Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, via Wikipedia

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

Immigrants who were undocumented while working at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster received fake green cards and Social Security numbers by supervisors at the New Jersey club.

Anibal Romero, an attorney representing five of the immigrants who say they worked at the club, told the Washington Post he turned over fake green cards and Social Security numbers to state and federal investigators.

Romero said the FBI is working with the New Jersey state attorney general’s office.

The Organization officials declined interviews with the Washington Post.

“The important point that I think has been left out is that Americans think these hard-working women get these jobs on their own — that’s not what happened,” Romero said. “People employed by the golf club recruited her and made her the phony documents.”

Guns seized at US airports, via TSA

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

The TSA is expected to turn in another record-breaking year for the number of guns seized at airports.

While the final tally has not been made, records show 2018 is well on its way to surpassing the 3,957 guns confiscated the year before.

The number of guns seized at airports has increased every year since at least 2005, when 660 firearms were confiscated.

In just one week in early December, the TSA reported 78 guns were confiscated, ranging from .40-caliber Glocks to 9mm semi-automatics. Of the 78 guns, 63 were loaded.

The airports with the most guns confiscated last year were Atlanta with 245 and Dallas-Fort Worth with 211.

The theories for why more guns are being confiscated ranges from a more diligent security to flyers taking bigger risks out of fear of terrorism.

President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani.

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani ramped up the rhetoric against Robert Mueller on Thursday, calling for an investigation of the special counsel as he prepares to conclude his 19-month probe and issue a blistering report to the Justice Department.

In a range of interviews with The Hill, Giuliani accused Mueller of destroying evidence for not including in the probe the text messages from now-fired FBI official Peter Strzok and his FBI lover, Lisa Page.

“Mueller should be investigated for destruction of evidence for allowing those text messages from Strzok to be erased, messages that would show the state of mind and tactics of his lead anti-Trump FBI agent at the start of his probe,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani also said Mueller’s prosecutors should be prosecuted over the use of the Christopher Steele dossier, which he described as a “big piece of garbage.”

During the interview, Giuliani said no more questions will be answered from Mueller.

The president is “not answering any more questions from these people,” Giuliani said.

FBI Agent Chase Bishop

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

FBI agent Chase Bishop, who earned quite a reputation inside the FBI for the wrong reasons, won’t be going to jail.

Bishop pleaded guilty last week to third-degree assault in connection with the June 2 incident in Denver in which he did a backflip on the dance floor at a bar and his gun subsequently discharged and wounded a patron, the Denver Post reports. 

Under the plea agreement, he was sentenced to two years probation, fined $1,200 and ordered to pay restitution to the victim, Tom Reddington, a 24-year-old Amazon warehouse employee, who was struck in the leg and suffered permanent injury.

The FBI declined to say if he’ll continue to work for the bureau.

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

The Robert Mueller probe continues to stir controversy in Washington.

The latest:  Right-wing conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi is accusing the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller of “harassing” his family, according to the Washington Examiner.

Corsi, who is under investigation in the Russia probe,  told Fox Business on Wednesday said federal agents are needlessly surveilling his family while he is being scrutinized as part of the Russia investigation.

“Right now I’ve got evidence that the FBI and Mueller’s team are now harassing my family,” Corsi said during an interview on “Trish Regan Primetime.” “They are doing door knocks on my stepson. They are parking surveillance vans with two agents in it outside the places where various members of my family work.”

.@jerome_corsi on the FBI allegedly surveilling his family: “I’ve got evidence that the FBI and Mueller’s team are now harassing my family. They’re doing door knocks on my stepson, they’re parking surveillance vans with two agents… Harassing my family is beyond bounds.” pic.twitter.com/7GBF1oN446

— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) December 27, 2018

Rod Rosenstein and Robert S. Mueller III

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III have been named ticklethewire.com’s Feds of the Year for 2018.

It’s the first time since 2008 when the award was first established, that ticklethewire.com has named two people the recipients of the award.

These are extraordinary times. Not since the White House was occupied by Richard Nixon have we seen the integrity of the justice system challenged in this way.

We’ve seen two Attorney Generals fired along with an FBI director and deputy FBI director. And that’s only in two years.

We’ve seen a president belittle, via twitter and speeches, the Justice Department and FBI.

Under intense pressure, and extremely challenging circumstances, Rosenstein has stood for integrity and undertaken the herculean task of dealing with the White House and maintaining justice at the Justice Department.

It’s been no easy mission, and frankly, something few could pull off and survive.

All that said, it made Rosenstein an obvious choice for this award.

At the same time, Robert Mueller has carried out his duties as special counsel with nothing but class and integrity.

Once again, he too has come under repeated attacks by the White House while carrying out this important mission.

It is his presence in this ongoing investigation as a watchdog of government that has given many Americans renewed faith in our justice system.

It’s an honor to have two public servants as dedicated as these two.

Previous recipients of the ticklethewire.com Fed of the Year award include: Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (2008):   Warren Bamford, who headed the Boston FBI (2009), Joseph Evans, regional director for the DEA’s North and Central Americas Region in Mexico City (2010);  Thomas Brandon, deputy Director of ATF (2011); John G. Perren, who was assistant director of WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Directorate (2012); David Bowdich, special agent in charge of counterterrorism in Los Angeles (2013);  Loretta Lynch, who was U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn at the time (2014); John “Jack” Riley,  the DEA’s acting deputy administrator (2015); D.C.  U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips (2016) and Joe Rannazzisi, a retired DEA deputy assistant administrator (2017) .