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CIA BOMBSHELL: Intelligence Sources Alleged Chávez Regime Plotted to Rig Elections Using Smartmatic Technology

July 19, 2026/in Culture War, Cyberwarfare, Election Fraud, Hot Topics, News, Social Issues, Socialism, Techno-Fascism, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by The Geller Report

A newly declassified CIA report reveals that Venezuelan officials likely possessed the means to manipulate electronic elections using Smartmatic technology. Intelligence sources alleged that Hugo Chávez’s government coordinated with election authorities and Smartmatic before Venezuela’s 2012 election, deploying altered machines to secure victory by roughly 1.5 million votes—nearly matching Chávez’s official margin.

Although the CIA ultimately concluded that large-scale fraud was unproven, its own “devil’s advocate” analysis found that such manipulation could have occurred undetected. The report also cites alleged ties between Smartmatic directors and Venezuelan intelligence, as well as Chávez’s stated desire to influence U.S. politics—details that cast new light on election-security concerns previously dismissed as conspiracy theories.

CIA Report: Venezuela ‘Could Have’ Used Voting Machines To Rig Elections

By: Brianna Lyman, The Federalist, July 17, 2026:

A newly declassified CIA report says the Venezuelan government “could have” used voting machines to rig elections. President Donald Trump declassified a series of documents and reports related to election integrity on July 16, including a “CIA Note” entitled, “Summary of Select Intelligence Reporting From 2004-2020 on Venezuela’s Electronic Voting Manipulation Capabilities.”

The note says that between 2004 and 2020, “intelligence established that Venezuelan government officials developed sustained interest and likely some capability in manipulating electronic voting systems, including Smartmatic technology, to influence electoral outcomes in Venezuela.” The document says it was produced under the auspices of the CIA’s deputy director of analysis and is dated June 29, 2026.

The CIA produced a baseline assessment of Venezuela’s 2012 presidential election that maintained mass electronic election fraud had not occurred. A 2013 CIA “devil’s advocate” analysis, the note says, provided “plausible scenarios” in which “large-scale electronic manipulation could have occurred in Venezuela’s 2012 election without detection.”

The note summarizes sources reporting that, prior to the 2012 Venezuelan presidential election, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez’s “intelligence services … worked with the National Electoral Council and Smartmatic to develop plans to manipulate election results using preprogrammed voting machines.” The source or sources of that reporting, however, are censored in the document released Thursday.

The note includes claims that such plans included sending “altered machines” to roughly 300 voting centers in pro-Chavez areas “to ensure victory by approximately 1.5 million votes.” Chavez won that election by roughly 1.6 million votes, according to the note.

“[S]ources reported that Chavez congratulated his team for successfully implementing the manipulation plan,” the report continues. The “devil’s advocate” analysis found that elections in countries that “are clients of the technology provider could be in doubt.” But the CIA assessed that such manipulation did not occur in the 2012 Venezuelan election, because the opposition party conceded loss, the CIA didn’t confirm these possibilities were acted upon, and pre-election polls showed Chavez in the lead.

The note says U.S. intelligence reports indicated in April 2004 that Chavez “stated his objective was to prevent the reelection of a sitting US president, suggesting intent to influence US domestic politics.” The report also notes “intelligence that Smartmatic directors held credentials from Venezuela intelligence services.”

Following the 2020 election, Trump election lawyer Sidney Powell posted screenshots of an affidavit on X that alleged “Chavez was most insistent that Smartmatic design the system in a way that the system could change the vote of each voter without being detected.” The New York Times did a lengthy report on this post, along with a few others, to dismiss the claims as conspiratorial.

After the 2020 election, Smartmatic sued both Fox News and Newsmax, alleging defamation after both had commentators appear on the network who expressed concerns that the systems were vulnerable to interference and fraud. Newsmax settled with Smartmatic for $40 million, according to NBC.

A federal grand jury indicted Smartmatic executives in 2024 for allegedly participating in a “bribery and money laundering scheme.” Nearly a year later, Smartmatic was indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami for allegedly bribing a Philippine official in relation to the 2016 Philippine national elections.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

Mullin Announces Major Steps for Election Security Following China Revelations

July 17, 2026/in Election Fraud, Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Social Issues, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Signal

In just four states, 250,000 noncitizens are registered to vote, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Friday as he announced new measures to bolster election security.

The four states—California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada—did not cooperate with the Trump administration in its review of voter information, but the Department of Homeland Security obtained the information from publicly available data, Mullin said.

He also called on states to crosscheck voter data with the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, a database from the DHS that verifies citizenship.

The secretary said that in 23 states that have cooperated with the agency’s SAVE program, which helps determine voter eligibility, data show another 23,000 noncitizens and 400,000 dead people are registered to vote.

He said that states will need to work with DHS on ensuring voter eligibility if they wish to receive federal election grants.

“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant, and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security measures,” Mullin said.

The announcement follows a primetime address by President Donald Trump about the release of declassified documents showing evidence that China has been meddling in U.S. elections by hacking into voter registration databases and by other means.

“President Trump gave DHS the tools and resources to secure elections,” Mullin said. “But we have to have states partner with us. If they choose not to, then voters should hold them accountable.”

Mullin said in 30 days the DHS would release a cybersecurity plan for protecting elections.

The president said the declassified information shows China conducted a massive hacking of voter registration information that yielded access to 220 million U.S. voter files.

Trump said the effort aimed to steal information about thousands of voters and added that information from 2018 and 2019 shows that Chinese operatives wanted to harm him so he would be forced to resign or be defeated in his reelection bid.

The president further claimed China paid U.S. journalists to write negative stories about him during his first term.

Trump delivered his address as he is pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. The president, as he concluded his remarks, made a passionate plea for Congress to pass the legislation.

Mullin later added that voting machines must also be secured, adding that “foreign adversaries have parts that are vital pieces in our voting machines.”

“We know that they can access what they consider the key to the back of these machines. We know that they can change voter registration and your vote,” Mullin said. “We know it’s possible. There’s not a question, it’s not even for debate. One thing that I love about numbers and I love about facts is they don’t lie.”

He noted voting as an illegal immigrant carries a maximum five-year prison sentence or $250,000 in fines.

“If you are an illegal and you attempt to vote, we will find you, and we will charge you,” Mullin warned.

AUTHOR

Fred Lucas

Fred Lucas is senior investigative reporter for the Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.” Follow on X FredLucasWH

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Trump: China Accessed 220 Million US Voter Files, Deep State Hid Evidence

July 17, 2026/in Culture War, Election Fraud, Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Politics, Propaganda, Social Issues, Socialism, Techno-Fascism, Terrorism, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Signal

President Donald Trump announced the release of declassified documents he said are evidence that China has been meddling in U.S. elections by hacking into voter registration databases and by other means.

Trump, who spoke Thursday evening in a prime time address to the nation, said the “deep state” had this information and suppressed it from the president and Congress.

“They kept it secret and hidden. Did not disclose to me or Congress,” Trump said.

Trump said the declassified information shows “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure.

“No country can be great without fair and honest elections,” Trump said. “You have to trust your country because if there can be no trust, there can be no greatness.”

The president said that China conducted a massive hacking of voter registration information.

“The People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files,” Trump said.

He said the information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other data.

“This data loss presents an unprecedented election, security nightmare,” the president added.

At least a portion of the declassified information was released Thursday night.

The point of the hacking, according to Trump, was to steal information about thousands of voters. He also said information from 2018 and 2019 shows that Chinese operatives wanted to harm Trump so he would be forced to resign or be defeated in his reelection bid.

“The Chinese government wanted U.S. president to lose the next election and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them, charged them billions in tariffs, and built the largest military in the world,” Trump said.

Trump, who has long disputed his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, also said the FBI found China attempted to manufacture ballots in favor of Biden.

“Raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020, yet buried by rogue bureaucrats, stated that China’s activities even included an attempt to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden,” Trump said.

The president further said China paid U.S. journalists to write negative stories about him during his first term.

“The Chinese government sought to identify U.S. journalists who had reported negatively on the U.S. president and pay them large sums of money to write more negative articles about him, as many as they could, and they did not care what they said,” Trump asserted.

Trump said elections were “vulnerable and easily compromised and people within our government knew that.”

The Department of Homeland Security has information showing about 278,000 registered voters are foreigners, Trump said.

“According to the DHS review, state voter rolls and public records, they identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections,” Trump said. “Since Democrat states refused to share their voter files, the real number is actually much higher than that.”

The address comes as Trump is pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. The president, as he concluded his remarks, made a passionate plea for Congress to pass the legislation.

In March 2021, during the early months of the Biden administration, the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint report that asserted China considered trying to influence the presidential election but backed off. It further said, “No evidence found that a foreign government manipulated any election results.”

Still, there have been documented cases of China election meddling and hacking.

In the 2024 campaign, FBI officials said Chinese government operatives targeted the phones of candidates, including now-President Trump, now-Vice President JD Vance, and individuals associated with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

A Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security report released in December 2023 found Chinese cyber actors collected publicly available voter information during the 2022 election.

In July 2024, the Justice Department Office of Inspector General issued a report that described China as one of several foreign governments that conducted malign influence campaigns directed at U.S. elections. This included using fake online personas and promoting propaganda

AUTHOR

Fred Lucas

Fred Lucas is senior investigative reporter for the Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Assault on Clean Elections.” Follow on X FredLucasWH.

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President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation on Election Integrity

July 17, 2026/in America 250, Election Fraud, Elections, Featured, Hot Topics, News, Politics, Techno-Fascism, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by The White House

WATCH: President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation on Election Integrity

Election Integrity

Ensuring the integrity of our elections is fundamental to preserving trust in American democracy. Following the 2020 presidential election, concerns about potential irregularities prompted detailed examinations of voting processes, data security, and registration practices across multiple states. Below, you can download documents and reports addressing key areas of election integrity.

Vulnerabilities in Electronic Voting and Ballot-Counting Systems

For years Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure, including electronic voting machines and ballot-counting systems. We are releasing a series of previously-classified U.S. Intelligence Community Assessments and other reports proving that our government has long known these machines are extremely exposed to attack. As one assessment states: “We judge that U.S. adversaries, including at a minimum Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as non-state groups, have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure.” The documents also state: “We assess that centralized election-related data repositories, such as voter registration databases, pollbooks, and official election websites, are most vulnerable to exploitation, and adversaries could use access to these systems to disrupt election processes.” Tonight, we are releasing all of these findings, spanning from January 2020 to June 2026. This is a cyber threat aimed at the very heart of our democracy.

Many people have questioned whether it could actually be possible to electronically manipulate vote totals or change election results. Today, we are releasing documents that show the CIA obtained reporting of a specific plot by the Maduro regime in Venezuela to do exactly that—conspiring to digitally rig their own country’s elections in 2020. This reporting included precise details about methods the regime developed to digitally alter vote totals in ways that could not be detected even with an audit. This intelligence underscores why we must take urgent action to ensure that our own systems can never be hacked or compromised.

China’s Acquisition and Exploitation of American Voter Data

Over a period of years starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history—resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files. That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote, and engage in other nefarious activities. This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare. The intelligence even shows that China assigned a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project.

Members of the Deep State in our intelligence agencies worked to actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China’s sinister election meddling—covering it up from both the President and the American People. U.S. spy agencies began learning about the compromise of voter registration files in 2020, when they discovered that tens of millions of voters’ data in 18 states had been bought, stolen, or hacked by China. Yet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information hidden.

Michigan Voter-Registration Investigation

Even when significant evidence of fraud has been detected, it has been buried and covered up. Among the disclosures are FBI files detailing evidence of alleged fraud by a large-scale voter registration operation in Michigan. In 2020, Michigan State Police raided a Democrat get-out-the-vote organization in Muskeegon, and were so concerned by what they found, that they contacted the FBI in Detroit. The documents state that some canvassers admitted to FBI agents that they signed voter registration forms in other people’s names, submitted fraudulent registrations for people who did not exist, and received gift cards tied to the number of applications they produced. The FBI agents working on the case believed that crimes were committed—yet the Biden Department of Justice slow-walked the investigation for years. Director Patel is being directed to ensure that the matter is fully investigated, and to work with the Department of Justice to prosecute those responsible for any crimes.

Noncitizens on State Voter Rolls

According to a D.H.S. review of state voter rolls and public records, they identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections. Since Democrat states refused to share their voter files, the real number is actually much higher—yet even this limited analysis found more than a quarter of a million foreigners illegally registered to vote.

Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it. Hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files are in the hands of foreign governments, our machines and ballot-counting systems are exposed to hacking and manipulation, China and other countries have been trying to meddle in our elections, evidence of fraud has been buried, hundreds of thousands of non-citizens and dead people are listed and active on the voter rolls—and yet, we still have elections with no Voter I.D., no Proof of Citizenship, and tens of millions of ballots floating aimlessly through the mail.

China’s Acquisition and Exploitation of American Voter Data

Michigan Voter-Registration Investigation

Noncitizens on State Voter Rolls

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Only 10 States Handed Over Voter Rolls. Here’s What DHS Found.

Trump: China Accessed 220 Million US Voter Files, Deep State Hid Evidence

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House Passes SAVE America Act, Tying It to Appropriations Bill

July 16, 2026/in America 250, Election Fraud, Elections, Featured, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Social Issues, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by The Geller Report

Alrighty then.

Let’s see what the spineless, gutless and dickless Thune does with it.

The Hill: A weeks-long impasse was broken. This time, the SAVE America Act is tied to an appropriations bill, meaning there’s a chance—perhaps—in the Senate, because it would not be limited by cloture and filibuster. The Hill: The 215-211 vote delivers a key win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who had spent weeks trying to unify his conference as conservative hardliners pressed leadership to take more aggressive action on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act and legislation to codify President Trump’s border policies. Johnson ultimately won over Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), both of whom had opposed the rule before the July 4 recess, by advancing a plan to merge the SAVE America Act with a fiscal 2027 appropriations bill funding the State Department and national security programs — a legislative maneuver known on Capitol Hill as “MIRVing”.

Fox News: The House successfully passed a procedural vote 215-211, teeing up votes on an appropriations bill funding the State Department, legislation making daylight saving time permanent and a measure seeking to improve veterans’ benefits. Johnson also agreed to pair the State Department funding bill with the SAVE America Act, prompting several conservative holdouts to flip their votes after demanding the House increase pressure on the Senate to pass the stalled measure.

There it is.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

POSTS ON X:

The Only Proper Way to Vote — Hint: For the Party, Not the Person

July 13, 2026/in America 250, Elections, Featured, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Social Issues, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by Selwyn Duke

“I vote for the person, not the party,” people will proudly say. This is considered the enlightened position, taken by “free thinking” Americans unconstrained by partisan politics. Why, they’re fair-minded: They judge every politician as an individual. Here’s what no one says:

In general elections, this is often what demagogues want you to do. In practice, though, voting for “the person” may just mean being distracted by personality — like a woman falling for a serial killer’s charms. More on that later.

As for my charms, I won’t seem to have any if I “tell you how to vote.” So, I’ll just explain how I vote and why (and why you should vote that way, too!).

When people ask me how I could support _______ (fill in anyone you consider controversial), my answer is always the same:

Politics, famed German leader Otto von Bismarck noted, is “the art of the possible.” It’s not the art of “You get whatever you want, 100 percent, right now, no questions asked” — but of the possible. The late President Ronald Reagan, never accused of lacking conviction, understood this well.

“I have always figured that half a loaf is better than none,” he famously said, “and I know that in the democratic process, you’re not always going to get what you want.”

This was being pragmatic, but not unprincipled. After all, adhering to the truth that politics is “the art of the possible” is an exercise of principle itself.

And I certainly can relate. However “outside the box” you (if you’ve long read me) may consider me, well, multiply that by 10 and you’re probably closer to the truth. I’m best characterized, after all, as Mayberry meets the Middle Ages. This means, of course, that no matter what happens in an election, I never get even a decent percentage of what I want. (Oh, but if I were king….)

As to this, my ideal president would be me. That, however, is not going to happen. Next on the list would be figures such as Alan Keyes or Pat Buchanan (who has aged out); that’s not going to happen, either. Of course, there might be some relatively attractive third-party candidate registering 1.5 percent in the polls, but he also won’t win. So what’s possible is the Republican or Democrat contender.

Next January, either the GOP or Democrats will control Congress; in 2029, a Democrat or Republican will be president. Oh, sure, there will occasionally be an independent or third-party candidate who can compete in a race (e.g., Jesse Ventura in Minnesota in 1998), but this is rare. Even so, too, if they’re congressional independents, such people virtually always caucus with one of the two major parties. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), for example, caucuses with the Democrats.

In other words, in practice (not in law) we have a two-party system. A voter must understand this to cast an informed ballot, and this brings me to why a wise citizen always votes for the party, not the person in general elections. It’s simple:

Because the person will almost always vote with his party.

Don’t believe me? Alright, considering some examples, let’s start with ex-congressman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), infamous for her anti-Trump rhetoric. I mean, she just hates Trump, right?

Perhaps, but when in office she voted with him 92.9 percent of the time.

Then there’s Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.). He’s a real maverick who’ll tell the Democrat establishment what for, no?

Maybe, but he votes with the Democrat establishment 91 percent of the time.

Then there’s Senator Susan Collins (R-Me.), who’s fighting to retain her seat this year. Many rank-and-file Republicans call her a RINO, and she’s certainly no Barry Goldwater. Nonetheless, she has voted with President Donald Trump 90 to 95 percent of the time. Yes, really — and she’s known as one of the Republicans most likely to break ranks.

As to this, do you really think someone more right-wing than Collins will be elected in Maine? She’s not only “possible,” but probable.

These figures aren’t outliers, either. The average Democrat Member of Congress has voted with his party (leadership or majority position) roughly 90 to 95 percent of the time in recent sessions. In 2025, House Democrats’ voted with their party ~93 percent of the time; Senate Democrats’ average party unity was around 92 percent.

As for the GOP, the average Republican Member of Congress has voted with Trump 90 to 96 percent of the time. In 2025, House Republicans supported Trump ~95 percent of the time on votes where he took a position; Senate Republicans’ party unity came in at ~96 percent.

The bottom line: Whether we realize it or not, we’re always voting for the party, not the person because the person is merely another vote for the party’s agenda. We just do need to realize it.

(Note: You vote for the person in the primaries. That’s when it matters.)

What this means is that you don’t need so much to know a candidate’s positions. You must know his party’s positions.

Put differently, it’s best to conceptualize general election candidates as tools that serve a purpose. Your decision is only whether to give the Republicans or Democrats another tool in their shed to build their world (advance their agenda).

This framing is valuable because helps forestall an emotionalism that clouds judgment and leads to bad voting decisions. It can help prevent:

“Marrying” a candidate—idealizing or heroizing one is dangerous because politicians will inevitably disappoint you. (Why? Partially because politics is “the art of the possible” for them, too.) You then can be left angry, feeling like a jilted love interest, and take your ball and go home.
Hatred-induced derangement—a candidate’s personality can rub you the wrong way, impelling you to vote against the country’s interests. Remember Ben Franklin’s warning, “Passion governs, and she never governs wisely.”
Saying things such as, “I have to not vote, or support the other side, because the ________ [fill in the party] need to be taught a lesson.” Usually uttered by disgruntled conservatives, this never works. Here’s what the GOP usually concludes after “lesson”-caused losses: “Following the culture, we have to move farther left to win.” You teach a party “a lesson” in the primaries. The MAGA contingent has been doing this with the Republicans, and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is currently doing it with the Democrats.

So if the primaries offer a better tool, certainly, discard the old one. Until then, as the saying goes, “Ya’ gotta’ dance with the girl ya’ brung.”

In fact, we can take a lesson here from the DSA. Say what you will about it, the group is smart enough, and disciplined enough, to know that victory is achieved by working through and gradually seizing the prevailing institutions. Change under our constitutional republic is generally evolutionary, not revolutionary. If you made our Congress seven percent better last cycle, that’s fine. Then you make it another eight percent better this time, three percent next time, 11 percent after that, etc. This kind of discipline and perseverance is the only way to succeed via electoral means. When people get emotional and cast angry or vengeful votes, or refuse to participate, they so often just end up following one step forwards with two steps back.

So the decision this November is actually fairly simple. Ask yourself if you support the following:

The “transgender” agenda.
Sexual-distortion treatments (euphemistically called “gender-affirming care”) for minors.
Putting boys in girls’ sports and spaces (and vice versa).
The institutionalized unjust discrimination prescribed by DEI.
Playing groups against one another for political gain; e.g., peddling the “white supremacy” lie.
Enabling a de facto foreign invasion via open borders.
Favoring illegal aliens over citizens.
Administering slap-on-the-wrist “justice” and letting dangerous illegal migrants roam free.
Rampant prenatal infanticide (abortion).
Funneling taxpayer money to left-wing groups via entities such as USAID.
Having more Ketanji Brown Jackson-like, DEI judges occupying the courts.

If you support most or all of the above, then the Democrats are for you. That is what they’ll seek to deliver.

If you oppose the above, then the Republicans are your choice. It isn’t complicated.

Of course, as with a magician, demagogues would distract you with misdirection. “Look at the candidate’s personality!” (Don’t look down there at the issues.) “Listen to his syrupy rhetoric and, oh, what charm!” (Don’t note that he’ll be an obedient party tool.) Behold James Talarico with his boy-next-door bearing. Absorb Justin J. Pearson with his Afro and preacher-like persona. Go gaga over a Graham Platner type with his country-boy kayfabe.

It’s all nonsense. Pretty or plain, charming or churlish, sophisticated or simple, they generally vote in lock-step in office.

Of course, we’d all like better choices and government. But for that, we must transform Americans’ hearts and minds. For under representative government, politics can’t deliver what the culture won’t allow.

In November, we have a binary choice that while not as different as Heaven and Hell, is very much like virtue vs. vice. Choose your tool set wisely.

Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on X, Truth Social, MeWe, Gettr, Tumblr, Instagram or Substack or log on to SelwynDuke.com.

Sen. Lee: Honor Lindsey Graham by Passing the SAVE America Act

July 13, 2026/in America 250, Elections, Featured, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Social Issues, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Signal

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah is leading the call to honor Sen. Lindsey Graham by passing the SAVE America Act.

Graham died Saturday evening at the age of 71 shortly after discussing the voting integrity bill with President Donald Trump.

“This is something Lindsey Graham spent a lot of time with,” Lee told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” program, “One of the best ways we could honor Lindsey Graham’s legacy would be to take this up and pass it this month.”

The bill, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot, was top of mind for Graham in their final conversation just prior to his death, according to Trump, who called the senator a “strong advocate” for the bill.

The president told “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Graham had phoned him early Saturday evening after arriving home from a trip to Ukraine.

“He called and he said, ‘We’re all set on the SAVE America Act’. He was pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy.”

Graham admitted he was tired, then repeated his desire to pass the Act. “And I said, ‘We’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you soon.’” The pair even talked about meeting up today. “And then that was it.”

Soon after the call, Graham died.

During his appearance on Fox News, Lee laid out “multiple paths” for passing the SAVE America Act:

Attaching it to a must-pass vehicle.
“Bringing it up on the floor” of the Senate and debating it until it passes. An approach called a “talking filibuster” that Lee has long advocated and believes has the best chance of working.
“Picking out pieces of it that could be implemented through creative uses of budget reconciliation.”

AUTHOR

Al Perrotta

Al Perrotta is a contributing editor for the Daily Signal.

Johnson Braces for a High-Stakes July with Everything on the Line

July 7, 2026/in Culture War, Elections, Featured, Hot Topics, National Security, News, Policy, Social Issues, The Truth, Voter REAL ID/by Family Research Council

For House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the nicest part about the Fourth of July was that the fireworks were on the National Mall and not in his chamber. After a tense couple of weeks of infighting, GOP leaders finally pulled the plug and sent members home early, leaving a shrinking window of opportunity to get anything meaningful done before the long August recess.

Johnson, who’s been a legislative Houdini when it comes to getting out of impossible situations, has his hands full after more than a dozen Republicans brought the House to a screeching halt, refusing to move several pieces of legislation — including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — that were on the verge of final votes because the Senate hasn’t passed election reforms demanding proof of citizenship and voter ID. “We have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” the Louisianan acknowledged after the mutiny. “People get very emotional about things, and sometimes they make irrational decisions.”

But the conservatives’ frustration over the party’s inability to move the SAVE America Act has put the speaker and his Senate counterpart, Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), in a legitimate bind, experts warn. With just eight legislative days on the calendar until Congress’s summer break, the backlog of work is at a breaking point. Already, the revolt on the House floor forced leaders to scrap their plans to move forward with the NDAA and other key items of their to-do list.

“I think we have squandered away an opportunity to do something great for the Fourth of July,” Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) lamented when the troop bill became a casualty of the hardline conservatives’ uprising. “The American people gave us Donald Trump and a unified Congress, right?” he said. “We have both chambers, and … we’re squandering time away,” he warned. “We ain’t going to be able to get it back.”

By Wednesday, key members were hunkered down in the speaker’s office, hashing out ways to end the stalemate. The only way to get elements of the SAVE America Act through the Senate without Democrats’ help is reconciliation, but, as Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) noted, that’s a tricky process and time is short. “After this recess, if it doesn’t happen in the first couple of days, then I think it’s in real trouble,” he acknowledged. Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) agreed. “The closer we get to November, the more difficult it is.” But, he added, “I’m not ready to say we can’t do it.”

Of course, there are other reasons to pursue reconciliation — including the billions of dollars the president is requesting for the Iran war. “Safeguarding elections, along with stopping fraud and supporting our troops and dealing with the residual unaffordability that has hung over from the Biden administration’s failed policies, are all wrapped up in a Reconciliation 3.0,” Arrington stressed.

The sticky part about including elements of the SAVE America Act is that reconciliation is a budgetary tool, so the GOP will have to find a way to thread that needle. Johnson thinks Republicans have found a way to address part of that problem by creating a grant program that incentivizes states to adopt stricter election rules. “[I]f they come to their senses, and they want to avail themselves of election integrity proposals and ideas and policies, they can draw down from a federal fund and use those funds,” he explained. “We’re willing to invest heavily in that.”

Arrington thinks the carrot approach might actually work for blue states that refuse to require things like proof of citizenship and voter ID. “I haven’t seen many Democrats [who] didn’t jump when you dangled some money in front of them. So there is the hope that if you put some incentive money, states led by Democrats might just engage in implementing these safeguards. But if they don’t, it will be just another way to delineate what Democrats stand for and what Republicans want to try to do to make this country safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”

The package of election reforms continues to be a massive sticking point for Trump, who not only refused to sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill that passed both chambers but also held up significant nominations in protest. He even mentioned the legislation during his late-night keynote address at the celebration on July 4. “America is back, and we want to keep America great,” Trump insisted. “And we will do so by approving the SAVE America Act, which means all voters must show voter ID. All voters must provide a little thing called proof of citizenship. And there will be no mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military deployment, or travel.”

It’s an ambitious play — but given the state of the GOP’s margins, the only one. No matter which path leadership takes, a lot hangs in the balance. At the end of the day, Johnson emphasizes, the SAVE America Act is a top priority for every Republican. “We passed it three times in the House. We’re going to try one more time on a budget reconciliation bill.”

The genius of Johnson’s speakership has been resolving his party’s (often volatile) differences. “I’ve got to work with all of them,” he told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Saturday’s “This Week on Capitol Hill,” “get them all together. …But these are high stakes,” the Louisianan admitted. Not only did a dozen of his members stall one of the most important bills of the year in the NDAA, but they also sabotaged the limited time the House has left to accomplish things. “We’ve got to keep the engine moving here,” the speaker emphasized. “So when we bring them back after this short break for July 4th, we’ll get right back to it,” he vowed. “I’ll get them on board. We’ll move it forward.”

The party’s struggles, Johnson downplayed, are typical. “Just another day here.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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No Path, No Votes: Inside the GOP Revolt Threatening Trump’s SAVE America Act

July 2, 2026/in Election Fraud, Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Politics, Regulation, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Caller

Election integrity has been a priority for President Donald Trump for years. In his second administration, that priority took legislative form in the SAVE America Act, which would require Americans to show ID to vote, along with a host of other safeguards.

But for months, the bill has stalled in the Senate, even as the president rages about it on Truth Social and to reporters in the Oval Office. Trump traveled to Capitol Hill last Thursday for a tense lunch with Senate Republicans over the legislation. It was a meeting that, according to one source, only set things back further. Around the same time, Trump shelved plans to sign a housing bill, a move some sources see as tied to his frustration with the Senate.

Now, the SAVE America Act appears to be in more limbo than ever.

Sources familiar with the situation tell the Caller that the legislation will likely never have the votes to move forward. Still, one White House official told the Caller that the administration is exploring every possible path to get it done, because for this president, it remains a priority he is determined to see through.

“…our five Republican Senate Hold Outs, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Mitch McConnell must vote to SAVE OUR COUNTRY,” Trump said on Truth Social of those keeping the legislation from moving forward. “There can be no more excuses!”

Multiple sources told the Caller that, as the legislation currently stands, it doesn’t have the votes, and that the senators Trump named are unlikely to come on board. Killing the filibuster, which the president has also floated as a way to force the bill through, runs into the same wall, those sources said.

The path forward doesn’t run through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, either. If Trump vetoes that legislation, one source said, Congress has the votes to override him. But a source familiar with the president’s thinking said a veto won’t be necessary; Trump isn’t expected to reject the bill.

“It’s a yawn,” Trump said on Monday of the housing legislation. “To me, compared to the SAVE America Act, just about everything is a big yawn.”

Speaker Mike Johnson has floated putting the legislation into a reconciliation bill. The House voted down a procedural measure Tuesday that would have allowed debate on tying the bill to the National Defense Authorization Act. It is a legislation Congress is expected to take up alongside a reauthorization of FISA Section 702 and annual appropriations bills.

That FISA fight has become its own flashpoint. When Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned to care for her husband amid his cancer diagnosis, the president temporarily installed FHFA Director Bill Pulte atop the agency.

The move that set off alarms in the Senate, with Democrats threatening to block a FISA renewal over Pulte’s appointment. Trump later nominated Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, for the ODNI post, but killed a path to a quick confirmation hearing, leaving Pulte in place longer than expected.

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) speaks to the media as he departs with (L-R)U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY), and U.S. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) after meeting with Republican senators at the U.S. Capitol on June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

One source familiar with Senate dynamics said the ODNI standoff and the back-and-forth over Clayton are being interpreted on the Hill as Trump’s way of making senators pay for failing to pass the SAVE America Act. A White House official pushed back on that characterization.

Even as his team searches for a way forward, the president himself seems unsure the bill will ever pass. One White House official said Trump’s passion for the issue stems from the campaign trail, where he’s heard from Americans across the country who want to see it become law.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has absorbed much of the blame for the bill’s collapse. Trump himself told the Caller he was “disappointed” in Thune for failing to either kill the filibuster or pass the legislation.

But a source familiar with the president’s thinking said that frustration isn’t really about Thune. Trump likes him and knows his members do too. The president’s irritation, the source said, is with the individual senators who won’t get on board.

“The SAVE America Act has always been a top priority for President Trump, and it remains one. This is commonsense legislation supported by the vast majority of Americans that will secure our elections for generations to come,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told the Caller.

“The President knows how critical this issue is for the American people, and he will not stop fighting until it is passed,” she added.

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Arrests Illegal Alien For Voting In Federal Election

July 1, 2026/in Criminal Illegal Aliens, Culture War, Election Fraud, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Regulation, Social Issues, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Caller

Federal authorities arrested and charged an illegal alien in New Jersey for voting in a federal election, the Daily Caller has learned.

Marian Charitun, a 62-year-old from Slovakia, was charged with illegally voting in a federal election as well as making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship, according to information shared with the Caller. Charitun allegedly registered to vote in New Jersey and falsely stated that he was a U.S. citizen when doing so. He then went on to vote in the 2022 midterm elections, according to the information provided to the Caller.

Charitun also applied for U.S. citizenship and allegedly claimed he never voted in a federal election, the Caller learned. Charitun never obtained citizenship as his voting history was discovered during the application process and he was denied, an official told the Caller.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche (L) speaks during a press conference announcing annual healthcare fraud takedown results at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on June 23, 2026. (Photo by Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)

If convicted, Charitun could face a maximum of one year in prison. The count of voting by an alien in a federal election carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. The count of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

This case was brought under the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force.

In May, four green card holders living in New Jersey were separately charged with illegally voting in federal elections and falsely claiming they never did such a thing while applying for U.S. citizenship, officials said.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which would require proof of American citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to vote in federal elections, has stalled in Congress with no clear path forward.

While some studies have found that illegal aliens voting in elections is rare, others have shown that it can still impact the results of elections.

Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday that House Republicans could put the SAVE America Act into a reconciliation bill.

“This time we’re going to try to put it on a reconciliation bill, and the reason that’s so important, Maria [Bartiromo], as you know, is it prevents the necessity of 60 votes in the Senate,” Johnson said. “The Democrats want no part of this, and remember, this is very basic stuff.”

“We’re just going to make sure you have to have proof of citizenship to register to vote and then show an ID when you turn out at the ballot box,” he added. “These are 90-10 public opinion issues, and more than 70 percent of Democrats want to do it, but not the Democrats in the House and Senate, and so we’ve got to go around them.”

AUTHOR

Reagan Reese

White House Correspondent

The SAVE America Act Stands a Chance After All

June 27, 2026/in America 250, Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Social Issues, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Signal

Thanks to action from President Donald Trump this week, the Senate may be forced to try harder to pass the SAVE America Act.

On Wednesday, just as he was about to sign a housing bill, the president canceled the ceremony, delaying it until the SAVE America Act came to his desk to sign. Trump called it “a national emergency.” Although the housing bill can still pass without Trump’s signature, it’s clear where his focus is.

Just a day before, Tony Kinnett, host of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” predicted there was “not a snowball’s chance in hell” for the bill to pass. After Trump’s move, however, the legislation “may actually have a pretty stellar pathway forward,” Kinnett acknowledged.

Not only is the bill a priority for Trump, but it’s “a very popular bill with the American people,” Kinnett pointed out. He also lamented “all of the different federal judges that have directly attempted to intervene on the most basic election security measures that almost every other civilized country [uses].”

Polling on voter ID and the SAVE America Act has shown strong support at the national and state levels. During Thursday’s show, Kinnett referenced a Harvard/Harris poll showing 71% of registered voters support the legislation.

Kinnett noted that Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, has been particularly vocal about the need to pass the SAVE America Act, describing it as one of the “two major priorities before the midterms.”

“Heritage Action will be tracking which members of Congress failed to act in the interest of the American people,” Roberts warned. “Republicans only have a guaranteed trifecta through the end of the year, and they should not be wasting it on more vacations. America expects results.”

One option for getting the bill passed is to attach it to “must-pass” legislation, such as extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told the Daily Signal’s Pedro Rodriguez that he’s “fine with” a suggestion that the Senate vote on the SAVE America Act every day until November. He also said he would support a vote on the SAVE America Act with FISA, as well as through Reconciliation 3.0. Another idea would be using the talking filibuster.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., emphasized that the SAVE America Act is a priority. He promoted tying the legislation to FISA. “All you do is put a death wish on FISA,” he told Rodriguez.

Throughout the show this week, Kinnett said that tying the SAVE America Act to other legislation is the way to success.

“There are several bills that the establishment part of the party on the Republican side of the aisle really, really wants,” Kinnett said on his show Thursday. This includes FISA.

The recent reactions from Democrats, Kinnett said, are a sign the bill has a chance of passing.

“You can tell there’s some panic and fear about this,” Kinnett said, citing reactions by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who was “trying to act really confident” but failing. Schumer claimed the legislation amounted to an “all-out assault on voting rights” and that Republicans should focus on other issues.

If Trump has failed as Democrats try to claim, Kinnett argued, Schumer would be saying so, rather than complaining about priorities.

AUTHOR

Rebecca Downs

Rebecca Downs is an Ohio correspondent for the Daily Signal. Follow on X RebeccaRoseGold

John Thune Faces Censure Over Failure to Advance SAVE Act

June 27, 2026/in Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Voter REAL ID/by The Geller Report

Finally, action and accountability. Thune must go.

Thune to face censure vote from SD GOP over SAVE America Act

Grassroots conservative activist Scott Presler, who was in attendance for the vote, shared footage of the committee vote.

By: Ben Whedon, Just The News, June 26, 2026:

The South Dakota Republican Party’s Resolutions Committee approved a censure resolution against Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who represents the state.

Grassroots conservative activist Scott Presler, who was in attendance for the vote, shared footage of the committee vote. Their decision sends the resolution to the state party.

The resolution condemns Thune’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act, a marquis voter ID bill that has languished in the upper chamber, despite pressure from President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. Thune has resisted changes to Senate rules to pass the bill without the 60 votes needed to clear the filibuster.

Thune faces reelection in 2028. The vote follows Presler claiming to have been barred from a paid dinner organized by the South Dakota Republican Party.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

Study: Illegal Immigration Drives Up American Housing Prices

June 25, 2026/in Courts & Law, Criminal Illegal Aliens, Culture War, Economy, Hot Topics, Immigration, News, Policy, Politics, Social Issues, Socialism, Voter REAL ID/by Family Research Council

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have both repeatedly asserted that the Trump administration’s immigration policy — chiefly, deportations — will significantly ease economic burdens on Americans, especially in sectors like housing. A new report is confirming those statements as likely accurate.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the millions of illegal immigrants ushered into the U.S. by former President Joe Biden and his administration drove up housing costs significantly, making it harder for American families to afford homes. “According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, net entry of this category of immigrants added roughly 7 million people to the U.S. population over 2021 to 2024 (1.75 million per year), nearly double that of legal immigration,” the Federal Reserve report found. “To put this growth in perspective, net unauthorized immigration — that is, immigration of individuals who entered the country without being formally admitted for purposes of immigration law — averaged only 0.1 million a year from 2000 to 2019 and was slightly negative from 2010 to 2019.”

“We then turn to the effects of unauthorized immigration on the broader local economy, focusing in particular on the housing market,” the report continued. Between 2021 and 2024, the price of housing increased by 2.2% and rent increased by 1.4% for every 1% that illegal immigration increased a locale’s population. “A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that [unauthorized immigrant worker flows] can explain about 30% of the total growth in house prices and 20% of total growth in rents over the boom period for the average local market,” the report concluded.

“Increased housing prices is one of many reasons why mass deportations are still needed,” said Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, in comments to The Washington Stand. “We have at least 20 million deportable aliens in the U.S. Deporting millions of them will free up housing supply, bring down housing costs, allow young Americans to buy homes and start families. All of this is needed for America to thrive,” she continued. “Border security is half of the equation. Deportations are the other half.”

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas report findings are in line with the conclusions of other studies. A Housing and Urban Development (HUD) investigation last year similarly concluded that mass immigration drives up housing costs, particularly for low-income individuals and communities. The HUD report examined “worst-case housing needs, which it defined as Americans who are low-income but do not receive government assistance or welfare and who pay more than one-half of their income toward housing costs. “Between 2021 and 2023, cases of worst-case needs remained elevated at 8.46 million households, virtually the same as the 2019-to-2021 period,” the report found. “One key cause of elevated worst case needs is immigration.”

“Between 2021 and 2024, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by more than 6 million — the largest such increase over such a short period in American history,” HUD found. “The foreign-born population now stands at more than 53 million individuals, making up the highest share of the American population in history,” the report continued. “This immigration-driven increase in households has contributed to a significant increase in housing demand, thus driving up housing prices. In fact, in some markets, immigration has accounted for nearly all of the increase in housing demand in recent years.”

The HUD report found that economic growth over the same period “has been insufficient to lift the wages of low-income renting families high enough to make rent affordable.” The report further concluded that “national macroeconomic policies, such as record immigration, have combined to drive sustained high rental demand, which has continued to place upward pressure on rent prices.” Largely due to mass immigration, fewer than 60 affordable housing units were available per 100 American renters considered “very low-income,” HUD found, and fewer than 40 affordable units were available per 100 American renters considered “extremely low-income.”

Early last year, HUD signed a “memorandum of understanding” with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an effort to collaborate to ensure that taxpayer-funded housing benefits are received by American citizens, not illegal immigrants. In places like Springfield, Ohio, where the Biden administration dumped tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants under temporary protected status (TPS), Americans have been driven out of their homes, with landlords often raising rent prices higher than American workers can afford in order to take advantage of the taxpayer-funded housing assistance afforded to foreign nationals.

“When we talk about housing and why costs are so high, we don’t talk enough about demand, and one of the drivers of increased housing demand is that we’ve got a lot of people over the last four years who have come into the country illegally,” Vance observed last year. “That’s something we have to work on if we want to meaningfully reduce the cost of housing. … We want Americans to be able to afford the American dream of home ownership.”

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: Trump Cancels Housing Bill Signing Until Congress Passes Voter ID Law

June 24, 2026/in Budget and Finance, Elections, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Voter REAL ID/by The Daily Signal

President Donald Trump said he will not move forward with a housing bill signing, which was scheduled for noon Wednesday, until Congress passes the SAVE America Act.

“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The U.S. House voted Tuesday night 358-32 to pass a housing package aimed at lowering costs for homebuyers and increasing housing supply. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate in an 85-5 vote on Monday, and Trump was scheduled to sign it Wednesday in the Capitol. However, he canceled the ceremony Wednesday morning to push the SAVE America Act instead, which requires proof of ID and citizenship to vote.

Trump said in another post that the housing bill “pales in comparison” to the SAVE America Act.

“The Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren centric housing bill, which is of minor importance compared to lower interest rates, and even FISA, pales in comparison to passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” he said. “That is what Americans, both Dumocrats, Republicans, and everyone else, care about.”

“Get the bad Republicans to approve it or, better yet, Terminate the Filibuster and approve it, AND EVERYTHING ELSE REPUBLICANS HAVE EVER DREAMED OF,” he added. “The Dumocrats will do it in hour one, 100%. Republicans will feel very stupid if they don’t do it first. I’ll be watching with tears in my eyes!!!”

Trump is also set to join the Senate Steering Committee lunch on Wednesday to discuss strategies to pass the SAVE America Act.

“We have to pass the SAVE America Act, which is voter ID, which is proof of citizenship, etc.,” the president said Tuesday in response to a question from the Daily Signal about his luncheon agenda. “We have to pass it, so we’re going to have to talk about that, and many other things.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the housing bill is “full of big government garbage & spending,” such as a $200 million affordable housing pilot program to incentivize dense subsidized “affordable housing” units.

Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, stated Wednesday that “Republicans must fight for BOTH” the SAVE America Act and a reconciliation bill including the president’s policy priorities. “Show votes aren’t enough,” he stated in a post on X.

AUTHOR

Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell

Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell is the White House correspondent for the Daily Signal. Follow on X TheElizMitchell.

From Trump’s Landslide to Thune’s Takeover: The RINO Establishment Reasserts Control

June 12, 2026/in Election Fraud, Hot Topics, Must Read, News, Policy, Politics, Voter REAL ID/by Amil Imani

The Captured Capitol and the Strangulation of the Seventy-Seven Million Mandate.

The American electorate did not merely cast ballots; they delivered an explicit mandate for systemic disruption. When seventy-seven million Americans voted to return Donald Trump to the White House and hand Republicans control of Congress, it was a thunderous rejection of the status quo — a demand to dismantle the entrenched managerial class, secure the southern border, and reverse decades of globalist overreach. The victory was a raw expression of popular sovereignty meant to shatter the calcified structures of official Washington. Yet, almost before the ink could dry on the election certificates, the immediate business-as-usual pivot of the Senate Republican leadership signaled a cold reality. The swift elevation of South Dakota Senator John Thune to Senate Majority Leader, succeeding Mitch McConnell, acted as a chilling bucket of water thrown upon the populist base.

For millions of voters, this transition felt less like a changing of the guard and more like a tactical redeployment of the institutional vanguard. Cultural commentators captured the growing fury, noting a profound sentiment bubbling up from the grassroots that the new leadership is viewed as a Trojan Horse for the Uniparty, underscoring an utter contempt for the supporters who voted for a transformative agenda. This chasm is not a misunderstanding over legislative drafting; it is an existential conflict between a populism demanding total reform and an oligarchy practicing clientelist politics.

To understand the intense skepticism surrounding the new Senate leadership, one must view John Thune not merely as an individual, but as a living symbol of a grand institutional apparatus. For decades, Thune has moved through the upper echelons of Washington, rising through the ranks of the Senate Republican Conference leadership as a consummate insider — temperamentally moderate, smooth-talking, and fiercely protective of the chamber’s arcane traditions. Under this dynamic, a popular mandate of seventy-seven million voters is forced through a strict Senate bottleneck where it is systematically diluted and delayed.

The institutional Senate relies on procedural norms, such as the sixty-vote filibuster shield and committee chairperson vetoes, as defensive armor to neutralize populist legislation while hiding behind the math. Rather than aggressively challenging these rules — as Democrats routinely threaten to do when pushing their own structural changes – the Republican establishment treats them as unalterable physics. This allows leaders to shrug, point to the legislative calendar, and blame a lack of bipartisan consensus, satisfying their corporate backers while telling their voters that they tried but simply lacked the votes.

The institutional arrogance of the upper chamber is structurally hardwired by the Framers, though weaponized by modern political operatives. While the House of Representatives operates on a two-year term length that forces an extremely high vulnerability to voter sentiment and hyper-responsiveness to grassroots populist movements, the United States Senate is structurally different.

A six-year Senate term was designed to foster stability, yet in the contemporary ecosystem, it breeds a profound psychological disconnect, keeping senators entirely insulated from the immediate, volatile wrath of their voters. Because a senator can spend four out of six years ignoring the base — advancing judicial confirmations or playing inside-baseball committee games — they cultivate an attitude of utter contempt toward the very people who elected them. They calculate that by the time their re-election cycle rolls around, voter memory will have faded, or a well-funded blitz of slick campaign ads will pacify the public. This long-term insulation transforms the Senate into an elite club where public opinion is treated as a temporary storm to be outlasted, rather than an instruction manual to be executed.

At the absolute center of this political fracture is a stark, irreconcilable divergence between the priorities of the populist base and the interests of the traditional donor class. The seventy-seven million voters driving the populist realignment demand explicit, tangible victories, specifically comprehensive border security with mass deportations, an aggressive economic nationalism anchored by robust tariffs to protect American manufacturing, and a decisive halt to unchecked, multi-billion-dollar foreign entanglements. Conversely, the powerful donor class that funds leadership political action committees operates on a completely different set of incentives.

Corporate benefactors, traditional business coalitions, and Wall Street lobbies quietly favor cheap labor flowing across the border, seamless global supply chains untroubled by protective tariffs, and a foreign policy that guarantees continuous defense spending. While leadership may offer passionate rhetorical support for border security on cable news, their legislative maneuvers often tell a different story, prioritizing corporate tax provisions or quietly defending international trade relationships to signal to their financial underwriters that the populist wave will be carefully managed and kept well within safe, profitable margins.

The modern Republican Party is attempting an impossible political balancing act by riding a raging populist wave to secure majorities and then expecting that wave to instantly stop churning the moment it reaches the marble steps of the Capitol. It is a dangerous, unsustainable strategy. The fierce chasm between the seventy-seven million voters who expect an absolute overhaul of Washington and an institutional leadership devoted to protecting consensus politics cannot be bridged by generic party unity press releases.

If the Senate Republican leadership continues to function as an obstacle to the popular mandate, the outcome will not be a return to the old pre-2016 consensus. Instead, it will trigger a permanent, catastrophic fracture within the GOP coalition — shattering the party from within and proving that an elite class that shows contempt for its own voters will eventually find itself a leadership without a base.