by his country’s military, saying those efforts have been blocked by «bureaucratic difficulties» and suggesting that some officials should be held accountable.
«If civilian or military administrative officials are not up to the challenge, they must be removed,» Petro said.
COLOMBIA FACES SURGE OF REFUGEES FLEEING CRISIS IN VENEZUELA
Officials say a C-130 aircraft carrying mostly soldiers went down near Puerto Leguizamo on March 23, 2026, with no signs of an attack by armed groups. (Colombia’s Armed Forces press office via AP)
Critics of the president pointed out that military aircraft have been given fewer flight hours under the Petro administration due to budget cuts, which leads to less experienced crews.
Erich Saumeth, a Colombian aviation expert and military analyst, said the Hercules C-130 that crashed Monday had been donated by the United States to Colombia in 2020. Three years later, it went through an overhaul, in which its engines were inspected and key components were replaced.
«I don’t think this plane crashed because of a lack of good parts,» Saumeth said. He said investigations will have to determine why the engines of the Hercules, which has four propellers, failed so quickly after takeoff.
In a message on X Monday, Defense Minister Sánchez said so far there were no signs the plane was attacked by rebel groups that operate near Puerto Leguizamo.
Sánchez wrote that the accident was «profoundly painful for the country,» adding, «We hope that our prayers can help to relieve some of the pain.»
world, disasters, south america
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California Democrats blasted federal immigration authorities after a viral video showed officers arresting two people, including a crying woman, at San Francisco International Airport.
The video shows the woman — who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said is an illegal alien — wailing and dropping to the ground as she is being arrested by two plainclothes agents on Sunday while her daughter cries in the background.
California Democrats argued the video showed excessive force and would instill fear in immigrant communities, while calling for answers from federal authorities.
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said the woman seen in the video was a «Sacramento mother» and said she was demanding answers.
LA PROTESTERS SWARM RESTAURANT AFTER TSA OFFICERS REPORTEDLY MISIDENTIFIED AS ICE AGENTS
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are seen in tactical gear in an undated file photo (left), while San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie speaks at an event (right). California Democrats criticized ICE following a viral airport arrest, while Lurie called the incident «upsetting» and said it appeared to be isolated. (John Moore/Getty Images; Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
«I am deeply angered by the video released of a Sacramento mother being forcibly detained by ICE in front of her young daughter at San Francisco International Airport this weekend,» she wrote.
«This is our neighbor and a member of our community. This video showcases the cruelty we have come to expect from Trump’s ICE agents, but also the lasting trauma that will be inflicted on those who are forced to witness their disproportionate and deadly recklessness. I am demanding answers as to why ICE treated this Sacramentan so violently in front of her daughter.»
DHS said two people from a family unit were arrested, saying the family had outstanding removal orders and was in the U.S. illegally.
TRUMP ADMIN URGES NEWSOM TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS FOR MORE THAN 33K CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
ICE agents arrive at JFK airport in New York City, on March 23, 2026. The event in San Francisco was not treated to the recent deployment of agents at airports. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News)
Federal officials said the arrest followed a lawful final removal order issued by an immigration judge in 2019 and that one of the individuals attempted to flee and resisted officers.
«ICE officers arrested Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and Wendy Godinez-Jimenez at the San Francisco International Airport. These illegal aliens had a final removal order from an immigration judge since 2019,» DHS said on X.
«While being escorted to the international terminal for processing, Lopez-Jimenez attempted to flee and resisted law enforcement officers. ICE is working as quickly as possible to repatriate the family unit to their home country of Guatemala.»
The arrest was not connected to the Trump administration’s plan to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations during the ongoing partial government shutdown, DHS said.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said the incident was «upsetting» and that the city’s sanctuary policies would not change.
«I have spoken to leaders at SFO and SFPD, and we believe this is an isolated incident,» Lurie said in a post on X.
«We have no reason to believe there is broader federal immigration enforcement at SFO. SFPD officers remained at the scene to maintain public safety and were not involved in the incident,» the mayor continued. «Under our city’s longstanding policies, local law enforcement does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement. Those policies keep us safe and will not change as long as I’m mayor.»
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in California seen on Nov. 27, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco and candidate for U.S. Congress, held a news conference Monday outside the airport to denounce the actions of federal authorities. Several Democratic candidates for California governor also sharply criticized ICE in response to the video.
«We don’t want ICE here and when ICE descends on our communities, it only creates fear,» Wiener said, according to The Associated Press.
In the video, one female onlooker can be heard repeatedly demanding the officers show their badges.
«This is an illegal arrest, show us your badge number,» the woman can be heard saying.
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The San Francisco Police Department said its officers did not take part in the arrest, noting the incident involved federal immigration authorities and that local police remained on scene only to maintain public safety.
«SFPD officers were not involved in the incident but remained at the scene to maintain public safety,» the department said in a statement, adding that city policy prohibits officers from assisting in the enforcement of federal civil immigration laws.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
immigration, democratic party, california, san francisco
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