Eric Tucker, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Former FBI Director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, June 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Justice Department insists Comey indictment was properly approved as it tries to keep case afloat

November 20, 2025

The Trump-appointed prosecutor overseeing the James Comey case is insisting in a new court filing that the full grand jury approved the final indictment against the former FBI director. She is reversing course from statements a day earlier that defense lawyers had seized on to ask for a dismissal. The latest statements from Lindsey Halligan, the hastily named interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, represent an attempt to backtrack on earlier comments the prosecution team made under persistent questioning from a judge about the seemingly jumbled process leading to the return of the two-count indictment.

FILE - Lindsey Halligan, outside of the White House, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Judge to hear arguments challenging appointment of prosecutor who charged James Comey, Letitia James

November 12, 2025

Lawyers for two of President Donald Trump’s foes who have been charged by the Justice Department are set to ask a federal judge to dismiss the cases against them, saying the prosecutor who secured the indictments was illegally installed in the role. The challenges to Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as interim U.S. attorney are part of multi-prong efforts by former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James to get their cases dismissed before trial. At issue during Thursday’s arguments are the complex constitutional and statutory rules governing the appointment of the nation’s U.S. attorneys, who function as top federal prosecutors in Justice Department offices across the country.

New York Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/John Clark)

Letitia James calls mortgage fraud case against her vindictive and asks judge to dismiss it

November 7, 2025

New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a federal judge to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy. Friday’s motion, which had been expected, lays out a litany of comments from President Donald Trump designed to show the case was driven by personal animus that arose out of James’ lawsuit against Trump and his companies in her capacity as state attorney general.

FILE - The State Department seal is seen on the briefing room lectern at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 31, 2022. (Mandel Ngan, Pool via AP, File)

State Department adviser charged with illegally retaining classified records

October 14, 2025

A senior adviser at the State Department and expert on Indian and South Affairs is accused by the Justice Department of printing out classified documents and storing more than 1,000 pages of highly sensitive government records in filing cabinets and trash bags at home. Ashley Tellis, who has also worked as a contractor in the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment, was charged in federal court in Virginia with the unlawful retention of national defense information after FBI agents who searched his home over the weekend found what they said was a trove of records marked as classified at the secret and top secret levels. One of his lawyers says the defense team looks forward to a detention hearing at which they’ll be able to present evidence.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks with Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., as he appears before the House Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League after conservative complaints

October 3, 2025

FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with two organizations that for decades have tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias, a move that follows complaints about the groups from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump. Patel said on Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States. A statement earlier in the week from Patel said the FBI would end ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his first oversight hearing, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FBI fires agents photographed kneeling during 2020 racial justice protest, AP sources say

September 26, 2025

The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. That’s according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The bureau had reassigned the agents last spring but has since fired them. The FBI declined to comment.

The indictment of former FBI director James Comey is photographed Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

A look at the Trump-Comey relationship and the indictment against the former FBI director

September 25, 2025

The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey represents the first criminal case against a perceived adversary of President Donald Trump so far in this administration. It comes on the heels of his public demands for Justice Department prosecutions of people he dislikes. The criminal case, legally speaking, centers on false statements Comey is alleged to have made to Congress five years ago. But it also represents the latest chapter in a long-strained relationship whose bitter dynamics burst into public view when Trump fired Comey amid an intensifying FBI investigation into his first presidential campaign.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks before President Donald Trump signs a memorandum in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Patel to face Senate amid questions over probe into Charlie Kirk’s killing and internal FBI upheaval

September 15, 2025

Kash Patel will confront skeptical Senate Democrats at a congressional hearing likely to be dominated by questions about the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s killing as well as the recent firings of senior officials who have accused the FBI director of illegal political retribution. The appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday represents the first oversight hearing of Patel’s young but tumultuous tenure and provides a high-stakes platform for him to try to reassure wary lawmakers that he is the right person for the job at a time of internal upheaval and mounting concerns about political violence inside the U.S.

Kash Patel speaks at a news conference, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah, as Utah department of public safety commissioner Beau Mason, left, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox listen. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Patel faces congressional hearings after missteps in Kirk assassination probe and turmoil at FBI

September 13, 2025

FBI Director Kash Patel is bracing for scrutiny over his leadership of the Charlie Kirk investigation and other areas when he appears before Congress this coming week for oversight hearings. He raised eyebrows hours after Kirk’s killing when he posted on X that “the subject” in the killing was in custody when he in fact remained on the loose. That confusion was an early misstep in an investigation that has become the most consequential test of Patel’s young career as director. The hearings are expected to give a glimpse into the sustained tumult at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.

A group of FBI agents leave former national security adviser John Bolton's house where FBI searched the home, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

FBI seized phones, computer equipment, folders during search of Bolton’s home, records show

September 4, 2025

The FBI seized phones, computer equipment and typed documents from the home of John Bolton as part of an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s first-term national security adviser mishandled government secrets. That’s according to court records unsealed Thursday. The criminal investigation burst into view last month when agents searched Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, and his office in Washington. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press at the time that the investigation concerned allegations of the potential mishandling of classified information. No charges have been filed.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FBI agents who had accused bureau of politicization during Biden administration reach settlements

August 26, 2025

The Justice Department has reached settlements with a group of current and former FBI agents who have said they were disciplined for invoking their political beliefs or clashing with supervisors about approaches to investigations. Empower Oversight, a group founded and led by former staff members of Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, announced the resolutions of 10 cases, including eight settlements in the last two weeks. Three of the agents are returning to duty at the FBI. Others are being permitted to voluntarily retire, and some are receiving restoration of back pay and benefits. Most of the cases concern agents who had accused the FBI of politicizing its work during President Joe Biden’s administration, a claim leadership denied.

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference at the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

What’s known and not yet known about the Justice Department’s scrutiny of Trump-Russia probe origins

August 5, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to criminally investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe from the Obama era. This move reopens a highly scrutinized chapter in American history. Bondi has directed President Donald Trump’s Justice Department prosecutors to present evidence to a grand jury. The investigation’s specifics, including which prosecutors are involved and potential charges, remain unclear. The Trump administration has been challenging intelligence community conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. This probe adds to a series of inquiries into Russian interference and the U.S. government’s response, which have revealed significant flaws but no criminal wrongdoing.

FILE - Former CIA Director John Brennan arrives for a meeting at the Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Years later, key figures in Russia investigation face new scrutiny from Trump administration

July 10, 2025

The Justice Department appeared to acknowledge in an unusual statement this week the existence of investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. Both officials played key roles in the U.S. government’s response to Russian interference in the 2016 election won by President Donald Trump and have drawn his ire. That the Russia investigation would resurface is hardly surprising given President Donald Trump’s lingering ire over the inquiry and because longtime allies, including Patel and current CIA Director John Ratcliffe, now lead the same agencies whose actions they once lambasted.

President Donald Trump, center, speaking during a cabinet meeting with from l-r., Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of Housing, Eric Scott Turner, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright at the White House, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump comes to Bondi’s defense amid uproar from his base over Jeffrey Epstein files flop

July 8, 2025

President Donald Trump is defending Attorney General Pam Bondi as she faces mounting criticism from far-right influencers and conservative internet personalities over the Justice Department’s abrupt refusal to release additional documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. When a reporter attempted to ask Bondi about Epstein at a White House Cabinet meeting, Trump headed off the questions and scolded the journalist: “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years.” The comments appeared to signal continued job security for Bondi and amounted to a striking rebuke of members of Trump’s base.

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

2 Chinese nationals charged with spying inside the US for Beijing, Justice Department says

July 1, 2025

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with spying inside the United States on behalf of Beijing, including by taking photographs of a naval base and by participating in efforts to recruit members of the military who they thought might be open to working for Chinese intelligence. The case was filed in federal court in San Francisco and unsealed Monday. It’s the latest Justice Department prosecution to target what officials say are active efforts by the Chinese government to secretly collect intelligence about American military capabilities.

FILE - FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a budget hearing on Capitol Hill, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

FBI says it plans to move headquarters to different location in Washington

July 1, 2025

The FBI has announced that it planned to move its Washington headquarters several blocks away from its current five-decade-old home. The bureau and the General Services Administration said the Ronald Reagan Building complex had been selected as the new location, the latest development in a yearslong back-and-forth over where the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency should have its headquarters. It was not immediately clear when such a move might take place or what sort of logistical hurdles might need to be cleared in order to accomplish it. FBI Director Kash Patel, who in his first months on the job has presided over a dramatic restructuring of the bureau, called the announcement “a historic moment for the FBI.”

Judge rejects another Trump executive order targeting the legal community

June 27, 2025

A federal judge has struck down another of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled that the order against the firm of Susman Godfrey was unconstitutional and must be permanently blocked. The order was the latest ruling to reject Trump’s efforts to punish law firms for legal work he does not like and for employing attorneys he perceives as his adversaries. The Susman Godfrey firm suggested that it had drawn Trump’s ire at least in part because it represented Dominion Voting Systems in the voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News over false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election. The suit ended in a massive settlement.

A National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security warning of a "heightened threat environment" following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, is photographed June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

As US cities heighten security, Iran’s history of reprisal points to murder-for-hire plots

June 23, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security is warning of a heightened threat environment following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The deputy FBI director says the bureau’s “assets are fully engaged” to prevent retaliatory violence, and local law enforcement agencies in major cities like New York are on high alert. No credible threats to the homeland have surfaced publicly in the hours since the stealth American attack, and it’s unclear what bearing a potential ceasefire announced by the U.S. between Israel and Iran might have on potential threats or how lasting such an arrangement might be. But the potential for reprisal is no idle concern. Rather than planning acts of mass violence, Iran’s most common tactic has been murder-for-hire plots.

FILE - Christine Levinson, center, wife of Robert Levinson, and her children, Dan Levinson, right, and Samantha Levinson talk to reporters in New York, Jan. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Family of ex-FBI agent presumed dead in Iran hopes talks with US can lead to return of his remains

June 20, 2025

The family of a retired FBI agent presumed dead after vanishing in Iran 18 years ago is calling for any deal between the United States and Iran to include the return of his remains. The U.S. government in 2020 said that it had concluded that Robert Levinson had died while in the custody of Iran. Daniel Levinson, one of Levinson’s sons, said that as President Donald Trump signals an interest in diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear program that could avert direct U.S. military involvement in Iran’s war with Israel, now is the time for Washington to use its “leverage to hold them responsible.”

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance

June 20, 2025

President Donald Trump is calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim the contest was marred by widespread fraud. Friday’s social media post by the Republican president was made as his White House is consumed by a hugely substantial foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war. Trump’s call for a special prosecutor is part of his amped-up effort to undermine the legitimacy of Biden’s presidency. Earlier this month, Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden’s actions as president, alleging aides masked Biden’s “cognitive decline.” Biden has dismissed the investigation as “a mere distraction.”

FILE - FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Manassas FBI Field Office, March 27, 2025, in Manassas, VA. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, File)

Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime, illegal immigration. Other threats abound, too

June 8, 2025

The FBI under the leadership of Director Kash Patel has made fighting violent crime and illegal immigration top priorities. That effort brings the bureau into alignment with the vision of President Donald Trump, who has made a crackdown on illegal immigration, cartels and transnational gangs a cornerstone of his administration. The FBI said in a statement that its dedication to investigating terrorism had not changed but acknowledged that it “continuously analyzes the threat landscape” and makes adjustments as necessary. Yet some are concerned the heightened focus on violent crime and immigration risks diverting attention from some of the complicated criminal and national security threats for which the bureau has long borne primary responsibility for investigating.

President Donald Trump speaks during the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump’s campaign against law firms dealt another setback as judge blocks executive order

May 27, 2025

President Donald Trump’s campaign against the legal profession has hit another setback as a federal judge struck down yet another executive order that sought to sanction one of the country’s most prestigious law firms. The order on Tuesday in favor of WilmerHale marks the third time this month that a federal judge in Washington has deemed Trump’s series of law firm executive orders to be unconstitutional and has permanently barred their enforcement. The ruling was similar to one from Friday by a different judge that rejected a Trump edict against the firm of Jenner & Block and another one from earlier in the month in favor of the firm Perkins Coie.

Judge blocks another Trump executive order targeting a major law firm

May 23, 2025

A federal judge has permanently blocked another of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting a major law firm, calling it unconstitutional retaliation designed to punish lawyers for their legal work that the White House does not like. The ruling from U.S. District Judge John Bates in favor of Jenner & Block marks the second time this month that a judge has struck down a Trump executive order against a prominent firm. The spate of executive orders announced by Trump sought to impose the same consequences against the targeted firms, including suspending security clearances of attorneys and barring employees from federal buildings.

Eric Tucker.

Justice Department insists Comey indictment was properly approved as it tries to keep case afloat

Judge to hear arguments challenging appointment of prosecutor who charged James Comey, Letitia James

Letitia James calls mortgage fraud case against her vindictive and asks judge to dismiss it

State Department adviser charged with illegally retaining classified records

FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League after conservative complaints

FBI fires agents photographed kneeling during 2020 racial justice protest, AP sources say

A look at the Trump-Comey relationship and the indictment against the former FBI director

Patel to face Senate amid questions over probe into Charlie Kirk’s killing and internal FBI upheaval

Patel faces congressional hearings after missteps in Kirk assassination probe and turmoil at FBI

FBI seized phones, computer equipment, folders during search of Bolton’s home, records show

FBI agents who had accused bureau of politicization during Biden administration reach settlements

What’s known and not yet known about the Justice Department’s scrutiny of Trump-Russia probe origins

Years later, key figures in Russia investigation face new scrutiny from Trump administration

Trump comes to Bondi’s defense amid uproar from his base over Jeffrey Epstein files flop

2 Chinese nationals charged with spying inside the US for Beijing, Justice Department says

FBI says it plans to move headquarters to different location in Washington

Judge rejects another Trump executive order targeting the legal community

As US cities heighten security, Iran’s history of reprisal points to murder-for-hire plots

Family of ex-FBI agent presumed dead in Iran hopes talks with US can lead to return of his remains

Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance

Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime, illegal immigration. Other threats abound, too

Trump’s campaign against law firms dealt another setback as judge blocks executive order

Judge blocks another Trump executive order targeting a major law firm

Finance.