by Matthew Holloway | Aug 6, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Three of Arizona’s Republican Congressional delegation have called for accountability from the FBI over the rapidly evolving scandal around the ‘Durham Annex,’ a cache of recently released records exposed by FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.
Following the initial release, Congressmen Abe Hamadeh, Eli Crane, and Andy Biggs all offered comments via X, along with media interviews uniformly calling for accountability from the Department of Justice for the monumental scandal, which President Donald Trump described as “a FAILED coup.”
Gabbard started the proverbial ball rolling with a post to X, saying, “Whistleblower reveals how they were threatened by a supervisor to go along with the Obama-directed Russia hoax ‘intelligence’ assessment, even though they knew it was not credible or accurate. The Whistleblower refused.
“Yesterday we released the Whistleblower’s firsthand account of what happened in the crafting of the January 2017 ICA, their yearslong efforts to expose the egregious manipulation and manufacturing of intelligence carried out at the highest levels of government and the IC (detailed in our previous releases) and how they were repeatedly ignored.”
The releases by DNI Gabbard and FBI Director Patel indicated that the Hillary Clinton campaign allegedly approved a plan to falsely link President Donald Trump to Russia as a distraction from her email scandal, with the FBI failing to adequately investigate or disclose key information, including misleading the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The document highlights U.S. intelligence assessments of Russian intercepts suggesting Clinton’s involvement in stirring up a scandal. Later email releases showed clear ties from the Clinton Campaign to Leonard Benardo, Senior Vice President of billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Congressman Crane made several posts to X over the course of the day, calling for accountability. He quoted Leading Report’s note that said, “Declassified files show Hillary Clinton personally signed off on plan to link Trump to Russia in 2016, ” and he wrote, “And the swamp went along with it. We the People expect ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Sharing the whistleblower account Crane added, “This is a MASSIVE scandal. There has to be accountability.”
Responding to a report from John Solomon, Crane commented, “A historic scandal. And it’ll likely be ignored by the very mainstream media figures that perpetuated the hoax in the first place.”
In response to additional subsequent releases from FBI Director Patel, he wrote “Keep releasing. Then we have to hold them accountable.”
Congressman and Arizona Gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs similarly demanded “consequences for everyone who conspired against the American people.”
He wrote, “It was planned from the start. Americans were manipulated by the Left and the media for years. Those of us who called out the stench from the start were painted as conspiracy theorists. There must be severe consequences for everyone who conspired against the American people.”
In an interview with Garret Lewis of The Afternoon Addiction on 550 KFYI, Rep. Abe Hamadeh was clear: “There has to be justice. There has to be accountability. People need to be locked up.”
“It is the biggest scandal in American history, and that’s why President Trump won back in November,” Hamadeh added. “Because this is a repudiation of the corrupt cabal that has held a chokehold on our country for so long.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Dec 13, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Congressman-elect Abraham Hamadeh supports Hawaii’s former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence.
Gabbard — a Democrat-turned-Republican — received Hamadeh’s support through a letter signed by himself and over 250 “conservative” veterans. The veterans said that Gabbard’s decision to give up politics and enlist in the military following 9/11 made her fit to serve in Trump’s cabinet.
“Because of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tulsi answered the call of duty, enlisted in the Army, and stepped away from her position as a Hawaii State Representative when she volunteered to deploy to Iraq with her unit,” read the letter. “Instead of using her political status to avoid deployment, Tulsi volunteered to serve in a medical unit in Iraq, directly facing the harsh realities, costs, and traumas of war.”
The veterans also cited Gabbard’s legislative advocacy for improved treatment of veterans, namely her work to address toxic exposures and improve cancer care, describing her as “a rare blend of selflessness, courage, and leadership — qualities desperately needed to reform and strengthen our intelligence community.”
70 percent of the veterans signed onto the Gabbard letter were special operations or intelligence, and over 50 percent were retired, per Fox News.
Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003 while serving in the Hawaii State Legislature. The next year, Gabbard deployed for a year in Iraq as a specialist with the guard’s medical company at Logistical Support Area Anaconda. Gabbard completed her tour in 2005. That year, Gabbard received a Combat Medical Badge for participating in combat operations under enemy hostile fire in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
In 2007, Gabbard graduated from the Alabama Military Academy at the top of her class and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Gabard went on to serve as an Army Military Police officer, and then was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009. In subsequent years, Gabbard would be promoted from the rank of captain to major to lieutenant colonel, during which time she was transferred to the California-based United States Army Reserve unit.
Another Arizona Republican, Congressman Eli Crane, signed onto the letter as well. Crane was a member of the Navy SEALs; three of his five deployments were with the SEALs. Crane joined the Navy one week after the 9/11 attacks, and served from 2001 to 2014.
Hamadeh has served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an intelligence officer since 2016, rising to the rank of captain. In 2020, Hamadeh was deployed to Saudi Arabia following the 2019 terrorist attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Gabbard as his nominee last month. Gabbard was a congresswoman for eight years, representing Hawaii as a Democrat before becoming an independent in 2022. It wasn’t until one of Trump’s rallies in October that Gabbard announced she had fully switched over and became a Republican, several months after endorsing Trump.
On Monday, Capitol Hill reporters lobbed questions about Syria at Gabbard while she attended private meetings with senators on the confirmation of herself and Trump’s other nominees.
Gabbard told reporters that she supports Trump’s Sunday remarks about Syria.
“I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” said Gabbard.
On Sunday, Trump issued several posts on Truth Social declaring that Russia’s involvement in Ukraine had left Syria vulnerable to opposition fighters, where they once enjoyed the protection of the federation. Trump further clarified that the U.S. should not get involved in this conflict abroad.
“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success. Likewise, Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians,” said Trump. “There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, [and] THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
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