by Matthew Holloway | Aug 21, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A letter from Solicitor General of the United States D. John Sauer to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson has revealed that the Department of Justice is prepared to defend the removal of former Voice of America (VOA) Director Michael Abramowitz from his position. Abramowitz’s removal was ordered by Acting Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake.
The letter sets a clear argument that restrictions under 22 U.S.C. 6205(e)(l) against Abramowitz’s termination for cause under 5 U.S.C. § 7543, are rendered unconstitutional by Article II § 2 Clause 2.
Solicitor General Sauer explained the restriction against Abramowitz’s termination writing, “The head of Voice of America, an inferior executive officer, is appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media. See 22 U.S.C. 6205(e)(l). A federal statute provides that the Chief Executive Officer may remove the head of Voice of America only with the approval of the Independent Broadcasting Advisory Board.”
The Solicitor General then laid out the legal position of the administration that the DOJ “will file in defense of the removal of Michael Abramowitz from that office.”
He wrote:
“Under Article II, inferior executive officers must be removable at will by the President or by a department head acting on the President’s behalf. See Seila Law LLC v. CFPB, 591 U.S. 197, 215 (2020).
“The Supreme Court has recognized only one narrow exception to that ‘general rule.’ Ibid. That exception extends, at most, to certain domestic inferior officers ‘with limited duties and no policymaking or administrative authority.’ Id. at 218.
“The head of Voice of America falls outside that exception. Among other things, he exercises significant policymaking or administrative authority in supervising Voice of America, and Voice of America’s activities implicate the President’s authority to manage foreign affairs.”
Sauer added that this opinion is supported by the precedent set in Seila Law LLC v. CFPB, 591 U.S. 197, 215 (2020) in which the Supreme Court ruling penned by Justice Robers is clear: “In our constitutional system, the executive power belongs to the President, and that power generally includes the ability to supervise and remove the agents who wield executive power in his stead. While we have previously upheld limits on the President’s removal authority in certain contexts, we decline to do so when it comes to principal officers who, acting alone, wield significant executive power. The Constitution requires that such officials remain dependent on the President, who in turn is accountable to the people.”
In short, it is the Solicitor General’s legal opinion that because of the unique, Congressionally-mandated duty of Voice of America to carry out foreign policy objectives and the significant authority the VOA Director has over them, the President and his appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kari Lake, must have the power to appoint and remove personnel from the agency at will to satisfy the President’s duties under the Constitution as vested by Congress: “the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Abramowitz was informed of his dismissal after he declined reassignment to the agency’s Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station of the International Broadcasting Bureau in Greenville, NC, and that the USAGM maintains “the Chief Executive Officer, acting on the President’s behalf, may lawfully remove the Voice of America Director, an inferior officer.”
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 Matthew Holloway | Jul 6, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona State Representative and U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major (ret.) John Gillette (R-LD30) offered a public rebuke of Attorney General Kris Mayes in a July 2nd post to X. Gillette offered a stern correction to Mayes after the Democrat AG announced a lawsuit against the federal government and accused the Trump administration of “violating privacy protections with its decision to share Medicaid data with DHS, which houses ICE.” Mayes claimed the administrative data sharing is an “illegal transfer of Arizonans’ private, personally identifiable health data.”
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Mayes’ office wrote, “Arizonans accessing Medicaid services do so with the assurance that their data would be confidential. While administering AHCCCS and other healthcare programs, Arizona has relied on the federal government’s assurances that it will follow the law and protect confidentiality. It appears the federal government has broken their promise.”
In his post to X Gillette wrote, “Administrative data sharing with DHS, DOJ, HHS is lawful. The state agreed to the terms when they took the matching funds. 42 CFR 431 privacy act, every service member knows this is only protected from non govt use.” According to 42 CFR §431.300 the law “requires agencies to exchange information to verify the income and eligibility of applicants and beneficiaries.” It further defines under § 431.302 that “Purposes directly related to plan administration include—
(a) Establishing eligibility;
(b) Determining the amount of medical assistance;
(c) Providing services for beneficiaries; and
(d) Conducting or assisting an investigation, prosecution, or civil or criminal proceeding related to the administration of the plan.”
Under these terms, the sharing of information between the State of Arizona and the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Health and Human Services aren’t merely lawful, but are mandatory. Any extrajudicial attempts to disrupt this information sharing by Arizona would likely be grounds for the Federal government to similarly take legal action against Arizona at the taxpayers’ expense.
Strict limitations are also placed on the federal agencies requiring that they safeguard the information shared regarding program participants, provide “conditions for release and use of information about applicants and beneficiaries,” and restrict access to the information “to persons or agency representatives who are subject to standards of confidentiality that are comparable to those of the agency.”
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 Jonathan Eberle | Jul 4, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Federal prosecutors in Arizona charged 164 individuals last week with immigration-related offenses as part of a concentrated enforcement effort targeting illegal entry, re-entry, and human smuggling. The charges stem from coordinated operations that took place from June 21 through June 27, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The bulk of the cases involved illegal re-entry by previously deported individuals (84 cases) and unlawful entry into the United States (71 cases). Additionally, nine people were charged with smuggling others into or through Arizona.
The enforcement activity is part of Operation Take Back America, a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling transnational criminal organizations, and increasing public safety. The operation brings together resources from federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and the ATF.
Among the individuals charged is Jesus Alfred Salazar-Ruiz, who allegedly attempted to flee Border Patrol agents near the U.S.–Mexico border. Authorities say Salazar-Ruiz crashed through fencing and sped down a dirt road before abandoning his vehicle. He was later found with the vehicle’s keys in his possession, and three illegal alien passengers were also located. Salazar-Ruiz faces charges of transporting illegal aliens for profit.
In a separate case, Miguel Angel Mezo-Antele, a Mexican national, was apprehended while allegedly transporting four illegal individuals across Arizona with plans to drop them off in California and Oregon. He has been charged with transportation of an illegal alien.
Also charged was Dalesio Hernandez-Bautista, who had previously been removed from the United States in 2018 after a felony manslaughter conviction in Arizona. He now faces charges of illegal re-entry.
The week-long enforcement sweep is one of the latest steps in a broader federal effort to deter unlawful immigration and hold repeat offenders and human smugglers accountable. Officials say these operations will continue in the months ahead as part of a strategy that combines legal prosecution with coordinated federal law enforcement resources.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 19, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Republican Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) has issued a request for a full investigation into credible allegations that election security protocols in Arizona were breached during the 2024 General Election, putting the integrity of the election into question.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Congressman Hamadeh requested an investigation to specifically examine the handling of ballots from multiple states throughout the west by Runbeck Election Services.
Hamadeh cited credible reports that large stores of printed blank ballots from several western states were “improperly mixed in a warehouse with returned voted mail ballots that were in the process of being prepared for tabulation.”
He wrote, “This alarming situation raises serious questions about the security and integrity of the election process in Maricopa County and potentially beyond. The comingling of blank ballots with live ballots poses a significant risk to the accuracy and fairness of election results. It is crucial that we have confidence in the integrity of our elections, and any potential mishandling of ballots must be investigated to ensure that the will of the voters is accurately reflected.”
Hamadeh has requested that DOJ investigators determine:
1) The circumstance surrounding the mixing of blank ballots with voted ballots in the Runbeck warehouse.
2) The security measures in place to prevent such incidents and whether they were followed.
3) The potential impact on the accuracy of election results in Maricopa County and any other affected areas.
4) Any other relevant factors that may have comprised the integrity of the 2024 election. The Congressman also pointed to an announcement by FBI Director Kash Patel that the bureau has “turned over documents to Sen. Chuck Grassley involving an intelligence report in which China is alleged to have mass-produced fake U.S. driver’s licenses as part of the CCP’s effort to rig the 2020 election with fake mail-in ballots in favor of President Joe Biden.”
“These include allegations of plants from the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] to manufacture fake driver’s licenses and ship them into the United States for the purpose of facilitating fraudulent mail-in ballots–allegations which, while substantiated, were abruptly recalled and never disclosed to the public,” Patel revealed. “In accordance with Chairman Grassley’s request for documents, I have immediately declassified the material and turned the document over to the Chairman for further review.”
In a statement following his request for an investigation, Hamadeh said, “We have known for years that our election processes in Arizona are flawed and ripe with opportunities for nefarious forces. There appears to be a clear pattern and practice of security breakdowns, system failures, and outright manipulation that must be investigated and remedied.”
He concluded, “Now is the time for our Department of Justice to investigate credible allegations and offer sound recommendations to ensure that the integrity of our elections is restored in full.”
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 Our America | Jun 12, 2025 | Opinion
By Our America |
Last summer, Our America Foundation’s Arizona Hometown Heroes stood up for local control of law enforcement by protesting against the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) consent decree to the Phoenix City Council.
And now, we have a victory – the DOJ has dropped the decree recommendation for the Phoenix Police Department (PPD).
We applaud this move, as we believe that communities are best served when they have a direct say in how they’re governed.
AZ Free News reported late last month that the DOJ rescinded the report and recommendation, thanks in part to an aggressive advocacy campaign by Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R–AZ-8). Hamadeh met with top DOJ officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon (an Our America-backed official), to push for the decision.
This reverses a June 2024 move by Biden’s DOJ, which released a highly critical report after concluding an investigation into the PPD. The report alleged a wide variety of misconduct and abuses by the PPD, and the DOJ pressured the city to sign a consent decree.
This decree would have meant federal monitoring and control over the PPD, and was criticized as a clear-cut example of federal overreach. The PPD was already taking proactive steps to fix any existing issues, and the department enjoyed strong support from the local community.
As we’ve written about in the past, similar moves by the DOJ to take control over police departments in Seattle and Albuquerque resulted in an increase in crime. Furthermore, these decrees put additional financial burdens on departments and in effect work as a de-facto way of defunding the police.
Keeping control in the hands of Americans over Washington bureaucrats is a good bet to make communities safer and stronger.
Our America is an organization seeking to build a broad, diverse coalition of people who support those timeless American values that empower everyone to thrive, including: equal opportunity, mutual respect, and freedom of expression.
