Immigration crackdowns, federal document terminations, and legal disputes mark the week.
Trump’s 46th week brought updates to political scandals, immigration, lawsuits, and the trade war. Following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the “Signalgate” scandal, an internal Pentagon investigation found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nearly endangered military personnel after sharing details about a March military strike in Yemen using the messaging app. This comes after Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was accidentally added to the group chat at the time by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
At the same time, following a previous report detailing Trump canceling all executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden that used an autopen—a device that recreates signatures— Trump later canceled all documents, including pardons, that Biden allegedly signed with the device.
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began operations in New Orleans and Minneapolis, with the latter aimed at immigrants from Somalia. This comes as ongoing sentiment increased following the National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., despite the suspect being an immigrant from Afghanistan who wasn’t connected to the East African country.
Following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the Department of Justice (DOJ) suing six states for not providing the federal government voter registration lists—alleging the failure to do so is illegal—the agency filed additional lawsuits against six more states. Meanwhile, as the trade war continues, Costco filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs the company has paid since the taxes began in April.
Signalgate and Autopen
Following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the “Signalgate” scandal, an internal Pentagon investigation found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nearly endangered military personnel after sharing details about a March military strike in Yemen against the Houthi group using the messaging app in a group chat, which resulted in The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief accidentally being added.
In a statement obtained by The Introspective, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell dismissed the investigation as a “total exoneration” of Hegseth.
“The Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along—no classified information was shared. This matter is resolved, and the case is closed,” he said.
In a post on X, Hegseth also referred to the investigation as a “total exoneration.”
“No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report,” he wrote.
Lawmakers have since called for Hegseth to resign.
“It really hasn’t changed my mind on how I felt about this secretary of defense. He puts—no offense to you guys—but puts the Atlantic reporter on there with a bunch of other people, and then starts talking about a mission that’s currently being conducted where pilots are flying off of an aircraft carrier,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, who is being investigated by the Pentagon himself following a previous Introspective report detailing Kelly, along with other lawmakers, making a video telling military members to not follow ‘illegal orders.’
“If something like that would have happened to me, and I’m launching, and I’m going into a target in Iraq, and I got Dick Cheney, the secretary of defense, letting the whole world know that we’re coming, I would have been pretty pissed,” he continued.
“And that’s what Pete Hegseth did. He shared very sensitive information. Now he says it wasn’t classified because he is a classification authority and can change the classification. In this case, I guess he did it after people found out the dumb mistakes he made, but it put pilots at risk.”
At the same time, following a previous report detailing Trump canceling all executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden that used an autopen, Trump canceled further documents signed by Biden that used the device.
“Any and all Documents, Proclamations, Executive Orders, Memorandums, or Contracts, signed by Order of the now infamous and unauthorized ‘AUTOPEN,’ within the Administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., are hereby null, void, and of no further force or effect,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect.”
This comes despite the DOJ stating in 2005 under then-President George W. Bush that the president is allowed to use an autopen to sign legislation.
Immigration
With anti-immigrant sentiment ongoing, ICE operations began in New Orleans as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is “targeting criminal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies” in Operation Catahoula Crunch.
“Sanctuary policies endanger American communities by releasing illegal criminal aliens and forcing DHS law enforcement to risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens that should have never been put back on the streets,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release.
“It is asinine that these monsters were released back onto New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create more victims,” she continued.
“Catahoula Crunch targets include violent criminals who were released after arrest for home invasion, armed robbery, grand theft auto, and rape. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are restoring law and order for the American people.”
That same day, ICE launched operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, aimed at Somali immigrants, as President Trump referred to them and Rep. Ilhan Omar—who is a Somali immigrant—as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from.”
“I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said.
“Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.”
In a post on X, Omar called Trump’s remarks “creepy.”
“His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs,” she wrote.
This comes amid increased scrutiny toward Somali immigrants after the National Guard shooting, despite the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal—a 29-year-old from Afghanistan—having no connection to the East African country. Trump later said green cards issued to immigrants from “countries of concern” would be investigated, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela.
DOJ and Costco
Following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the DOJ suing six states for not providing the federal government voter registration lists, the agency sued an additional six states, including Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state.
“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release.
“The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.”
Rhode Island Secretary of State Greg Amore called the DOJ’s request “unsubstantiated” in a statement obtained by The Introspective.
“I denied the DOJ’s unsubstantiated request for Rhode Islanders’ private information because the administration of elections falls under the purview of the states under the United States Constitution,” he said.
“This lawsuit, like those filed in other states, is a continuation of the current presidential administration’s unconstitutional attempts to interfere with election processes across the country. Rhode Islanders can be sure that our voter list maintenance activities adhere to federal and state election laws.”
DOJ Rhode Island
The DOJ has cited the Civil Rights Act of 1960—landmark legislation that enabled the federal government to inspect voter registration data and prevent voter suppression against Black voters—as justification for the lawsuits.
“Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (‘CRA’) imposes a ‘sweeping’ obligation on election officials to ‘retain and preserve all records and papers which come into their possession relating to any application, registration, payment of poll tax, or other act requisite to voting in such election,’” the DOJ wrote in all six court filings.
“Title III likewise grants the Attorney General the sweeping power to obtain these records.”
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said the state “already” provided the DOJ with voter data and that the state is legally barred from providing private voter information.
“This lawsuit is a continuation of the Trump administration’s assault on free and fair elections as they want access to New Mexicans’ personal private voter data. And the weaponized Justice Department is now suing Secretary Toulouse Oliver over it,” her office said in a statement obtained by The Introspective.
DOJ New Mexico
Meanwhile, as the trade war continues, Costco filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs the company has paid since April.
“This separate action is necessary, however, because even if the IEEPA duties and underlying executive orders are held unlawful by the Supreme Court, importers that have paid IEEPA duties, including Plaintiff, are not guaranteed a refund for those unlawfully collected tariffs in the absence of their own judgment and judicial relief,” the lawsuit read, referring to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law allowing the president to regulate international commerce.
“This court and the Federal Circuit have cautioned that an importer may lack the legal right to recover refunds of duties for entries that have liquidated, even where the underlying legality of a tariff is later found to be unlawful.”
Costco Lawsuit
Costco previously joined a lawsuit with 12 other companies challenging the ongoing tariffs.
The Introspective 
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