Feed aggregator

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is aware of the conspiracy theories surrounding the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham but believes federal investigators are pursuing the wrong path, saying the FBI is “wasting their time” by looking into such claims.

Trump made the remarks in the Oval Office after reporters questioned him about the presence of FBI agents at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Monday, two days after the South Carolina senator died suddenly on Motzoei Shabbos at the age of 71.

“I don’t see a lot of evil there,” Trump said. “I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing that.”

Officials with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington, D.C., have said a preliminary examination determined Graham died from “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” meaning his aorta ruptured as a result of hardened arteries.

Investigators are continuing to await toxicology results and the completion of additional medical testing before issuing a final report.

Despite handling high-level foreign policy matters, including meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and developments involving the Strait of Hormuz, Trump indicated he had closely followed the circumstances surrounding Graham’s death. Graham was one of Trump’s closest allies in the Senate, and the two men spoke by telephone on the evening before the senator passed away.

The president said he had personally reviewed the available medical findings and had also been briefed by White House physicians. Trump added that he had learned Graham’s father also died from heart-related complications at a relatively young age.

“They say it’s almost undetectable. You can detect it if you have a very bad back. That’s a sign. It’s a bad sign,” Trump said. “So if anybody has a bad back … that’s one of the primary signs. And he would tell me he had a bad back, but little did anyone realize it was for that. So, when that bursts, which it did, it bursts.”

NBC News said it had contacted the FBI seeking comment on Trump’s remarks.

During an appearance Monday night on Newsmax, Trump was also asked about online speculation suggesting Russia may have been involved in Graham’s death. The senator had been one of the strongest congressional advocates for Ukraine and Israel, had repeatedly called for harsher sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv the day before he died.

“Just to answer the conspiracy theory, I’d love to say yes, but I think he — he had some problems,” Trump told Newsmax. “And his father died just about at the same age. … I’m a believer in the racehorse theory, you know, if you have problems, you have problems. And he had some problems that were a little bit deep-seated and not easy to find.”

On Monday afternoon, NBC News reported seeing nearly 20 FBI agents and other federal investigators gathered outside Graham’s townhouse near the Capitol. Agents entered the residence, photographed the interior, and later exited without appearing to remove any evidence.

FBI Director Kash Patel has said the bureau is “assisting local authorities” with the investigation. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the case also told NBC News that federal authorities remain involved as a precaution while the inquiry continues.

Those same sources said investigators have uncovered no new evidence since Motzoei Shabbos that would indicate Graham’s death resulted from foul play.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, on Monday to serve the remainder of the senator’s term, which expires in January. She was scheduled to be sworn into office Tuesday afternoon.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out the Trump administration’s case for dismantling the International Criminal Court, arguing that the tribunal has evolved far beyond its original mission and now seeks the power to prosecute American citizens, military personnel, and government officials without the consent of the United States.

In an essay published by the State Department, Rubio asserted that the ICC now “claims the power” to haul U.S. soldiers, law enforcement officers, and elected officials before an international tribunal and imprison them under legal standards that the United States has never accepted.

Tracing the court’s evolution, Rubio argued that its mission has dramatically expanded over time. “The ICC was born at the turn of the century. At first, it was marketed as a narrow backstop to prosecute the gravest crimes,” Rubio wrote. “Now the ICC and its allies seek a standing world tribunal with near-unlimited reach, empowered to override the courts and constitutions of the US and other sovereign states.”

Rubio emphasized that the United States has consistently rejected the ICC’s authority over Americans. He noted that leaders from both political parties have opposed placing U.S. citizens under the jurisdiction of an international court and pointed to President Bill Clinton’s decision not to send the Rome Statute—the treaty establishing the ICC—to the Senate for ratification.

He also highlighted bipartisan congressional approval of the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act, legislation authorizing the president to “use all means necessary” to prevent the ICC from arresting or detaining U.S. citizens.

Rubio sharply criticized the ICC’s decision in 2020 to investigate allegations of war crimes involving American forces in Afghanistan, arguing that the move amounted to an attempt to supersede the U.S. legal system.

“In effect, Ms. Bensouda was anointing herself the final judge of US military policy and the entire US justice system,” Rubio wrote, referring to former ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

According to Rubio, efforts to broaden the court’s authority have continued during President Trump’s second administration, with international organizations and activists urging the ICC to investigate American policies and military operations.

He warned that officials responsible for enforcing U.S. law or protecting national security could eventually find themselves targeted by the court.

“Border Patrol agents working to remove violent criminals from our country, US Marines risking their lives to restore order in the Western Hemisphere, federal prosecutors working to dismantle terror networks plotting attacks on the American homeland, all would face the constant risk of persecution,” Rubio wrote.

Rubio argued that recognizing the ICC’s authority would come at the expense of America’s sovereignty.

“To accept the ICC is to surrender control of our national destiny,” he wrote.

Drawing a historical parallel, Rubio said the issue echoes one of the core complaints that fueled the American Revolution, when the Founders resisted being subjected to trials under foreign governments.

“Independence is our birthright,” Rubio wrote. “We don’t intend to trade it for rule by a self-appointed priesthood of ‘international law.’”

Rubio pledged that the Trump administration will continue working to shield American personnel from possible ICC prosecutions while pressing an international campaign against the court.

“The US is launching a diplomatic campaign with a simple message: sovereign states over globalism,” he wrote.

He concluded by promising that the administration would coordinate with allies and employ every available tool to reduce the court’s power and influence.

“This is only the beginning,” Rubio wrote. “Using all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC, brick by brick, if necessary.”

{Matzav.com}

The Mossad’s Persian-language account on X escalated its online campaign against Iran’s leadership on Wednesday, posting an image that appeared to mock several of the country’s highest-ranking officials by suggesting they could all be working for Israel. The post followed reports alleging secret contacts between former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Israeli intelligence agency.

The graphic featured several prominent Iranian figures, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Each official was illustrated wearing an earpiece and bearing a Star of David on his hand, an apparent suggestion that they were acting as Israeli operatives.

Written above the image was a single word in Farsi that translates to: “Which of them?”

The provocative post came a day after The New York Times reported that former Mossad Director David Barnea had attempted to recruit Ahmadinejad as a possible future leader of Iran following the eventual downfall of the Islamic Republic.

According to the report, Barnea and Ahmadinejad secretly met in Hungary during 2024, using a climate conference at Ludovika University of Public Service as cover for their discussions.

The report also described an elaborate Mossad operation carried out at the outset of the war with Iran, during which Israeli operatives allegedly extracted Ahmadinejad and transported him to a secure location inside Iran. It said Ahmadinejad was unsettled by the rescue mission and expressed disappointment with what he believed was Israel’s plan to return him to power. He later departed the safe house under circumstances that have not been publicly explained.

{Matzav.com}