https://washingtonsun.com/california California en-US Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:57:13 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/california-lawmakers-doug-burgum-yosemite-land-exchange-plan-developer-national-park Avani Kalra A bipartisan coalition of California lawmakers wrote to Burgum after NOTUS first reported on the administration's efforts to parcel off a piece of Yosemite. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:57:13 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/california-lawmakers-doug-burgum-yosemite-land-exchange-plan-developer-national-park A bipartisan coalition of California lawmakers demanded that the Trump administration “halt and reject” a proposed sale of part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday.

The letter followed reporting by NOTUS that revealed National Park Service staff in California and Washington, D.C., have been trying to arrange a land exchange between a Nevada-based company and the federal government.

In the letter, prominent Republicans and Democrats in California’s state legislature told Burgum that “Yosemite is not a subdivision, and it is not for sale.” The lawmakers, led by Republican Assemblymember Greg Wallis, cited the Yosemite Grant Act, signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, as the first time the federal government set aside scenic land for preservation and public use.

“The existence of a land-exchange mechanism does not make this an appropriate use of it. Protecting Yosemite requires no creative interpretation of federal law, just the judgment to say No,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

Signatories to the letter included both the California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Republican Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones and totaled more than half of the California state legislature.

Since spring 2025, the Interior Department has been working with the real estate developer and investment firm Kingsbarn Realty Capital on a deal that would allow it to build a short road on Yosemite land, which would give the property rare private access to the park.

Kingsbarn, through a web of limited liability companies, owns an 83-acre parcel of land on the western edge of Yosemite’s boundaries. Currently the property’s only access to the National Park’s main attractions is via a long and circuitous road through Forest Service lands.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Jeff Pori, Kingsbarn CEO, said his company plans to build short-term rentals on the property. Pori confirmed NOTUS’ reporting that he is pursuing a land-exchange agreement with the Park Service and that the deal is currently waiting for a land appraisal.

Former park officials, the park’s staff union and national park advocates have led a chorus of opposition to this proposed plan.

The Interior Department has maintained that no final decisions have been made. Any deal “would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations, and Departmental policies, including required environmental review and public notification processes,” a spokesperson for the National Park Service said.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/colorado-election-clerk-declines-california-job-newsom Gavin J. Quinton Gov. Gavin Newsom said “election deniers not welcome here” before Tina Peters declined the post in Shasta County. Tue, 01 Sep 2026 22:21:48 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/colorado-election-clerk-declines-california-job-newsom Tina Peters, a former Colorado elections clerk convicted for tampering in the 2020 presidential election, was reportedly set to take a job overseeing the November election for a conservative northern California county — until Gov. Gavin Newsom piped up.

“A convicted MAGA election tamperer working in an elections office,” the California governor wrote Monday on X. “What could possibly go wrong? TINA, NOT IN CALIFORNIA! ELECTION DENIER FELONS NOT WELCOME HERE!!!”

By Tuesday morning, Peters had turned down the job offer, Shasta County registrar of voters Clint Curtis told the Los Angeles Times. Curtis said Peters declined the offer “because she’s running around the country right now trying to secure the elections.”

“Shasta County lost out,” Curtis added.

Peters was sentenced to nine years in a Colorado prison for orchestrating a security breach of county election equipment but was released in June after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, commuted her sentence under pressure from President Donald Trump.

Trump had threatened to take harsh measures if Peters was not released, citing her declining health and perpetuating the false claim that she discovered a Democrat-led plot to steal the 2020 presidential election.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/aisha-wahab-wins-eric-swalwell Torrie Herrington Wahab defeated Melissa Hernandez in the special election and will face her again in the November midterms Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:49:28 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/aisha-wahab-wins-eric-swalwell Democrat Aisha Wahab has won the special election to serve the rest of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s House term.

The Associated Press called the race Thursday evening.

Wahab defeated Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez, also a Democrat, on Thursday. The pair will face off again in November. California holds jungle primaries, in which the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of political affiliation.

Wahab, the first Afghan American to serve in Congress, is a progressive Democrat and served in the California state Senate. Her campaign focused on affordable housing, protecting Medicare, banning congressional stock trading and supporting small businesses.

Swalwell, who was once a leading contender in the California governor’s race, dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations, which he denies.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/fbi-raids-eric-swalwell-home-sexual-assault-probe-congress Jackie Llanos Agents seized his electronic devices and raided his D.C. home over the weekend, according to reports. Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:20:15 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/fbi-raids-eric-swalwell-home-sexual-assault-probe-congress FBI agents seized electronic devices from former California Rep. Eric Swalwell and raided his D.C. home last weekend in connection with an investigation into sexual assault allegations against him, according to multiple reports.

He was stopped at the San Francisco airport on Saturday, where he had several items seized by federal authorities. Agents raided his D.C. residence just one day later. The searches were first reported by the Daily Mail Thursday and confirmed by other news outlets.

The Justice Department is investigating the allegations that led to Swalwell’s resignation from office and withdrawal from the California governor race in April, NOTUS previously reported. District attorneys in New York and Los Angeles also have ongoing probes.

A former staffer said he sexually assaulted her twice while she was intoxicated, and a former Capitol Hill intern told NOTUS that the former lawmaker had messaged her sexual advances on Snapchat.

At least five women have accused him of sexual assault and harassment. In the statement announcing his resignation, Swalwell vowed to fight the allegations, calling them false.

The FBI declined to comment, and his attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Swalwell cooperated when he was stopped at the airport, but he and his wife weren’t home when the agents arrived, the Daily Mail reported.
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/fake-poll-karen-bass-los-angeles-mayor Jackie Llanos Bass touted the poll in a since-deleted X post. Her campaign says any “bad faith attempts to influence elections” should be prosecuted. Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:36:42 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/fake-poll-karen-bass-los-angeles-mayor A self-described polling group posted findings showing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass leading by nearly 12 points in the race to keep her seat, but before its website went dark Monday, Median Strategies said those results were fake and a “short-term social experiment.”

The three-page poll that had a one-sentence methodology section managed to get the attention of Bass, who touted it in a post on X that has since been deleted, the Los Angeles Times first reported.

The poll attributed Bass’ lead over LA City Council member Nithya Raman to people who had voted for reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the June mayoral primary, stating that “85.23% now say they would back Bass.” President Donald Trump had endorsed Pratt, who failed to make it to the general election.

But Median Strategies, which had 21 followers on X on Monday, issued a statement on its website acknowledging withdrawing its published press releases and saying they should not be cited.

“Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification,” according to the statement.

Pratt shared a California Post article on the phony poll on X on Friday.

“LOL you think my voters are going to vote for the crying carpetbagger in charge of homelessness who ‘found’ 40K votes on Skid Row 7 days after the election?” Pratt wrote.

His post about the poll had garnered 5,000 reposts and 38,000 likes by Monday.

“This poll was reported on by a news outlet,” said Alex Stack, a Bass campaign spokesperson, in a statement Monday. “Any bad faith attempts to influence elections should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The only post on Median Strategies’ X account is from Wednesday: “Median Strategies is committed to continuously refining our methods and presenting a clear image of elections and movement. Though it hasn’t occurred this time, we will truly learn and improve from this.”

It is unclear what poll the post was referring to.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/house/house-ethics-investigation-rep-jimmy-gomez Torrie Herrington The California Democrat said he’s “confident that a full and impartial review of the facts” will show he didn’t break any rules. Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:01:52 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/house/house-ethics-investigation-rep-jimmy-gomez The House Ethics Committee confirmed Monday it is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over allegations of sexual misconduct.

The committee said the allegations against the California Democrat include “engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.” The committee noted that the investigation does not indicate that any violation has occurred.

“I respect the Committee’s process and am confident that a full and impartial review of the facts will bear that out,” Gomez said in a statement Monday. “I stand ready to cooperate with the Ethics Committee inquiry and provide it with whatever information it might need. Out of respect for my family and the ongoing process, I will have no further comment.”

The investigation was first reported in June by CNN, which came after a New York Post story saying the California congressman had been spotted kissing an aide of a different lawmaker.

In a statement to CNN at the time, Gomez said he had made mistakes that hurt his family, but none that violated House ethics rules. Gomez said then that he would cooperate with any House Ethics investigation.

“Years ago, I made personal mistakes outside my marriage that have caused real pain to my wife and family. Although my actions were consensual in nature and haven’t violated the law or House ethics rules, that doesn’t diminish the impact that these mistakes have made on those I care about the most,” Gomez said in that June statement.

Gomez’s Monday statement was similar to the one in June, in which he admitted to hurting his family but denied breaking any laws or House rules.

“I take full responsibility and have committed myself to working through the pain privately with my wife and family. I sought professional assistance to help re-center and heal my relationships and move forward with honesty, transparency, and respect. I continue to do this work,” he said.

The Ethics Committee is charged with investigating any federal law or House rule violations, and can recommend penalties for anyone who was found in violation. The committee earlier this month recommended the censure of Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-North Carolina), who then dropped his reelection bid.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida) is also under investigation by the Ethics Committee for allegations of domestic abuse, stolen valor and financial misconduct — all of which he denies.

Former Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-California) resigned earlier this year amid allegations of sexual misconduct. While Swalwell denies allegations, Gonzalez admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by self-immolation.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Monday from Rep. Jimmy Gomez.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/money/thanedar-tran-mann-stock-act Dave Levinthal Two Democrats and a Republican were months late disclosing stock and crypto trades. Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:24:06 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/thanedar-tran-mann-stock-act Three more members of Congress have violated an insider trading and transparency law, according to a NOTUS review of federal financial records, making them the latest in a litany of lawmakers who’ve blown by a federally mandated deadline for publicly disclosing their personal financial investments.

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan) violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act by not disclosing a January sale of Apple stock, worth between $100,001 and $250,000, until Thursday. He likewise didn’t disclose an October sale of stock in MicroStrategy, one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin, until Thursday, as well.

In an email to NOTUS, Thanedar said his wife sold her MicroStrategy shares at a 17% loss — bought for $19,805 and sold for $16,410. The company recently rebranded to the name Strategy.“As soon as we realized the sale, we filed it and will accept the applicable penalties,” said Thanedar, who recently lost his reelection campaign.

The STOCK Act mandates that federal lawmakers disclose individual stock, bond and cryptocurrency trades within 45 days of making them. Penalties for late disclosures begin at $200.

This is the third time Thanedar has violated the STOCK Act. Last year, after his second violation, he told NOTUS that he would voluntarily divest of his individual stock holdings. On Friday, he reiterated that he supports “actual efforts to ban congressional stock trading.”

Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kansas) was nearly two years late disclosing 10 tech-heavy stock trades made by his wife and involving companies that include Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and NVIDIA.

Taken together, the trades are worth between $10,010 and $150,000. (Lawmakers are only required to disclose the values of their trades in broad ranges.)

Mann’s Washington congressional office acknowledged NOTUS’ request for comment but did not otherwise respond to phone and email messages.

Rep. Derek Tran (D-California) was about a year late disclosing the sale of Litecoin, a cryptocurrency, according to a document filed Thursday with Congress.

Tran spokesperson Jindalae Suh said the congressman did not disclose it because he believed the value of his Litecoin sale fell below a $1,000 threshold for publicly reporting a stock, bond or cryptocurrency trade.

But the sale ultimately “crossed that threshold because of cryptocurrency volatility,” Suh told NOTUS. “Once he became aware of that, he promptly disclosed it. Congressman Tran has consistently supported greater transparency and stronger restrictions to prevent members of Congress from using public office for personal profit.” A lack of STOCK Act compliance is among the reasons cited by members of Congress pressing for a stronger conflicts-of-interest and insider trading law featuring greater consequences.

In July, the House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act — a Republican-backed measure that earned limited support from Democrats, including Tran — that would in part ban federal lawmakers from buying new individual stocks while serving in office. The bill, which some Democratic detractors have called too weak, awaits consideration in the Senate.

Senators who’ve violated the STOCK Act during the past year include Sens. Alan Armstrong (R-Oklahoma), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) and John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).

In the House, STOCK Act violators include Reps. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Linda Sánchez (D-California), Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Lisa McClain (R-Michigan), Pat Ryan (D-New York), Sheri Biggs (R-South Carolina), Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey), Tim Walberg (R-Michigan), Rich McCormick (R-Georgia), Ritchie Torres (D-New York), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania), Jonathan Jackson (D-Illinois), George Whitesides (D-California), Val Hoyle (D-Oregon), Austin Scott (R-Georgia), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida), Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), Kelly Morrison (D-Minnesota), Christian Menefee (D-Texas), Daniel Webster (R-Florida), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Laurel Lee (R-Florida) and Scott Franklin (R-Florida). Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Oklahoma) was also late, although his office denies it.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/armed-man-arrested-trump-la-golf-course Torrie Herrington Deputies found a loaded pistol with a 16-round magazine containing hollow-point ammunition on the man, the sheriff’s office said. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:17:09 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/armed-man-arrested-trump-la-golf-course A heavily armed man was arrested at President Donald Trump’s golf course in Los Angeles days before his Tuesday fundraiser there, authorities said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies detained Jeanine John Taele, 38, on Sunday after he was seen taking photos and “appearing to monitor security-planning activities” at the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, the sheriff’s office said.

Taele was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm and possessing prohibited ammunition after the deputies found a 16-round magazine containing hollow-point ammunition tucked into his pants, along with a loaded pistol and additional ammunition in his car, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

Deputies later searched his residence and found an illegally modified AR-style rifle, body armor, more high-capacity magazines and notebooks consisting of “concerning statements.” The deputies also discovered that Taele was under investigation for robbery by the El Segundo Police Department, the sheriff’s office said.

Trump was aboard Air Force One on his way to speak at a Republican National Committee fundraiser at the golf course when authorities first announced the arrest Tuesday afternoon.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Secret Service are investigating, but authorities have determined there is “no credible threat,” the sheriff’s office said. The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/climate-environment/trump-plan-cuts-california-arizona-nevada-water-usage-colorado-river Mara Hoplamazian, Anna Kramer Arizona, Nevada and California are expected to be hit the hardest as Colorado River levels drop to historic lows. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:06:28 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/climate-environment/trump-plan-cuts-california-arizona-nevada-water-usage-colorado-river Arizona, California and Nevada are expecting the Trump administration to impose significant cuts to their water usage as Colorado River levels drop to historic lows.

Federal officials announced the first steps in their plan to manage Colorado River water use on Friday. The initial framework suggests that the three Lower Basin states will be asked to cut up to 1.5 million acre feet of water per year for the next two years — a significant reduction in their water consumption.

The country’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell, which sits between Utah and Arizona, and Lake Mead, which spans Arizona and Nevada, hit their lowest combined water levels on record earlier in July. Both are fed by the Colorado River. If levels drop much lower in Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Dam will no longer be able to sustain the hydroelectric power plant that feeds electricity across much of the West.

The guidelines that have governed how states can use the water in the Colorado River for the last 19 years are set to expire at the end of 2026. Western states have been in negotiations for years on how to use water from the Colorado River moving forward, and remain at an impasse.

With no deal in sight, the Interior Department laid out a set of guidelines Friday that would help balance two needs: keeping enough water in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and delivering enough water to communities that rely on the river.

Some of the federal government’s plans are based on a proposal the Lower Basin states themselves made earlier this year. The document, however, suggests cuts to those states’ water usage could be doubled in drought conditions to protect the Hoover Dam.

Arizona state officials immediately criticized the suggestion for those more aggressive cuts, calling it “unacceptable.”

“Such reductions would devastate Arizona’s water users and its economy,” the state officials said in a statement.

The guidelines would impose a plan for the next two years and then every two years after that for 10 years, unless states come to a consensus themselves during that time period.

The river provides water to nearly 40 million Americans and powers the agricultural economies across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the river’s Upper Basin and Arizona, California and Nevada in the Lower Basin.

More than a dozen tribes also depend on water from the river but have been largely left out of the negotiations.

Since the current water usage framework was adopted in 2007, unprecedented drought has changed the hydrology of the basin, confounding efforts to manage the system.

Even with the deep cuts to water use, it’s not clear that the plan will turn into a sustainable solution.

The proposal from Lower Basin states is “the best there is so far,” said Sarah Porter, head of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. “But it’s not enough to keep the system from crashing, to keep the reservoirs from not being in the territory of hitting dead pool.”

After 2028, the terms of water conservation are murkier, with the possibility that more severe cuts could come for the Lower Basin states.

The Interior Department is limited in how it can enforce its plan. Arizona’s state Legislature will have to approve some of the plan, and some water boards in California may need to officially sign off on the agreement as well.

States could also sue the federal government over the proposal. Severe cuts to water resources could put state economies at risk, especially the agricultural operations in California and Arizona that depend heavily on irrigation from the river.

Arizona officials told reporters on Monday they reserved the right to pursue litigation if necessary.

The three Lower Basin states have long argued that the other four states should be required to share some of the most drastic cuts in especially dry years. The Upper Basin states together consume less water than is legally allotted to them, and argue that low snowpack and drier rivers have already caused them to cut water use. But their southern neighbors have proposed that no state should be excluded from legally enforced water conservation in the driest years.

“I actually think we’re at the point where Supreme Court litigation among the seven states may be the most hopeful vehicle for getting the states to come to a settlement,” Porter said.

Interior’s current plan covers the next 10 years, with checkpoints every two years. This design could allow the seven states to continue negotiating with each other and with Interior to address the river crisis moving forward.

The amount of water flowing through the basin has been dropping significantly over the last decade because of a combination of factors, primarily persistent droughts, decreasing snowpack in the Upper Basin states, high temperatures causing the water levels to fall, and overuse of the water that remains. Almost half of all water used from the river goes toward irrigated agriculture.

Arizona, California and Nevada have been voluntarily reducing their water usage for the last several years, paying farmers to leave fields dry in return for billions in drought relief payments from the federal government.

Monday’s framework did not specify whether Interior would pursue funding to pay for similar efforts in the future.
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/immigration/immigration-agents-texts-raid-operation-gavin-newsom-greg-bovino-ice-border-patrol Angie Orellana Hernandez “Hopefully I can get replaced soon,” one agent groused after the incident. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:03:04 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/immigration/immigration-agents-texts-raid-operation-gavin-newsom-greg-bovino-ice-border-patrol Federal immigration agents privately bristled at their participation in a controversial operation outside of a press conference held by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in August 2025, text message screenshots filed in federal court this week revealed.

Two agents discussed the event — as well as their anxiety over the possibility of violating court orders — in messages that were among the exhibits submitted Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union in a California federal court. The exhibits also contained numerous incidents of federal immigration agents using crude and racist language toward Latinos.

Federal personnel from Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies conducted widespread raids in Los Angeles last summer under Operation At Large, part of the Trump administration’s aggressive mass-deportation push.

The texts between the unidentified federal agents — one of whom was recognized in court documents as a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, referred to as Agent G.A. in the filings — offer a candid look into how agents privately viewed their roles in Operation At Large. The agent conversed with their colleague, or Agent W, in redacted records.

The incident in question occurred when Gregory Bovino, a polarizing former Border Patrol commander who was placed in charge of the Los Angeles operation, appeared with armed federal agents outside a museum in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood on Aug. 14, 2025, where Newsom was hosting a press conference for a redistricting proposition. The agents detained several people and lingered at the scene, sparking a flurry of media coverage.

At the time, DHS contended that the operation was about “enforcing the law.”
Screenshot 2026-07-28 at 7.46.08 PM.png (1784x1156, AR: 1.54)Newsom said in a social media post Wednesday that the released texts prove that the operation was targeted. The governor’s office referred to the posts when asked for comment.

“This is crazy. I never thought I would actually see anything like this. We got pulled off the HD and car wash to run this stunt,” Agent G.A. wrote that day, referencing sites such as Home Depot where agents would often appear to arrest day laborers and other workers.

The agent claimed they were told to “stand down” while at the press conference.

“We’re told to assist with targeted enforcement,” Agent G.A. wrote. “That is not target enforcement. That was just a political agenda. Hopefully I can get replaced soon.”

Agent G.A. wrote to Agent W again on Aug. 15, “I had no interest in going out with BP to Little Tokyo lol.” They said agents just “stood around to get media attention” after marching from a federal building in downtown LA to Newsom’s press conference and arresting a few people.

“Would you have went?” Agent G.A. asked.

“If I knew what they were doing probably not,” Agent W responded.
https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2082544247832735976?s=20Agent W brought up Bovino, saying they had heard he was a “good dude and really good at his job” but at times did “things like this that are a little out of pocket.”

“I think BP is mostly just excited because they don’t usually get to do this so they’re kind of loving the media attention maybe,” Agent W wrote.

Agent G.A. said in a subsequent deposition interview that he wanted to be removed from Operation At Large because of the controversial operation outside Newsom’s press conference, as well as internal pressure to carry out what he worried were possible violations of a temporary restraining order.

“It seemed to be pushing into public spaces, you know, more and more frequently,” Agent G.A. told a lawyer during the deposition, which was also included in the ACLU’s court filings. “It seemed to be escalating to less and less targeted.”

Agent G.A. and Agent W’s conversation in the exhibit spans from Aug. 11, 2025, to Aug. 15, 2025. At the time, a federal district court had issued a temporary restraining order that stopped federal agencies from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops. The Supreme Court later paused that ruling on Sept. 8, 2025.

The federal agents questioned among themselves whether they could be held liable for continuing the indiscriminate stops, despite the restraining order. Agent G.A. said they were no longer assigned to Home Depot raids after complaining to management that the raids could violate the court order.

Agent W said they were “pretty sure” the raids violated the order, and said they had signed up for professional liability insurance.

“Still they shouldn’t ask us to do anything that violates a court order,” Agent G.A. said.

“I think they only know one way to operate,” Agent W replied. “See bodies, chase bodies.”
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