Andy Kroll
@andykroll.bsky.social
Investigative reporter for PROPUBLICA
Contact me: 202-215-6203 (phone/Signal)
First book: A DEATH ON W STREET
Next book: Southern true-crime epic about porn kingpin Michael Thevis, the mob, and the FBI. Imagine Goodfellas meets Boogie Nights…
Contact me: 202-215-6203 (phone/Signal)
First book: A DEATH ON W STREET
Next book: Southern true-crime epic about porn kingpin Michael Thevis, the mob, and the FBI. Imagine Goodfellas meets Boogie Nights…
Pinned
Andy Kroll
@andykroll.bsky.social
· Jan 8
~Personal news~ Thrilled to announce that I'm writing a book for @grandcentralpub.bsky.social!
I cover politics by day, but I'm a true-crime junkie at heart.
My new book is a wild journey into one of the great crime epics of the 20th century — and the American kingpin at the heart of it.
I cover politics by day, but I'm a true-crime junkie at heart.
My new book is a wild journey into one of the great crime epics of the 20th century — and the American kingpin at the heart of it.
Reposted by Andy Kroll
A note from our editors:
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
A note from our editors:
Reposted by Andy Kroll
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Brooke Nevils: "I have spent the long years since using my otherwise abandoned skills as a journalist to report and write the book about sexual harassment and assault that I wish had existed for me."
Read and share this powerful and important story: www.thecut.com/article/me-t...
Read and share this powerful and important story: www.thecut.com/article/me-t...
Lessons From My Me Too
In 2017, I accused the Today show’s longest-serving anchor of sexual misconduct. I was no one’s perfect victim.
www.thecut.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Brooke Nevils: "I have spent the long years since using my otherwise abandoned skills as a journalist to report and write the book about sexual harassment and assault that I wish had existed for me."
Read and share this powerful and important story: www.thecut.com/article/me-t...
Read and share this powerful and important story: www.thecut.com/article/me-t...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
With widespread layoffs expected at The Washington Post, reporters are sending letters to Jeff Bezos, urging him to reverse course. The newest letter is from the Post's White House reporters, who are defending the desks that are facing major cuts... www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/m...
January 29, 2026 at 2:15 PM
With widespread layoffs expected at The Washington Post, reporters are sending letters to Jeff Bezos, urging him to reverse course. The newest letter is from the Post's White House reporters, who are defending the desks that are facing major cuts... www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/m...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
just going to leave this here www.propublica.org/series/life-...
January 23, 2026 at 6:25 PM
just going to leave this here www.propublica.org/series/life-...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
The White House posted an edited photo of the activist involved in the Minneapolis church protest, made to look like she was crying.
January 22, 2026 at 6:14 PM
The White House posted an edited photo of the activist involved in the Minneapolis church protest, made to look like she was crying.
Reposted by Andy Kroll
The fugitive known as “Bitcoin Jesus” was indicted for tax evasion and facing prison.
Then he hired a “Friend of Trump.”
This is how it went down, from Avi Asher-Schapiro & @mtredden.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/bitc...
Then he hired a “Friend of Trump.”
This is how it went down, from Avi Asher-Schapiro & @mtredden.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/bitc...
January 22, 2026 at 12:03 PM
The fugitive known as “Bitcoin Jesus” was indicted for tax evasion and facing prison.
Then he hired a “Friend of Trump.”
This is how it went down, from Avi Asher-Schapiro & @mtredden.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/bitc...
Then he hired a “Friend of Trump.”
This is how it went down, from Avi Asher-Schapiro & @mtredden.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/bitc...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
Yes, immigration agents not only took Arnoldo's phone, the 10th grader had to use Find My Phone to locate it — in a vending machine for used electronics, close to an ICE detention center.
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 14, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Yes, immigration agents not only took Arnoldo's phone, the 10th grader had to use Find My Phone to locate it — in a vending machine for used electronics, close to an ICE detention center.
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
A functioning democracy relies on journalism that can examine the actions of people in power and bring the full truth to light.
ProPublica has no owners, shareholders or government funding — our only allegiance is to the public.
Join us by Dec. 31:
ProPublica has no owners, shareholders or government funding — our only allegiance is to the public.
Join us by Dec. 31:
Donate to ProPublica
Donate today to support ProPublica's singular mission: to produce deep-dive, well-researched, nonpartisan journalism that spurs real-world change.
propub.li
December 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
A functioning democracy relies on journalism that can examine the actions of people in power and bring the full truth to light.
ProPublica has no owners, shareholders or government funding — our only allegiance is to the public.
Join us by Dec. 31:
ProPublica has no owners, shareholders or government funding — our only allegiance is to the public.
Join us by Dec. 31:
As Russ Vought attempts to dismantle one of the nation's most prestigious scientific research institutions, watch @propublica.org's YouTube doc about who Vought is, how he got so much power — and what, in the end, he wants: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
YouTube video by ProPublica
www.youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
As Russ Vought attempts to dismantle one of the nation's most prestigious scientific research institutions, watch @propublica.org's YouTube doc about who Vought is, how he got so much power — and what, in the end, he wants: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances:
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published October w/ @newyorker.com)
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published October w/ @newyorker.com)
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...
www.propublica.org
December 19, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances:
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published October w/ @newyorker.com)
“I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
(Published October w/ @newyorker.com)
Chomsky! Didn't see that one coming...
New pics from House Oversight Dems are beyond disturbing. Featuring:
- girls being sold for $1000
- Bill Gates, David Brooks & Noam Chomsky
- scary writing on girls' bodies
Epstein Files set to release Oct 19. MAGA Speaker Johnson just adjourned the House. The man is literally protecting PDFiles.
- girls being sold for $1000
- Bill Gates, David Brooks & Noam Chomsky
- scary writing on girls' bodies
Epstein Files set to release Oct 19. MAGA Speaker Johnson just adjourned the House. The man is literally protecting PDFiles.
December 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Chomsky! Didn't see that one coming...
Love love this. Support ProPublica!
If you donate $40 to @propublica.org for Giving Tuesday, you can get this awesome Tips Tote: ‘Someone reading this tote has the next big story. Is it you?’ give.propublica.org/campaign/749...
December 2, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Love love this. Support ProPublica!
Reposted by Andy Kroll
ProPublica’s @andykroll.bsky.social spent months chronicling Russ Vought’s rise from the Senate mailroom to one of the most influential players in the current Trump administration, where he has tried to fulfill his desire to put federal workers “in trauma.”
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
YouTube video by ProPublica
www.youtube.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 AM
ProPublica’s @andykroll.bsky.social spent months chronicling Russ Vought’s rise from the Senate mailroom to one of the most influential players in the current Trump administration, where he has tried to fulfill his desire to put federal workers “in trauma.”
Reposted by Andy Kroll
1/ I’d like to share what’s happened since Sept. 30, the night of the most dramatic raid of the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Under the cover of darkness, 37 immigrants were taken from an apartment complex …🧵
November 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
1/ I’d like to share what’s happened since Sept. 30, the night of the most dramatic raid of the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Under the cover of darkness, 37 immigrants were taken from an apartment complex …🧵
Reposted by Andy Kroll
Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances: “I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
By @andykroll.bsky.social, with @newyorker.com
By @andykroll.bsky.social, with @newyorker.com
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that…
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances: “I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”
By @andykroll.bsky.social, with @newyorker.com
By @andykroll.bsky.social, with @newyorker.com
NEW: I spoke with the inestimable Terry Gross (!) on @nprfreshair.bsky.social about my year-long investigation of Russ Vought, the "shadow president" of Trump's second presidency.
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Who's the man behind President Trump's dismantling of the federal government?
In a New Yorker article co-published with ProPublica, reporter Andy Kroll describes Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, as a "shadow president" with oversized influence.
www.npr.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:30 PM
NEW: I spoke with the inestimable Terry Gross (!) on @nprfreshair.bsky.social about my year-long investigation of Russ Vought, the "shadow president" of Trump's second presidency.
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Listen here: www.npr.org/2025/10/30/n...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
SCOOP
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage
A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica erects new roadblocks to care for veterans with the rare but deadly cancer. The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive orde...
www.propublica.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:15 AM
SCOOP
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
“If you’re watching television and the words ‘woke and weaponized’ come out of a politician’s mouth, you can know that this is coming ... from the strategies we’re putting out,” Vought boasted in a recording obtained by ProPublica.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
By @andykroll.bsky.social
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who ...
www.propublica.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM
“If you’re watching television and the words ‘woke and weaponized’ come out of a politician’s mouth, you can know that this is coming ... from the strategies we’re putting out,” Vought boasted in a recording obtained by ProPublica.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
By @andykroll.bsky.social
I obtained ~dozens of hours~ of previously unreported recordings of Russ Vought's briefings from 2021 to 2024.
Want to hear the recordings yourself? Watch @propublica.org's
new mini-documentary about Vought 👇
THE SHADOW PRESIDENT www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Want to hear the recordings yourself? Watch @propublica.org's
new mini-documentary about Vought 👇
THE SHADOW PRESIDENT www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
YouTube video by ProPublica
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I obtained ~dozens of hours~ of previously unreported recordings of Russ Vought's briefings from 2021 to 2024.
Want to hear the recordings yourself? Watch @propublica.org's
new mini-documentary about Vought 👇
THE SHADOW PRESIDENT www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Want to hear the recordings yourself? Watch @propublica.org's
new mini-documentary about Vought 👇
THE SHADOW PRESIDENT www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Lu...
Reposted by Andy Kroll
While Elon Musk brandished the DOGE buzzsaw, insiders saw Russ Vought’s prints on DOGE’s actions.
“I can’t imagine that the DOGE team knew to target all these little parts of the government without Russ pointing them there,” a former official said.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
“I can’t imagine that the DOGE team knew to target all these little parts of the government without Russ pointing them there,” a former official said.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
Russell Vought, Trump's Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump's second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that insiders say they feel like “he is the commander in chief.”
www.propublica.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
While Elon Musk brandished the DOGE buzzsaw, insiders saw Russ Vought’s prints on DOGE’s actions.
“I can’t imagine that the DOGE team knew to target all these little parts of the government without Russ pointing them there,” a former official said.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
“I can’t imagine that the DOGE team knew to target all these little parts of the government without Russ pointing them there,” a former official said.
By @andykroll.bsky.social
NEW: When Russ Vought told Trump in 2021 about his new plan to keep MAGA going, the president asked him to find a way for conservatives to push back against Black Lives Matter.
“This was an assignment I was given from President Trump,” Vought later recalled. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
“This was an assignment I was given from President Trump,” Vought later recalled. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Donald Trump’s Deep-State Wrecking Ball
Russell Vought is using the White House budget office to lay waste to the federal bureaucracy—firing workers, decimating agencies, and testing the rule of law.
www.newyorker.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:14 PM
NEW: When Russ Vought told Trump in 2021 about his new plan to keep MAGA going, the president asked him to find a way for conservatives to push back against Black Lives Matter.
“This was an assignment I was given from President Trump,” Vought later recalled. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
“This was an assignment I was given from President Trump,” Vought later recalled. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Thx for joining the AMA. As I said there, I interviewed *and* quoted current + former CFPBers (see the part that begins, “Current and former CFPB staff told me…”).
The story doesn’t say the agency is permanently closed. It describes Vought et al’s actions so far, quotes Chopra’s “coma” comment.
The story doesn’t say the agency is permanently closed. It describes Vought et al’s actions so far, quotes Chopra’s “coma” comment.
We asked @andykroll.bsky.social on Reddit why his "deep dive" on Vought spent so little ink on Russy's anti-American Christian Nationalist beliefs, why he didn't quote current CFPB workers, & why he misled readers by declaring Vought's illegal shutdown final (it isn't, & we need you in this fight).
October 23, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Thx for joining the AMA. As I said there, I interviewed *and* quoted current + former CFPBers (see the part that begins, “Current and former CFPB staff told me…”).
The story doesn’t say the agency is permanently closed. It describes Vought et al’s actions so far, quotes Chopra’s “coma” comment.
The story doesn’t say the agency is permanently closed. It describes Vought et al’s actions so far, quotes Chopra’s “coma” comment.
“We work for the president of the United States,” a senior agency official who deals with OMB told me.
But right now, “it feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.” www.propublica.org/article/russ...
But right now, “it feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.” www.propublica.org/article/russ...
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...
www.propublica.org
October 22, 2025 at 8:07 PM
“We work for the president of the United States,” a senior agency official who deals with OMB told me.
But right now, “it feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.” www.propublica.org/article/russ...
But right now, “it feels like we work for Russ Vought. He has centralized decision-making power to an extent that he is the commander in chief.” www.propublica.org/article/russ...