Justin Elliott
@justinelliott.bsky.social
ProPublica reporter. Email tips/comments/complaints: justin@propublica.org
Signal: https://www.propublica.org/people/justin-elliott/
More: justinelliott.co
Signal: https://www.propublica.org/people/justin-elliott/
More: justinelliott.co
Reposted by Justin Elliott
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...
Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
October 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
New: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...
www.propublica.org
October 2, 2025 at 12:17 PM
New: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
New:
Kristi Noem fast-tracked millions in disaster aid to Naples, Florida tourist attraction after campaign donor intervened
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem fast-tracked millions in disaster aid to Naples, Florida tourist attraction after campaign donor intervened
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened
The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...
www.propublica.org
September 26, 2025 at 11:46 AM
New:
Kristi Noem fast-tracked millions in disaster aid to Naples, Florida tourist attraction after campaign donor intervened
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem fast-tracked millions in disaster aid to Naples, Florida tourist attraction after campaign donor intervened
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Elliott
My latest story - Trump administration rolls back tax shelter crackdown: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/b...
Trump Administration Halts I.R.S. Crackdown on Major Tax Shelters
www.nytimes.com
September 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
My latest story - Trump administration rolls back tax shelter crackdown: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/b...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
1/ The documents are clear: Lee Zeldin and his wife have two principal-residence mortgages, for properties in Long Island and Washington, D.C.
We’ve got the records 👇
Long Island: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
D.C.: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
We’ve got the records 👇
Long Island: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
D.C.: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
September 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM
1/ The documents are clear: Lee Zeldin and his wife have two principal-residence mortgages, for properties in Long Island and Washington, D.C.
We’ve got the records 👇
Long Island: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
D.C.: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
We’ve got the records 👇
Long Island: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
D.C.: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
New:
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...
www.propublica.org
September 4, 2025 at 7:19 PM
New:
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Elliott
NEW: After DOGE outed Mohammad Halimi on social media, Taliban intelligence agents blindfolded and took three of his family members to a remote prison.
They were repeatedly beaten and questioned about Halimi and his recently publicized work for the United States.
They were repeatedly beaten and questioned about Halimi and his recently publicized work for the United States.
DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.
Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...
www.propublica.org
August 22, 2025 at 10:34 AM
NEW: After DOGE outed Mohammad Halimi on social media, Taliban intelligence agents blindfolded and took three of his family members to a remote prison.
They were repeatedly beaten and questioned about Halimi and his recently publicized work for the United States.
They were repeatedly beaten and questioned about Halimi and his recently publicized work for the United States.
Reposted by Justin Elliott
Trump admin says everything is hunky-dory at the VA.
But we found that the number of doctors at VA has dropped each month since Trump took office.
Nurses are way down too
We got the records.
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
by @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
But we found that the number of doctors at VA has dropped each month since Trump took office.
Nurses are way down too
We got the records.
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
by @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
August 8, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Trump admin says everything is hunky-dory at the VA.
But we found that the number of doctors at VA has dropped each month since Trump took office.
Nurses are way down too
We got the records.
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
by @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
But we found that the number of doctors at VA has dropped each month since Trump took office.
Nurses are way down too
We got the records.
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
by @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
Reposted by Justin Elliott
Citizens, crying kids, pregnant women, people who aren't the target...it doesn't seem to matter who's inside the car when immigration officers want to make an arrest. They smash the window anyway
@mckenziefunk.com & I tracked these arrests all over the U.S. projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...
@mckenziefunk.com & I tracked these arrests all over the U.S. projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...
Bloodied Faces, Sobbing Children: Immigration Officers Smash Car Windows to Speed Up Arrests
We’ve documented nearly 50 incidents of immigration officers shattering car windows to make arrests — a tactic experts say was rarely used before Trump took office. ICE claims its officers use a “mini...
projects.propublica.org
July 31, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Citizens, crying kids, pregnant women, people who aren't the target...it doesn't seem to matter who's inside the car when immigration officers want to make an arrest. They smash the window anyway
@mckenziefunk.com & I tracked these arrests all over the U.S. projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...
@mckenziefunk.com & I tracked these arrests all over the U.S. projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
SCOOP: The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE
ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.
www.propublica.org
July 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM
SCOOP: The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE www.propublica.org/article/trum...
NEW:
Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations and then failed to disclose it
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations and then failed to disclose it
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations
A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...
www.propublica.org
June 30, 2025 at 12:02 PM
NEW:
Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations and then failed to disclose it
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations and then failed to disclose it
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Elliott
THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
May 16, 2025 at 1:03 AM
THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
New:
The Trump Administration Leaned On Poor African Countries to Give Elon Musk’s Company What It Wants
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
The Trump Administration Leaned On Poor African Countries to Give Elon Musk’s Company What It Wants
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.
The State Department has intervened on behalf of Musk’s satellite internet company in five developing nations. In Gambia, U.S. diplomats have lobbied and browbeat at least seven government ministers a...
www.propublica.org
May 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
New:
The Trump Administration Leaned On Poor African Countries to Give Elon Musk’s Company What It Wants
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
The Trump Administration Leaned On Poor African Countries to Give Elon Musk’s Company What It Wants
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Elliott
Records show Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 and $5 million worth of Trump Media shares on April 2.
That same day, after the market closed, Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, sending the stock market plunging.
www.propublica.org/article/pam-...
That same day, after the market closed, Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, sending the stock market plunging.
www.propublica.org/article/pam-...
U.S. AG Pam Bondi Sold More than $1 Million in Trump Media Stock the Day Trump Announced Sweeping Tariffs
Disclosure forms show that Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares on April 2. That day, after the market closed, Trump’s “Liberation Day” press conference sent the market tumblin...
www.propublica.org
May 14, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Records show Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 and $5 million worth of Trump Media shares on April 2.
That same day, after the market closed, Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, sending the stock market plunging.
www.propublica.org/article/pam-...
That same day, after the market closed, Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, sending the stock market plunging.
www.propublica.org/article/pam-...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
NEW from @propublica.org: Records show that Chris Young is simultaneously working as a political adviser to Elon Musk while helping DOGE gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which regulates Musk's businesses. www.propublica.org/article/doge...
Musk Adviser May Make as Much as $1 Million a Year While Helping to Dismantle Agency that Regulates Tesla and X
Records show that Chris Young is simultaneously working as a political adviser to Musk while serving in the Department of Government Efficiency, helping to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...
www.propublica.org
May 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
NEW from @propublica.org: Records show that Chris Young is simultaneously working as a political adviser to Elon Musk while helping DOGE gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which regulates Musk's businesses. www.propublica.org/article/doge...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
New: Helping to lay off 90% of the CFPB’s staff while holding $715K worth of stocks in companies that would benefit from a weakened CFPB “looks like a pretty clear-cut violation” of the federal criminal conflict-of-interest statute, one ethics expert said.
DOGE Aide Who Helped Gut CFPB Was Warned About Potential Conflicts of Interest
Before he helped fire most Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staffers, DOGE’s Gavin Kliger was warned about his investments and advised to not take any actions that could benefit him personally, ac...
www.propublica.org
May 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM
New: Helping to lay off 90% of the CFPB’s staff while holding $715K worth of stocks in companies that would benefit from a weakened CFPB “looks like a pretty clear-cut violation” of the federal criminal conflict-of-interest statute, one ethics expert said.
Reposted by Justin Elliott
NEW INVESTIGATION from me and @vernalcoleman.bsky.social:
Internal emails show doctors and others at VA hospitals around the country begging for help as cuts hurt veterans' care, including "live-saving cancer trials."
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Internal emails show doctors and others at VA hospitals around the country begging for help as cuts hurt veterans' care, including "live-saving cancer trials."
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans’ Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials”
Despite a congressional mandate to expand care for veterans, internal Veterans Affairs messages obtained by ProPublica paint a stark portrait of how chaotic cost cutting has already imperiled tests of...
www.propublica.org
May 6, 2025 at 10:47 AM
NEW INVESTIGATION from me and @vernalcoleman.bsky.social:
Internal emails show doctors and others at VA hospitals around the country begging for help as cuts hurt veterans' care, including "live-saving cancer trials."
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Internal emails show doctors and others at VA hospitals around the country begging for help as cuts hurt veterans' care, including "live-saving cancer trials."
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
NEW: A case of Sock Puppet-Mastery.
Ed Martin secretly orchestrated an attack on a judge—in a case he was a party to.
Now he’s one of the highest law officers in the land.
@andykroll.bsky.social & @jeremykohler.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/ed-m...
Ed Martin secretly orchestrated an attack on a judge—in a case he was a party to.
Now he’s one of the highest law officers in the land.
@andykroll.bsky.social & @jeremykohler.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/ed-m...
April 24, 2025 at 11:26 AM
NEW: A case of Sock Puppet-Mastery.
Ed Martin secretly orchestrated an attack on a judge—in a case he was a party to.
Now he’s one of the highest law officers in the land.
@andykroll.bsky.social & @jeremykohler.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/ed-m...
Ed Martin secretly orchestrated an attack on a judge—in a case he was a party to.
Now he’s one of the highest law officers in the land.
@andykroll.bsky.social & @jeremykohler.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/ed-m...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
1/ So get this:
You go on to Facebook & see a loan ad.
You click through & apply, giving lots of sensitive information.
Unbeknownst to you & sometimes the loan company, guess who also gets all that sensitive info?
Meta (parent co of Facebook).
You go on to Facebook & see a loan ad.
You click through & apply, giving lots of sensitive information.
Unbeknownst to you & sometimes the loan company, guess who also gets all that sensitive info?
Meta (parent co of Facebook).
Fend for Yourself: Under Trump, Consumer Protection Bureau’s Probes of Big Tech and Finance Firms Freeze Up
Companies may avoid consequences for alleged wrongdoing as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau drops lawsuits against Capital One and Rocket Homes and pauses investigations into Meta and others —...
www.propublica.org
March 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
1/ So get this:
You go on to Facebook & see a loan ad.
You click through & apply, giving lots of sensitive information.
Unbeknownst to you & sometimes the loan company, guess who also gets all that sensitive info?
Meta (parent co of Facebook).
You go on to Facebook & see a loan ad.
You click through & apply, giving lots of sensitive information.
Unbeknownst to you & sometimes the loan company, guess who also gets all that sensitive info?
Meta (parent co of Facebook).
NEW: How Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a major military contractor, secretly allows investment from China.
Court records reveal execs there see $ from China as fraught but will let it in if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Caymans.
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social
Court records reveal execs there see $ from China as fraught but will let it in if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Caymans.
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social
How Elon Musk’s SpaceX Secretly Allows Investment From China
As a U.S. military contractor, SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say. “It is c...
www.propublica.org
March 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM
NEW: How Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a major military contractor, secretly allows investment from China.
Court records reveal execs there see $ from China as fraught but will let it in if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Caymans.
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social
Court records reveal execs there see $ from China as fraught but will let it in if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Caymans.
www.propublica.org/article/elon...
w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Elliott
SCOOP: Before the IRS fired nearly 7,000 probationary employees, a senior lawyer raised the alarm that:
- the terminations contained "false" information
- they amounted to a "fraud" on the US judicial system
Don't miss this @propublica.org exclusive: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- the terminations contained "false" information
- they amounted to a "fraud" on the US judicial system
Don't miss this @propublica.org exclusive: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Emails Reveal Top IRS Lawyer Warned Trump Firings Were a “Fraud” on the Courts
The Trump administration cited “performance” failures to justify its mass firing of IRS workers. But this claim was “false,” a senior agency attorney warned officials, because the administration had n...
www.propublica.org
March 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM
SCOOP: Before the IRS fired nearly 7,000 probationary employees, a senior lawyer raised the alarm that:
- the terminations contained "false" information
- they amounted to a "fraud" on the US judicial system
Don't miss this @propublica.org exclusive: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- the terminations contained "false" information
- they amounted to a "fraud" on the US judicial system
Don't miss this @propublica.org exclusive: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
“Simply put,” the officials added, “we are quickly heading toward an environmental and life-threatening catastrophe.”
(Dioxin! It's really, freaking bad ☠️)
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
(Dioxin! It's really, freaking bad ☠️)
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning.
Diplomats in Vietnam warned Washington that halting USAID’s efforts to clean up the massive deposit of postwar pesticides would be a catastrophe for public health and relations with a key strategic pa...
www.propublica.org
March 17, 2025 at 2:10 PM
“Simply put,” the officials added, “we are quickly heading toward an environmental and life-threatening catastrophe.”
(Dioxin! It's really, freaking bad ☠️)
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
(Dioxin! It's really, freaking bad ☠️)
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Justin Elliott
NEW: Who is *actually* running DOGE?
Insiders told us @propublica.org that the named administrator Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run the show.
The latest w/ @chrisbing.bsky.social + Avi Asher-Schapiro: www.propublica.org/article/doge...
Insiders told us @propublica.org that the named administrator Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run the show.
The latest w/ @chrisbing.bsky.social + Avi Asher-Schapiro: www.propublica.org/article/doge...
Who’s Running the DOGE Wrecking Machine: The World’s Richest Man or a Little-Known Bureaucrat?
Insiders tell ProPublica that Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run DOGE. One person who has been in meetings with Gleason described her as having “little to ...
www.propublica.org
March 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
NEW: Who is *actually* running DOGE?
Insiders told us @propublica.org that the named administrator Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run the show.
The latest w/ @chrisbing.bsky.social + Avi Asher-Schapiro: www.propublica.org/article/doge...
Insiders told us @propublica.org that the named administrator Amy Gleason is only in charge on paper, while Musk’s top lieutenants really run the show.
The latest w/ @chrisbing.bsky.social + Avi Asher-Schapiro: www.propublica.org/article/doge...