Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Speaker Johnson says he won't block House vote on Epstein files discharge petition — House Speaker Mike Johnson stated at a press conference that he would not prevent a vote on legislation to release Jeffrey Epstein investigation documents, even as the House remained in recess during a government shutdown. A discharge petition signed by all House Democrats and four Republicans was one signature away from the 218-member threshold needed to force a floor vote. Johnson argued the petition was unnecessary because a House oversight committee was already investigating Epstein, though he has refused to swear in newly elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva until the House reconvenes.

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• House Speaker Johnson refuses to seat elected representative Adelita Grijalva — House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to seat representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who was elected by voters on September 23, 2025, to fill a vacant House seat. Johnson has offered successive reasons to delay her seating. Without being sworn in, Grijalva has no access to government resources, cannot represent her constituents, and cannot provide the 218th signature needed on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• House adjourned for 77 of last 89 days to block Epstein files release vote — Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House adjourned for 77 of the previous 89 days, with House Republicans working only 12 days in three months. The stated purpose was to prevent a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Rep. Marjorie Greene publicly disagreed with the shutdown strategy, calling for the House to return to work on appropriations and legislation.
• House Speaker Johnson refuses to call House into session, blocking swearing-in of representative-elect Grijalva — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is refusing to call the House into session, keeping members out of Washington and preventing the swearing-in of representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who was elected on September 23. Johnson claims that keeping the House out of session prevents him from swearing in Grijalva, though speakers have sworn in representatives during pro forma sessions in the past. Grijalva has stated she will be the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• Johnson dismisses Grijalva lawsuit as "absurd" and "publicity stunt" — House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to the Arizona lawsuit by calling it "absurd" and characterizing it as "a publicity stunt." The lawsuit had noted that Johnson's excuse for delaying Grijalva's swearing-in—that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed swearing in Representative Julia Letlow—was inaccurate; Pelosi had contacted Letlow to determine when she wished to be sworn in.
• Arizona sued House Speaker Mike Johnson to compel swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva — Arizona sued House Speaker Mike Johnson and the U.S. House of Representatives to compel the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election last month. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes argued the delay violates the constitutional rights of the district's 800,000 residents to representation. Democrats said the delay is politically motivated, as seating Grijalva could give Democrats the 218th signature needed for a discharge petition to force a vote for the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
• Arizona and Grijalva sue House of Representatives over refusal to swear in elected representative — The state of Arizona and representative-elect Adelita Grijalva filed suit against the House of Representatives over Speaker Johnson's refusal to swear Grijalva into office, thus depriving her Arizona constituents of representation. Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes argued that a duly elected representative who meets constitutional qualifications cannot be denied office simply because the Speaker has decided to keep the House out of regular session. Mayes requested the court authorize someone else to swear Grijalva into office.
• Arizona Attorney General and elected representative sue Speaker Johnson over obstruction of swearing-in — On October 21, 2025, Adelita Grijalva and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives challenging Speaker Johnson's refusal to swear in Grijalva. The lawsuit argues that the Constitution does not authorize the Speaker to deny a duly elected representative her office to prevent her from signing a discharge petition or to strengthen the Speaker's negotiating position on budget matters. Mayes contends that Johnson "has not identified any valid reason for refusing to promptly seat Ms. Grijalva" and that the delay injures Grijalva and Arizona voters by denying representation for a significant portion of the two-year term. The lawsuit requests that if Johnson continues to delay, Grijalva be sworn in by another authorized official.
• House Republican leadership claims Trump exonerated in Epstein files — House Republican leadership, represented by Rep. James Comer, claimed that evidence gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way regarding the Epstein files. Comer stated that public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein. The files remain unreleased to the public.
• Arizona sues Mike Johnson to block swearing-in of elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva — Arizona's Democratic attorney general Kris Mayes filed suit against House Speaker Mike Johnson to compel him to swear in Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat elected to Congress on 23 September in Arizona's seventh district. Johnson has refused to schedule her swearing-in since early October, citing the ongoing government shutdown. Grijalva cannot access her office fully or vote without being sworn in. The lawsuit alleges Johnson is denying Arizona's district representation and suspects he is blocking her to prevent her from becoming the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• Rep.-elect Grijalva blocked from being sworn in — Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has been blocked from being sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson, an unprecedented move that prevents her from voting on critical legislation.

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• Republican congressional leaders refuse to negotiate with Democrats on government reopening — Republican congressional leaders are refusing to engage in negotiations with Democrats to reopen the federal government, instead attempting to force Democrats to comply with Republican demands without discussion or compromise. This occurs despite 78% of Americans, including 59% of Republicans, supporting the Democratic demand for an extension of the tax credit that lowers healthcare premium costs on Affordable Care Act markets. More than three-quarters of those insured through ACA markets live in states that voted for Trump.

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• House Republicans held press conference dismissing No Kings protests as un-American — Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and Rep. Chip Roy held a press conference during a shutdown to attack the No Kings Day protests held the previous weekend. They characterized the demonstrations as a "hate America rally," claimed protesters were celebrating the death of Republicans, and accused Democrats of promoting Marxists and Islamists. The statements were made despite the protests being peaceful and drawing an estimated 5.5 million participants.

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• Federal district judge Karin Immergut blocks Trump's deployment of Oregon National Guard to Portland and imposes second order prohibiting any National Guard deployment — Federal district judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued an initial injunction blocking Trump's effort to deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, stating his contentions about Portland's atmosphere were "simply untethered to the facts." When Trump attempted to circumvent this order by deploying federalized California National Guard troops to Oregon instead, Immergut imposed a second order prohibiting the deployment of any National Guard troops to Portland. The lower court ruling was later lifted by the three-judge appellate panel on October 21.
• Judge Immergut rejects Trump's Portland emergency claims and blocks national guard deployment — Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump's plan to deploy national guard troops to Portland, rejecting the administration's characterization of the city as "war-ravaged" and finding the president's emergency determination "untethered to the facts." Immergut concluded the deployment violated constitutional limits on executive power and misrepresented conditions on the ground. A federal appeals court later reversed her ruling on October 20, permitting deployment.

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• Judge Perry blocks national guard deployment to Chicago; appeals court upholds — Judge April Perry in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order rejecting the Department of Homeland Security's characterization of Chicago as a "war zone" and blocking national guard deployment, finding DHS claims "simply unreliable" and lacking credibility. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Perry's ruling. The Trump administration subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court to pause the ruling and permit deployment.
• Chicago federal judge blocks national guard deployment pending case resolution — Federal District Judge April Perry on Wednesday blocked national guard deployment to the Chicago area until her court decides the case or the US Supreme Court intervenes. Perry had previously blocked the deployment for two weeks through a temporary restraining order. Federal government attorneys said they would agree to extend the order but would continue pressing for an emergency Supreme Court order to allow deployment.

Supporting reports

• Stay motion decided — Oregon v. Trump (D. Or.) 3:25-cv-01756 — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the administration's emergency motion to stay a district court order that had blocked the federalization of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. In a 2-1 decision, the panel concluded that the President likely lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3) , finding his decision “reflect[ed] a colorable assessment of the facts and law within a ‘range of honest judgment.'” The majority found that the district court had erred by minimizing evidence of violence in the months before the federalization order was issued and that it placed too much emphasis on Trump's social media remarks, writing that the deployment constituted a “proportionate” and “measured” response by “sending only a minimal number of Guardsmen to restore order around a federal building” and that the decision of how many troops to send “warrants the highest possible deference.” Judge Graber dissented, warning that the ruling “hands the President a blank check to militarize domestic disputes whenever he declares himself dissatisfied with civilian law enforcement.” The stay reinstates the administration's power to deploy the Oregon National Guard while the appeal proceeds.
• Federal appeals court ruled Trump administration can deploy National Guard to Portland — A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with deploying National Guard troops to Portland. Two Trump-appointed judges wrote that "Even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis" to support the deployment. A Clinton-appointed judge dissented, writing that the decision "is not merely absurd, it erodes core constitutional principles."
• Ninth Circuit judge requests en banc rehearing vote on Trump troop deployment ruling — Hours after the three-judge panel decision, a Ninth Circuit judge formally requested a vote on whether the case should be reheard by a larger en banc panel of all 29 active judges. This triggered a formal order requiring written briefs from Oregon and Portland (supporting rehearing) and the Trump administration (opposing it) by midnight Wednesday. All 29 judges will then vote on whether to grant the rehearing. The dissenting judge, Susan Graber, had urged vacatur of the panel's decision, and Oregon's governor and attorney general both called for the full court to reverse the ruling.
• Three-judge federal appeals panel lifts block on Trump's deployment of federalized Oregon National Guard troops to Portland — A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 on October 21 to lift a lower court's injunction blocking Trump's deployment of federalized Oregon National Guard troops to Portland. Trump had ordered the deployment citing federal property protection; Oregon's governor and attorney general challenged it as unlawful. The dissenting judge called the ruling "absurd" and without legal justification. Hours later, a Ninth Circuit judge formally requested a vote on whether the full 29-judge court should rehear the case, triggering a briefing schedule with a Wednesday midnight deadline.
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals pauses lifting of Portland national guard block — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday paused the lifting of Judge Immergut's first temporary restraining order blocking deployment of 200 Oregon national guard troops to Portland until the following Tuesday evening. The pause was granted to allow the court time to decide whether to rehear the appeal of that order before a larger 11-judge panel, effectively extending the deployment block for at least four additional days.
• Case update — Oregon v. Trump (D. Or.) 3:25-cv-01756 — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals applied an administrative stay on an earlier order temporarily blocking the administration from deploying the Oregon National Guard while the legal challenge against it proceeds. The ruling temporarily reinstates the district court's order while the full court determines whether to rehear the case en banc.

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• Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia subpoenaed senior DOJ officials including Deputy Attorney General — Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia subpoenaed senior DOJ officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, to testify at a hearing on Garcia's motion to dismiss the indictment against him for vindictive prosecution. The subpoenas represent an attempt to expose potential political motivation in the prosecution.

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• Trump's interim U.S. attorney for Eastern District of Virginia leaked grand jury testimony to reporter — Lawfare reported that Trump's hand-picked interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, engaged in a Signal exchange with reporter Anna Bower in which she divulged details about grand jury testimony in her criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Halligan later told Bower that their entire correspondence was off the record, despite the fact that such requests must be made in advance and agreed to by the reporter. The incident raised serious concerns about prosecutorial ethics and the politicization of the Justice Department.
• US Attorney Halligan's use of auto-delete Signal messages potentially violates federal records-retention laws — Lindsey Halligan, interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, used Signal with auto-delete settings (eight-hour message expiration) to communicate with a journalist about her prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Watchdog groups American Oversight and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington warned that this practice potentially violates the Federal Records Act and DOJ records-retention rules. American Oversight filed a public records request for the messages; both groups called for investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ Office of Inspector General.

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• Trump administration officials view interim U.S. attorney Halligan as unprepared and destined for defeat — Zeteo reported that numerous Trump administration officials view Lindsey Halligan, Trump's handpicked prosecutor going after his political enemies, as being in over her head, ill-prepared for her high-stakes role, and destined for a number of crushing defeats in court. One Trump-aligned federal law enforcement official called Halligan a "trainwreck" who is "going to be the most subpoenaed person" when Democrats regain control of Congress or the Justice Department.

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• Trump administration fired two federal prosecutors who opposed charges against Letitia James — CBS News reported that the Trump administration fired two federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia last week who opposed bringing criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James. The firings appeared to be retaliation for the prosecutors' professional judgment that the case lacked sufficient evidence.

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• North Carolina Republicans pass congressional redistricting map to shift delegation from 10-4 to 11-3 — The North Carolina state senate passed a new congressional district map on Tuesday, October 22, 2025, designed to flip the state's congressional delegation from a 10-4 Republican advantage to 11-3 by targeting Democratic congressman Don Davis's district in the northeast. State law does not grant Democratic Governor Josh Stein veto power over redistricting. The Republican-controlled state house is expected to pass the map quickly. The map preserves the first congressional district's majority-Black composition to avoid racial gerrymandering challenges, though critics argue it undermines bipartisanship and Democratic representation despite 46% of 2024 congressional votes going to Democratic candidates.
• North Carolina House scheduled to vote on GOP redistricting measure SB 249 — The North Carolina House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on SB 249, a redistricting bill, on October 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in the House chamber. The measure requires two votes for passage and cannot be vetoed by the Governor. The article characterizes the bill as "unconstitutional" and describes it as a scheme by Republican leadership to maintain power. Public comment periods were held in both House and Senate elections committees, and a rally was organized by NC Democrats in opposition.
• North Carolina Legislature Enacts New Congressional Map — The North Carolina Legislature has enacted a new congressional map that has been criticized for gerrymandering. The map is said to dilute the voting power of a region with a significant history of civil rights activism. This legislative action is part of ongoing disputes over redistricting in the state, which have seen multiple legal challenges in recent years. The new map is expected to face further scrutiny and potential legal challenges from civil rights groups and other stakeholders concerned about fair representation.

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• Federal appeals court overturns injunction blocking rescission of collective bargaining rights — A federal appeals court overturned an initial sweeping injunction that had blocked Trump's March executive order rescinding collective bargaining rights for federal workers. Following this reversal, the Trump administration promptly stripped hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their union contracts in August 2025. Court proceedings in the case continue.

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• Federal prosecutors accused James Comey's lead defense attorney of leaking classified information — Federal prosecutors leading the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey accused his lead defense attorney of being involved in leaking material to the media shortly after Trump fired Comey in 2017. Prosecutors argued this constituted a conflict of interest that could result in the attorney's disqualification from the case. Comey's legal team responded that the filing was an attempt to "defame" the attorney with "demonstrably false allegations" and denied any leaking of classified information.

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• Pro-voting groups amend lawsuit to block GOP referendum effort — The League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government amended their ongoing lawsuit to block the Utah Republican Party's referendum effort to repeal Proposition 4 and the legislature's redistricting map. The groups characterized the effort as a "desperate, transparent attempt to run out the clock, obstruct court-ordered reforms, and confuse the public ahead of 2026."
• Pro-voting groups challenge SB 1011 and submit alternative maps — The League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government filed legal challenges to the constitutionality of SB 1011 and submitted two Proposition 4-compliant alternative maps for the court to consider in place of the legislature's map. The groups alleged that the legislature's map violates Proposition 4's prohibition on partisan favoritism.

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• Federal judge orders body cameras for immigration enforcement officers in Chicago — U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued an order on Friday evening requiring federal immigration enforcement officers to wear and activate body cameras during all immigration enforcement activities, including public interactions. This followed her earlier temporary restraining order mandating warnings before use of anti-riot weapons and visible identification. Ellis scheduled a Monday hearing to review implementation of the order, which remains in effect until November 6. The measure was issued in the context of escalating confrontations between federal immigration officers and protesters at the Broadview ICE detention facility.

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• Utah legislature adopts new congressional redistricting map — The Utah legislature adopted a new congressional redistricting map designed to keep all four of the state's congressional seats in Republican hands, following the Utah Supreme Court's September order to comply with Proposition 4. The map was passed alongside SB 1011 and signed into law by Governor Cox. Pro-voting groups immediately objected, alleging the map "purposefully and unduly favors Republicans and disfavors Democrats in violation of Proposition 4's prohibition on partisan favoritism."
• Utah legislature passes SB 1011 to restrict judicial review of redistricting map — The Utah legislature passed Senate Bill 1011, which establishes three "partisan bias" tests to replace judicial review of redistricting maps under Proposition 4. The bill was introduced the night before the redistricting committee met and signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox within days. The tests were reverse-engineered to favor Republican dominance by requiring districts to align with statewide election results over the past 12 years, during which Republicans consistently won by comfortable margins, and by allowing GOP lawmakers to control the data and metrics for computer-simulation comparisons.

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• Los Angeles County tentatively agrees to $828 million settlement for sexual abuse claims — Los Angeles County announced a tentative agreement to pay $828 million to settle more than 400 additional sexual abuse claims against county employees, pending approval by the board of supervisors and county claims board. This follows a $4 billion settlement approved in April covering approximately 11,000 claimants with allegations dating back decades. The county stated it would conduct additional scrutiny of claims, including those from the law firm Downtown LA Law Group, and investigate allegations that some plaintiffs were paid to file fraudulent claims.