Brendan Ballou
@brendanballou.bsky.social
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Founder, Public Integrity Project
https://publicintegrityproject.com
pinned post!
When Companies Run the Courts is now available for preorder! Forced arbitration is America’s secret justice system, and it’s making your life worse.
www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brend...
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Alan Rozenshtein
1 day ago
LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
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Trump sued over U.S.-TikTok deal critics say benefited firms who 'enriched' him
The lawsuit was filed by the Public Integrity Project, a new firm led by a former Justice Department lawyer that seeks to raise the "reputational cost of corruption in America." The lawsuit argues the...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-administration-sued-us-tiktok-deal-rcna261684
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This morning we sued Donald Trump and Pam Bondi for the approval of the illegal sale of TikTok's U.S. assets to administration allies like Oracle. This deal allows both China-allied ByteDance and Trump-allied Oracle to censor content they don't like.
1 day ago
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In addition to being disgusting, it's also counterproductive for the Trump admin's own goals. DOJ can only win in court if it's perceived as credible and independent. This is a literal sign that it is not.
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14 days ago
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Over a dozen people and companies donated to the Trump inaugural campaign and then had their government investigations, lawsuits, or prosecutions dropped. Those who didn't donate in some fashion are still being prosecuted.
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15 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Carl Quintanilla
15 days ago
The executive jet that DHS says it needs has a “bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar ..”
@nbcnews.com
www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
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I’ll be on
@jaketapper.bsky.social
's show around 6:15 PM to talk about our plan to raise the cost of corruption with the Public Integrity Project.
www.publicintegrityproject.com
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Public Integrity Project
A law firm suing to stop corruption in America.
https://www.publicintegrityproject.com/
15 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Kyle Cheney
16 days ago
JUST IN: Judge Provinzino in Minnesota has held a Justice Department attorney in civil contempt for violations of her order requiring the return of a released ICE detainee’s ID documents. He must pay $500 a day until the documents are returned.
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Went on
@weeknightmsnow.bsky.social
to talk about how the investigators of the Epstein scandal don't seem to particularly want to investigate anything. Part of a broader impunity for the very powerful and very rich.
www.ms.now/the-weeknigh...
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'At what point do you figure out the con?': Michael Steele doubts Epstein ally's innocence
In a roughly six-hour deposition with the House Oversight Committee, billionaire Les Wexner admitted to visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s island but denied having any close relationship to the late sex offen...
https://www.ms.now/the-weeknight/watch/at-what-point-do-you-figure-out-the-con-michael-steele-doubts-epstein-ally-s-innocence-2487979075525
16 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Alan Rozenshtein
16 days ago
So proud of my friend
@brendanballou.bsky.social
and the work he's doing fighting the corruption that's at the heart of the Trump administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...
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Opinion | Corruption Is Rampant. You Can Stop It.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opinion/corruption-trump-accountability.html
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New in the New York Times: We are launching a new law firm to raise the cost of corruption in America. In a world where the Department of Justice has no interest in pursuing rich criminals, we will do so civilly. Read about our approach:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...
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Opinion | Corruption Is Rampant. You Can Stop It.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/opinion/corruption-trump-accountability.html
16 days ago
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Reminder that the statute of limitations on most federal crimes is five years. There are three years left in this administration.
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17 days ago
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The problem with right-wing populists pushing economic justice (good) and racism (very bad) is that in the end, the racism *always* wins. Also I was in an elevator once with this guy, and despite having no idea who he was, he made me viscerally uncomfortable.
17 days ago
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Nice coverage of private equity buying up fonts. In fact, the font we used for PLUNDER was owned by a PE firm.
indebt.substack.com/p/this-week-...
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This Week In Debt: 2/16/2026
Private equity caused a font crisis at the CFPB, & more.
https://indebt.substack.com/p/this-week-in-debt-2162026
18 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Scott MacFarlane
19 days ago
Still waiting for Senate to hang the Jan 6 plaque
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Our new law firm, the Public Integrity Project, is hiring a senior counsel. We're fighting to raise the cost of corruption in America (e.g., suing to stop people from paying to get their prosecutions dropped). If you want to join the fight, learn more at:
www.publicintegrityproject.com/careers
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Careers | Join Our Team and Fight Corruption — Public Integrity Project
Join the Public Integrity Project careers team, seeking experienced litigators to help raise the cost of corruption in America. Apply now to make an impact.
https://www.publicintegrityproject.com/careers
18 days ago
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Was on
@msnowreports.bsky.social
this afternoon to talk about Bondi and Epstein. (1) The admin is obviously not in compliance with the law here and (2) the solution is to for a journalist to sue under the Admin. Procedure Act. It’s the only way to get DOJ to comply with the law here
20 days ago
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It really is!
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20 days ago
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Expanding a point I made on
@theweekendmsnow.bsky.social
: where DOJ refuses to enforce white collar crime, ordinary citizens can bring suit under civil RICO and other laws. That’s what we’re doing at
publicintegrityproject.com
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Public Integrity Project
https://publicintegrityproject.com
20 days ago
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I'm on MS NOW at 8:00 AM ET talking about the prosecution of Don Lemon. Even if DOJ gets past the statutory and constitutional problems with their case, they face a vindictive prosecution claim. Uphill climb.
20 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Joyce White Vance
22 days ago
Judge Boasberg has ordered the administration to either return to the US or afford the opportunity to proceed in court from abroad, whichever they prefer, men removed from the country without due process.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Encouraging: after Gersony's reporting, the Arizona Supreme Court is looking at reforms. Hopefully they stop PE from getting into the legal business before PE can really start.
www.azcentral.com/videos/news/...
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22 days ago
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This is exceptional reporting from Laura Gersony--we're at risk of letting private equity firms control law firms the way they already control medical practices. It's already happening in Arizon and it'll be a disaster if it spreads.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
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Arizona lets investors own law firms. Consumers pay the price
An Arizona program lets Wall Street investors and other nonlawyers own law firms. It's now trailed by consumer complaints.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2026/02/08/arizona-alternative-business-structures-program-draws-consumer-complaints/87214158007/
23 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Scott MacFarlane
23 days ago
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) blasts Justice Dept for revealing identities of Epstein sex crime survivors
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Watching Bondi's testimony it's obvious the only way the Epstein Files Transparency Act will be fully enforced is if someone sues under the Administrative Procedure Act to compel compliance. Looking at how to do that,
23 days ago
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I'll be on MS NOW around noon ET to discuss AG Bondi's testimony before congress. I expect that questions will focus on DOJ's effort to prosecute members of congress.
23 days ago
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So many big companies, law firms, universities, and politicians have utterly failed to rise to the moment, but grand juries are standing up.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
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Trump administration fails to secure indictment in connection with Democrats involved in 'illegal orders' video
President Donald Trump had accused six Democratic lawmakers of "seditious behavior" after they urged members of the military and intelligence communities to refuse unlawful orders.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/doj-fails-secure-indictment-democrats-involved-illegal-orders-video-rcna258385
24 days ago
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Reporters: PE owned companies go bankrupt so often in large part because firms can extract fees from their companies that are difficult, if not impossible, to claw back in bankruptcy. So firms often have an incentive to suck their own companies dry, even if it destroys the companies.
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24 days ago
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The Trump admin’s politicization of DOJ sabotages the admin’s own goals: the more partisan the Department appears, the harder time it’ll have convincing judges and juries of anything. Yet another instance of malevolence and incompetence duking it out.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
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Demanding Support for Trump, Justice Dept. Struggles to Recruit Prosecutors
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/us/politics/doj-prosecutors-recruiting-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KlA.qtfQ.J1_1M4PuXlLD&smid=nytcore-ios-share
26 days ago
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Here's my conversation on MS NOW. Local politicians need to identify now the state laws that prohibit military and militia forces at polling places, and make clear that ICE agents will be prosecuted if they attempt to illegally commandeer voting locations.
www.ms.now/the-weeknigh...
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'Appalling': Fulton County sues for return of 2020 ballots seized in FBI raid
The Supreme Court rejected a Republican effort to block California’s new congressional map as the fight over election control intensifies ahead of the midterms. In Georgia, Fulton County is demanding ...
https://www.ms.now/the-weeknight/watch/appalling-fulton-county-sues-for-return-of-2020-ballots-seized-in-fbi-raid-2485420099949
29 days ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Scott MacFarlane
about 1 month ago
NEW: Jan 6 police responder Harry Dunn is running for Congress in Maryland.
www.cbsnews.com/news/former-...
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Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn running for Congress
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn — who emerged as a national figure after the Jan. 6 riot — announced a second bid for Congress on Wednesday.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-capitol-police-officer-harry-dunn-running-for-congress-jan-6/
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The only way to prevent ICE attacks on polling places now is to make clear that ICE agents will be prosecuted in the future if they do. We have a specific federal law for this: 18 USC 592. Local politicians should be looking up their state law equivalents if Trump tries to pardon ICE officials.
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30 days ago
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I’ll be on MS NOW at 7:00 PM talking about potential ICE deployments to voting locations which, to be clear, wouldn’t just be unconstitutional, it would be a crime. See 18 USC 592.
30 days ago
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A lot of people know how brave
@libradunn1.bsky.social
was on Jan. 6, and now how he's making sure history isn't erased. He's also just a great guy: empathetic, funny, and quick to make friends. He'll make a great member of Congress, and I hope you support him.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzUV...
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Done Waiting
YouTube video by Harry Dunn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzUVfHPUVvw
about 1 month ago
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Tom Homan lists his business in Virginia. If he resides there, VA’s attorney general should see if Homan reported that $50,000 on his state tax returns. If not, that’s likely tax evasion, which as a state crime cannot be pardoned by the president.
@rosen.senate.gov
happy to talk.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
Scott MacFarlane
about 1 month ago
ALERT: Ed Martin has been removed from his role as the head of Attorney General Pam Bondi's Weaponization Working Group Trump Admin has failed in its efforts to criminally prosecute James Comey and Letitia James
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Brendan Ballou
Scott MacFarlane
about 1 month ago
DAY AHEAD - Exclusive: Capitol Siege prosecutors draft strategy memo to help Congress probe killings of U.S. citizens by agents in Minneapolis ====>
youtube.com/shorts/wSygX...
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Exclusive: Jan 6 prosecutors draft strategy memo for probing killings by agents in Minneapolis
YouTube video by Scott MacFarlane Reports
https://youtube.com/shorts/wSygXod6y40?si=iFdu58ur0mxkFZ9S
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The only way ICE killings will stop is if Congress begins a comprehensive investigation into officer misconduct *now*. The memo lays out how to do this.
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about 1 month ago
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Sen. Rick Scott's healthcare company pleaded guilty to 14 felony charges and agreed to pay $600 million for allegedly defrauding the government. He's now bringing that financial acumen to try to gut funding for family services in DC.
freedcproject.org/news/dcs-mon...
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Was just on
@msnowreports.bsky.social
about the latest Epstein File dump. The only way DOJ is going to be forced to comply with the law is if a journalist or member of congress sues under the APA to force judicial oversight over these releases. Hill staffers, DMs are open, as they say.
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
jen sometimes aph 🌻
about 1 month ago
A retired Minneapolis couple who had guns pointed at them by ICE in a church parking lot. "They were obviously not trained at all. I've known many police officers in my life. These people were right off the streets." "They had the professional demeanor of criminals." ht:
@paulgraham.bsky.social
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Even a Trump appointed judge and Scalia clerk says that his is "one of dozens of court orders with which respondents [ICE et al.] have failed to comply in recent weeks." I don't understand how Democrats believe that this is an organization that can be "retrained." It's lawless by design.
about 1 month ago
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Oracle seems to have violated the 2024 divestiture law by taking this deal while allowing ByteDance to license the original algorithm. If you’re a user being censored on TikTok please DM me, there’s a way to sue over this.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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The solution here is to challenge the administration's sign-off on the deal under the Administrative Procedure Act. If you know anyone interested in this project, please let me know.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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I talked on MS NOW about how state investigators are (rightly) treating federal DHS less like a law enforcement partner and more like a criminal organization that needs to be contained.
www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...
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Homeland security expert on local officials pushing back against DHS: 'Never seen this before'
There is growing outrage across the U.S. after the deadly shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis. MS NOW Reporter David Noriega is on the ground there with the latest upda...
https://www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-reports/watch/homeland-security-expert-on-local-officials-pushing-back-against-dhs-never-seen-this-before-2483420227542
about 1 month ago
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In the fight for DHS to preserve evidence in the Pretti killing, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office (which defends DHS) is reportedly refusing to be served. Obstructive, petty, and ultimately completely unproductive for their own objective.
about 1 month ago
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Remember that ICE was created in 2002 (immigration enforcement was previously run by DOJ). Return to tradition and abolish it.
about 1 month ago
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They were counting the bullet holes.
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about 1 month ago
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As I said on air, to DOJ and FBI career staff, you may soon be asked to do unethical things in this crisis. If you can’t do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason, you need to quit.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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When Companies Run the Courts is now available for preorder! Forced arbitration is America’s secret justice system, and it’s making your life worse.
www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brend...
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Brendan Ballou
The Weeknight on MS NOW
about 2 months ago
Former federal prosecutor
@brendanballou.bsky.social
joins The Weeknight to discuss why the Federal Reserve’s independence is critical.
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