Amanda Carpenter
@amandacarpenter.bsky.social
Writer/Editor
@protectdemocracy.org. Views are my own. NeverTrump from the jump, Bulwark alum. Former reporter, Hill staffer, CNN contributor. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter! http://IfYouCanKeepIt.org 🇺🇸
@protectdemocracy.org. Views are my own. NeverTrump from the jump, Bulwark alum. Former reporter, Hill staffer, CNN contributor. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter! http://IfYouCanKeepIt.org 🇺🇸
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Nearly ten years ago I co-founded @wbaidlaw.bsky.social to provide pro bono representation of whistleblowers.
Yet another example of the great work it does.
The DNI & Tulsi Gabbard have a lot of explaining to do.
Yet another example of the great work it does.
The DNI & Tulsi Gabbard have a lot of explaining to do.
Exclusive: A U.S. official has alleged wrongdoing by U.S. spy chief Tulsi Gabbard in a complaint that is so highly classified it has sparked months of wrangling over how to share it with Congress, according to people familiar with the matter.
Classified Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Stalls Within Her Agency
Congress hasn’t seen the complaint, which was filed eight months ago with the U.S. intelligence community watchdog’s office.
on.wsj.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Nearly ten years ago I co-founded @wbaidlaw.bsky.social to provide pro bono representation of whistleblowers.
Yet another example of the great work it does.
The DNI & Tulsi Gabbard have a lot of explaining to do.
Yet another example of the great work it does.
The DNI & Tulsi Gabbard have a lot of explaining to do.
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Last night, GOP Senator Rand Paul went on national TV to flatly reject DHS's lies about the Pretti execution:
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
February 2, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Last night, GOP Senator Rand Paul went on national TV to flatly reject DHS's lies about the Pretti execution:
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
"My advice to [DHS], if they're watching:
If you come into [our hearing] and try to justify that [Pretti] was assaulting a police officer, that cannot be acceptable."
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Accountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 1, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
They aren’t deescalating anything. They’re claiming new extra-constitutional powers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 11:30 PM
They aren’t deescalating anything. They’re claiming new extra-constitutional powers.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Most recently, @amandacarpenter.bsky.social wrote about how the ramping up of state force in response to political dissent is all about eliminating competition in this year’s midterm elections — and, ultimately, in an effort to entrench himself in power. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/free-speec...
January 30, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Most recently, @amandacarpenter.bsky.social wrote about how the ramping up of state force in response to political dissent is all about eliminating competition in this year’s midterm elections — and, ultimately, in an effort to entrench himself in power. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/free-speec...
Update: All three have bailed on this appearance.
No Noem, no Bondi, no Gabbard.
Once again when these folks need to deliver substance, evidence, to a smart audience...they don't have the goods.
No Noem, no Bondi, no Gabbard.
Once again when these folks need to deliver substance, evidence, to a smart audience...they don't have the goods.
This is the full suite of power the Trump Admin will use to tilt the midterms: DHS, DoJ, and Intel.
None of these folks has the credibility to tell the truth or be fair.
Remember 2020. These are the levers Trump tried to pull before January 6.
None of these folks has the credibility to tell the truth or be fair.
Remember 2020. These are the levers Trump tried to pull before January 6.
January 30, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Update: All three have bailed on this appearance.
No Noem, no Bondi, no Gabbard.
Once again when these folks need to deliver substance, evidence, to a smart audience...they don't have the goods.
No Noem, no Bondi, no Gabbard.
Once again when these folks need to deliver substance, evidence, to a smart audience...they don't have the goods.
Bondi says she personally directed the arrest, WH smears and cheers.
January 30, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Bondi says she personally directed the arrest, WH smears and cheers.
Don Lemon has been arrested, and the federal agents who killed people in MN walk free.
What's wrong with this picture.
What's wrong with this picture.
January 30, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Don Lemon has been arrested, and the federal agents who killed people in MN walk free.
What's wrong with this picture.
What's wrong with this picture.
This is insane. He had a camera with him. He interviewed the pastor! www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested after Minnesota church protest
Don Lemon, a journalist and former CNN anchor, was arrested on Jan. 29, according to CBS News and New York Times.
www.usatoday.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:42 PM
This is insane. He had a camera with him. He interviewed the pastor! www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Heads up--this is happening today.
Noem, Bondi, & Gabbard are delivering a message to Secretaries of State.
The people who run our elections.
Why? What is Noem, fresh off smearing ICE victims, Bondi, who tried to shake down voter data from MN, and Gabbard, who just raided Fulton, going to say?
Noem, Bondi, & Gabbard are delivering a message to Secretaries of State.
The people who run our elections.
Why? What is Noem, fresh off smearing ICE victims, Bondi, who tried to shake down voter data from MN, and Gabbard, who just raided Fulton, going to say?
January 30, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Heads up--this is happening today.
Noem, Bondi, & Gabbard are delivering a message to Secretaries of State.
The people who run our elections.
Why? What is Noem, fresh off smearing ICE victims, Bondi, who tried to shake down voter data from MN, and Gabbard, who just raided Fulton, going to say?
Noem, Bondi, & Gabbard are delivering a message to Secretaries of State.
The people who run our elections.
Why? What is Noem, fresh off smearing ICE victims, Bondi, who tried to shake down voter data from MN, and Gabbard, who just raided Fulton, going to say?
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
I wrote about how in a December email to me, RFK Jr.'s HHS insisted the current South Carolina measles outbreak wouldn't get that bad—and how it has since snowballed into the biggest US outbreak since measles was eliminated. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
HHS wasn't worried about South Carolina's measles outbreak. It's now enormous.
“CDC is not currently concerned that this will develop into a large, long-running outbreak," the agency said in December.
www.motherjones.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I wrote about how in a December email to me, RFK Jr.'s HHS insisted the current South Carolina measles outbreak wouldn't get that bad—and how it has since snowballed into the biggest US outbreak since measles was eliminated. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I don't think ICE raids in Minneapolis and the FBI raids in Fulton are coincidences.
Before deploying thousands of DHS agents to MN, a state he falsely claims he won 3x, Trump latched onto the Somali fraud ring story.
Trump's lies about voter fraud in Fulton are the reason for the FBI raid.
Before deploying thousands of DHS agents to MN, a state he falsely claims he won 3x, Trump latched onto the Somali fraud ring story.
Trump's lies about voter fraud in Fulton are the reason for the FBI raid.
January 29, 2026 at 11:11 PM
I don't think ICE raids in Minneapolis and the FBI raids in Fulton are coincidences.
Before deploying thousands of DHS agents to MN, a state he falsely claims he won 3x, Trump latched onto the Somali fraud ring story.
Trump's lies about voter fraud in Fulton are the reason for the FBI raid.
Before deploying thousands of DHS agents to MN, a state he falsely claims he won 3x, Trump latched onto the Somali fraud ring story.
Trump's lies about voter fraud in Fulton are the reason for the FBI raid.
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Rand Paul: "After seeing this, if you call this a good shooting you aren't watching the video. This was a real tragedy and a mistake. The man had been disarmed and then shot 10 times ... if we say things that are obviously not true, the situation is going to get worse."
January 29, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Rand Paul: "After seeing this, if you call this a good shooting you aren't watching the video. This was a real tragedy and a mistake. The man had been disarmed and then shot 10 times ... if we say things that are obviously not true, the situation is going to get worse."
ICE agents were the ones with the guns. They are the ones masked up, armed up, and shooting people.
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 3:20 PM
ICE agents were the ones with the guns. They are the ones masked up, armed up, and shooting people.
Do you have a contingent of masked staff to escort you to the kitchen? Pls be safe.
Wish me luck, men; I'm headed in-theater (to get breakfast).
January 29, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Do you have a contingent of masked staff to escort you to the kitchen? Pls be safe.
3,000 agents that Homan describes as being "in theater" like it's a war. 3,000 agents in a state with a relatively LOW population of undocumented people compared to say, the red states of Florida and Texas.
The overwhelming amount of force in MN is unreal.
The overwhelming amount of force in MN is unreal.
Q: Can you be specific about how many ICE and CBP agents are currently operating in the state?
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
January 29, 2026 at 2:12 PM
3,000 agents that Homan describes as being "in theater" like it's a war. 3,000 agents in a state with a relatively LOW population of undocumented people compared to say, the red states of Florida and Texas.
The overwhelming amount of force in MN is unreal.
The overwhelming amount of force in MN is unreal.
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
The charges against protestors announced today by Bondi were very clearly done with producing #content as the first priority and law enforcement a distant second. The decision to wave mugshots around is already harming DOJ's credibility in court www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
January 29, 2026 at 2:08 AM
The charges against protestors announced today by Bondi were very clearly done with producing #content as the first priority and law enforcement a distant second. The decision to wave mugshots around is already harming DOJ's credibility in court www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
With all this money they are buying up warehouses and telling state and local govt nothing they can do about it.
"By buying the building, the federal government will be able to do as it pleases with the warehouse without an agreement with local or state government."
www.wypr.org/wypr-news/20...
"By buying the building, the federal government will be able to do as it pleases with the warehouse without an agreement with local or state government."
www.wypr.org/wypr-news/20...
January 29, 2026 at 12:32 PM
With all this money they are buying up warehouses and telling state and local govt nothing they can do about it.
"By buying the building, the federal government will be able to do as it pleases with the warehouse without an agreement with local or state government."
www.wypr.org/wypr-news/20...
"By buying the building, the federal government will be able to do as it pleases with the warehouse without an agreement with local or state government."
www.wypr.org/wypr-news/20...
ICE has an acronym for when they detain US citizens, which, of course, should not be happening.
They call them "USCs" — US citizens in custody.
And after Pretti was shot, they grabbed a bunch of USCs, held them in custody, not for any investigative purpose.
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
They call them "USCs" — US citizens in custody.
And after Pretti was shot, they grabbed a bunch of USCs, held them in custody, not for any investigative purpose.
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
Minneapolis man says he was detained for hours after witnessing Alex Pretti shooting
New affidavits filed in court detail how witnesses were arrested immediately after the shooting of Alex Pretti.
www.cbsnews.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:22 PM
ICE has an acronym for when they detain US citizens, which, of course, should not be happening.
They call them "USCs" — US citizens in custody.
And after Pretti was shot, they grabbed a bunch of USCs, held them in custody, not for any investigative purpose.
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
They call them "USCs" — US citizens in custody.
And after Pretti was shot, they grabbed a bunch of USCs, held them in custody, not for any investigative purpose.
www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Big win for spending transparency: A federal court granted our motion to enforce its injunction against OMB, ordering the agency to disclose spending plans that impose binding conditions on fed spending.
If it affects how money is spent, the public needs to see it. Read more: protdem.org/4k6cDHv
If it affects how money is spent, the public needs to see it. Read more: protdem.org/4k6cDHv
January 28, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Big win for spending transparency: A federal court granted our motion to enforce its injunction against OMB, ordering the agency to disclose spending plans that impose binding conditions on fed spending.
If it affects how money is spent, the public needs to see it. Read more: protdem.org/4k6cDHv
If it affects how money is spent, the public needs to see it. Read more: protdem.org/4k6cDHv
Harriet Hageman, the Trump-backed candidate who ousted Liz Cheney, was booed out of her town hall because she wouldn't condemn the ICE killings.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
Hageman cuts short Casper town hall after contentious exchanges over ICE killings - WyoFile
The congresswoman faced questions about the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, saying she'd have to see a completed investigation, drawing shouts and insults.
wyofile.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Harriet Hageman, the Trump-backed candidate who ousted Liz Cheney, was booed out of her town hall because she wouldn't condemn the ICE killings.
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
wyofile.com/hageman-cuts...
This is accurate. Trump has not changed course. He is trying to contain political damage. That's it. There is not pivot. There is no shift at this point. Past experience shows the "new tone," if you can call it that, will be temporary.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
January 28, 2026 at 3:16 PM
This is accurate. Trump has not changed course. He is trying to contain political damage. That's it. There is not pivot. There is no shift at this point. Past experience shows the "new tone," if you can call it that, will be temporary.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
Reposted by Amanda Carpenter
Rand Paul: "There has to be an investigation. I don't know who trusts an investigation done by DHS when they're the ones calling this person an 'assassin,' a 'domestic terrorist,' saying he was assaulting police. How can they be in charge of an independent investigation? Something's got to happen."
January 28, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Rand Paul: "There has to be an investigation. I don't know who trusts an investigation done by DHS when they're the ones calling this person an 'assassin,' a 'domestic terrorist,' saying he was assaulting police. How can they be in charge of an independent investigation? Something's got to happen."