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Trait 9
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Sep 8, 2025 Karoline Leavitt denied the authenticity of the Epstein birthday card and announced litigation against a news outlet Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The categorical denial, later undercut by congressional disclosure, was paired with threats of legal retaliation against media reporting.
Supporting reports
- White House Press Secretary denied authenticity of Epstein birthday card — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement claiming the birthday card story is false and asserting that President Trump did not draw or sign the picture. She announced that Trump's legal team would "aggressively pursue litigation" against the Wall Street Journal and News Corp.
- White House Press Secretary falsely attributed signature analysis article to Daily Signal — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Daily Signal had published an article with "three separate signature analysts" concluding the letter's signature was not authentic. The Daily Signal published no such article. The Daily Wire, a different conservative outlet, published an article claiming "3 forensic analyses" but actually only ran the letter through AI models, which falsely claimed Trump had never used words like "enigma" that appear in the letter. Expert Thomas W. Vastrick, president of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, told the Washington Post the signature was "very consistent" with Trump's known signatures.
Sep 8, 2025 Trump politicized a Ukrainian refugee's murder to attack bail reform and campaign for a Senate candidate Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Using a specific tragedy for partisan advantage exploited a death to advance false claims about criminal-justice policy.
Supporting reports
- Trump and Republican officials blame Roy Cooper for Ukrainian refugee's murder using false claims about bail and criminal justice policy — President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Congressman Richard Hudson, and Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley publicly blamed former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) for the August 22 murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee killed by Decarlos Brown Jr. on a Charlotte train. Trump claimed Brown was "released on CASHLESS BAIL in January" due to Cooper's policies; Hudson attributed the killing to Cooper's "irresponsible policies"; Bondi issued an official DOJ statement linking the murder to "failed soft-on-crime policies." The article documents these claims as factually baseless: Brown's January release was for a misdemeanor 911 call, not a violent crime; North Carolina law caps Class 1 Misdemeanor sentences at 120 days regardless; Cooper's June 2020 executive order created only an advisory task force whose recommendations were never enacted and came after Brown's September 2020 release.
- Trump politicized Ukrainian refugee's death to attack bail reform — Trump politicized the killing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train to rail against cashless bail, saying "her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail," and calling on Republicans to vote for former RNC Chair Michael Whatley for U.S. Senate. The statement used a tragedy for partisan political gain.
- Congressman Hudson attributes murder to Cooper's policies in false social media post — Congressman Richard Hudson (R-NC) posted on X on September 9 that "Because of irresponsible policies from our former Governor Roy Cooper's administration, [t]his brutal thug was set free and allowed to terrorize our community again and again" and that "This tragedy is the direct result of policies that put politics over public safety." The article establishes this claim is false: the suspect was released in January 2025 for a misdemeanor 911 call, not a violent crime; Cooper's June 2020 executive order created only an advisory task force whose recommendations were never enacted and came months before the suspect's actual release.
Sep 8, 2025 Trump posted a video promoting the disproven vaccine-autism link Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The president's promotion of a scientifically debunked claim undermines public-health messaging and enables vaccine hesitancy.
Supporting reports
- Trump posted vaccine-autism disproven claim on Truth Social — On Truth Social, Trump posted a video that promoted the long-discredited and debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. The video featured vaccine skeptic David Geier, who was hired to work as a senior data analyst in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on links between vaccines and autism.
Sep 8, 2025 Mike Johnson walked back his claim that Trump was an FBI informant against Epstein Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The speaker's retraction reflected uncertainty about the factual basis for a serious allegation involving the president.
Supporting reports
- House Speaker Johnson walked back FBI informant claim about Trump — House Speaker Mike Johnson walked back the claim he made last week that Trump was an "FBI informant" against Epstein, saying he didn't know if he used the "right terminology," but that it's "much ado about nothing." The retreat from the claim reflected uncertainty about the basis for the allegation.
Sep 7, 2025 Tom Homan threatened prosecution of protesters and falsely claimed they were paid to demonstrate Corroborated Civil Rights and Dissent
A senior official's unfounded claims and threats aimed to delegitimize and criminalize protest against administration policies.
Supporting reports
- Tom Homan threatened prosecution of protesters — Fox News pushed a false narrative that protesters against National Guard deployments were being paid. Deportation Czar Tom Homan appeared on Fox and claimed that protesters would be "prosecuted too" if they were financed from outside, suggesting that the government would investigate and prosecute protest organizers.
- Tom Homan falsely claimed protesters are paid by unnamed sources — On Fox News, Trump's border czar Tom Homan stated without evidence that those protesting the administration's immigration crackdown are "absolutely" being paid to do so, and threatened that those funding the protests "will be prosecuted too." The claim was made without providing any factual basis or evidence.
Sep 7, 2025 Trump removed his name from infrastructure projects funded by a law he had opposed Tier 1 · Primary Economic Structure
Falsely claiming credit for legislation he tried to defeat undermines transparency about the origin of public infrastructure funding.
Supporting reports
- Trump removed his name from infrastructure projects he opposed — Trump has been removing signs bearing his name from major construction projects financed by the 2021 Infrastructure Law, which he strenuously opposed and urged Republicans in Congress to vote against. The New York Times reported that Trump is now taking credit for projects funded by legislation he actively worked to defeat.
Sep 7, 2025 Bill Pulte referred Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for criminal investigation over mortgage-fraud allegations Tier 1 · Primary Institutions and Governance
An unusual, politically charged referral against a sitting Fed governor bypassed normal investigatory channels and appeared aimed at removing an independent official.
Supporting reports
- Bill Pulte refers Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for criminal investigation into alleged mortgage fraud — William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a Trump appointee, referred Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud, claiming she misrepresented her homes as primary residences to secure favorable rates. The DOJ opened a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas. Cook denies wrongdoing, calling discrepancies a clerical error. Former officials and experts called Pulte's direct involvement "bizarre," as criminal referrals typically originate from the FHFA's inspector general office, not the agency director.
- Housing Finance Agency director targeted Democrat with mortgage fraud allegations — Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who has been targeting Democrats with flimsy mortgage fraud allegations, posted that Federal Reserve Board member Dr. Lisa Cook obtained bank loans with "lower than allowed" interest rates while serving on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's academic advisory council. Economist Justin Wolfers responded that Pulte's claim was dishonest: Cook was asked to give macroeconomic advice to an academic advisory council, not to set interest rates, and the Chicago Fed does not set rates.
- Trump administration officials accused Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud based on documents later shown to be inaccurate — President Trump sought to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook by alleging she committed mortgage fraud by claiming two homes as primary residences to obtain lower interest rates. Reuters reported that documents show Cook actually designated the Georgia property as a "vacation home" to her lender, and standardized forms were overridden by her personal application specifying it as a second home. Cook never claimed a primary residence tax exemption for the Georgia property and referred to it officially as a "2nd home." The allegations appear to be false.
Sep 7, 2025 Todd Blanche conducted an interview with Ghislaine Maxwell that avoided probing questions about Trump Corroborated Institutions and Governance
Survivors called the interview inadequate, suggesting the investigation was designed to shield the president rather than pursue accountability.
Supporting reports
- Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducts soft interview with Ghislaine Maxwell — In late July 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell over two days. The resulting transcript, released on August 22, revealed that Blanche's questions were not probing on key issues, particularly regarding Trump or those close to him. Survivors and their attorneys condemned the interview as inadequate and characterized it as "coddling" a known sex abuser.
- Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer suggested quid pro quo for prison transfer — Asked on CNN about why Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower-security prison, her former lawyer seemingly admitted that it was likely part of a deal with the Trump administration in exchange for her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying "when anybody who's represented by a lawyer who knows what they're doing goes in and meets with the government, there's always a quid pro quo."
Sep 7, 2025 Department of Defense posted then deleted a false claim about Secretary Hegseth's military valor award Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
A federal agency disseminated false information about an official's military record, undermining institutional credibility when the falsehood was exposed.
Supporting reports
- Department of Defense falsely claimed Pete Hegseth received valor medal — The Department of Defense posted a video claiming Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was the "recipient of the bronze star medal for valor." Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin fact-checked the claim, noting that public records show Hegseth received two Bronze Stars but neither was "for valor"—a specific distinction requiring special devices. The DOD later deleted the video.
Sep 7, 2025 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed no government public health successes have occurred in decades Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The HHS Secretary's sweeping false claims undermine public confidence in vaccines and established public-health achievements.
Supporting reports
- Former Surgeon General criticized RFK Jr. for false testimony — Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated that RFK Jr. has made "provably false statements under oath during Congressional testimony" and that his rhetoric has driven provider confusion and consumer hesitancy, putting lives at risk. Adams said RFK Jr. has failed to build trust in vaccines and lifesaving innovations, and that vaccination rates are falling while high-risk Americans report barriers to vaccination. Adams called for new HHS leadership.
- RFK Jr. claimed no government health successes — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, appeared on Fox News and claimed that he does not believe there have been any successes by government public health agencies, stating "I don't think there have been successes. We have seen a 30-40 year decline in the agency." Trump's former Surgeon General Jerome Adams responded that RFK Jr. has made "provably false statements under oath during Congressional testimony" and that his rhetoric has driven provider confusion and consumer hesitancy, putting lives at risk.
Sep 7, 2025 Pamela Bondi announced the DOJ would not release additional Epstein files and denied a client list existed Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The Attorney General's refusal to release files, contradicted by later document disclosures, suggests selective transparency and possible obstruction.
Supporting reports
- DOJ denies release of additional Epstein files and claims client list does not exist — In July 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced that the Justice Department and FBI would not release additional Epstein files and claimed that a purported Epstein client list does not exist. This announcement contradicted earlier public commitments to transparency and provoked significant controversy, particularly after reporting revealed that Trump's name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files.
Sep 6, 2025 Trump fired the BLS director following weak jobs data and replaced her with a partisan operative Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Removing an independent statistician after unfavorable data and installing a loyalist threatens the credibility of official economic statistics.
Supporting reports
- Trump fired previous director of Bureau of Labor Statistics — Trump fired the previous director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after accusing her of rigging the numbers for political reasons. The firing occurred before the release of the August jobs report, which showed the U.S. added only 22,000 jobs—far below the expected 75,000—and revised downward June and July figures by 21,000 jobs.
- Trump administration fires BLS director and replaces with partisan operative — Following weak August jobs numbers, the Trump administration removed the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and replaced her with a partisan operative described as having little economic expertise. The move signals intent to alter official economic data reporting. This follows a pattern of replacing career officials with loyalists in positions responsible for collecting and publishing key economic statistics.
Sep 6, 2025 former CDC directors warned in an op-ed that the health secretary was endangering American health Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Nine former agency leaders publicly warned that current leadership was departing from scientific norms in ways unlike anything previously experienced.
Supporting reports
- Nine former CDC directors warned RFK Jr. is endangering American health — Nine former directors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention penned an op-ed in the New York Times warning that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is "endangering every American's health," and adding that his actions are "unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced."