Good evening. I’m British Chris, and you’re watching Raw America.
The Trump administration’s authoritarian tendencies are reaching new heights, with an unsealed court document showing an election-denying Trump campaign lawyer was behind the controversial FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia. Trump’s commerce secretary also casually admitted to meeting Jeffrey Epstein on his private island. Meanwhile, a Republican senator finally grasps the severity of Epstein’s crimes, and a federal judge is sounding the alarm over constitutional violations targeting immigrants that could soon affect every American. This is the state of the nation under Donald Trump.
But before we dive into these stories, a brief request: Independent media outlets are constantly under siege, and supporting channels that refuse to whitewash authoritarianism is absolutely essential. Corporate media continues to normalize the abnormal, so subscribing, sharing, and supporting news that holds power accountable isn’t just appreciated; it’s necessary for preserving what remains of American democracy.
2020 Election Conspiracy Theorist Triggered FBI Raid
A newly unsealed federal court document has revealed that Kurt Olsen, a former Trump campaign lawyer now serving as a presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity, initiated the FBI raid that seized 2020 election ballots from a Fulton County, Georgia, elections center. The unsealed affidavit confirms the bureau is conducting a criminal investigation into alleged improprieties during the 2020 voting process.
This is the same Kurt Olsen who worked tirelessly after the 2020 election to overturn Trump’s legitimate loss to Joe Biden. Now, four years later, he’s wielding federal law enforcement power to investigate the very election he previously tried to delegitimize. The circular logic is staggering. Trump appoints an election denier to investigate election fraud, who then refers the case to the FBI, who then raids the locations that certified Trump’s loss. It’s authoritarianism wrapped in legitimacy.
The county rightly argues that seizing ballots from a lawful election under the pretense of investigating phantom fraud represents a dangerous precedent. When the federal government can retroactively investigate elections based on conspiracy theories promoted by the losing candidate, no election result is safe from political interference.
White House Ends Briefing Over Questions About Lutnick and Epstein
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testified before senators on Capitol Hill that he took his family to lunch on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012. This visit occurred after Lutnick claimed he had severed ties with Epstein, yet Department of Justice documents show contact between them continued through 2018. When pressed about this during a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that Lutnick “remains a very important member of President Trump’s team, and the President fully supports the Secretary.” She then chastised reporters for not praising the administration, and abruptly ended the briefing after just 20 minutes.
The administration continues to circle the wagons around Lutnick despite bipartisan calls for his resignation. Epstein was convicted in 2008, making Lutnick’s 2012 island visit particularly inexcusable. There’s no innocent explanation for maintaining a relationship with a convicted sex offender, let alone visiting his private island where numerous crimes occurred. The casual nature of Lutnick’s admission, combined with the White House’s unwavering support, demonstrates the administration’s complete moral bankruptcy.
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Republican Senator Admits She Was Wrong About Epstein
Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, a Republican not seeking reelection in 2026, recently admitted that she had previously dismissed the importance of the Epstein files. Her attitude reportedly changed after learning that some victims were as young as nine years old. Lummis confessed that her initial reaction was indifference, stating she didn’t understand what the fuss was about, but now acknowledges that congressional colleagues pushing for transparency were correct.
This admission is simultaneously encouraging and disturbing. It’s positive that Lummis eventually recognized the gravity of Epstein’s crimes, but deeply concerning that a United States Senator required evidence of nine-year-old victims before considering the matter worthy of attention. The implication is clear: had the victims been teenagers rather than young children, Lummis might have continued her apathy.
Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, revealed after viewing unredacted Epstein evidence that President Donald Trump is mentioned more than a million times in the latest batch of files. Members of Congress were recently permitted to review these documents, and the contents appear damning. Lummis’s change of heart arrives conveniently late, after years of Republicans blocking full transparency regarding Epstein’s connections to powerful individuals.
Federal Judge Warns Constitutional Rights Under Threat
Judge Thomas E. Johnston of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, appointed by George W. Bush, issued a scathing ruling warning that today’s immigration detention without due process could become tomorrow’s reality for American citizens. Johnston wrote that the Court will not permit such constitutional unraveling, noting that immigrants are currently detained without proper legal protections under Trump’s interpretation of the law.
The ruling highlights a chilling government admission: if an ICE officer mistakenly detains someone legally present in the United States, that person wouldn’t receive a hearing. Instead, they would remain confined whilst somehow navigating the complex process of filing a habeas petition with a Court of Appeals or the District Court of D.C. Civil litigator Owen Barcala translated this into stark terms: American citizens detained for deportation could be held in overcrowded, unsafe, disease-ridden cells for months without hearings.
Judge Johnston’s warning should resonate with every American regardless of political affiliation. Constitutional protections apply universally or they apply to nobody. When the government establishes precedents for detention without due process, those precedents don’t remain confined to immigrants. History repeatedly demonstrates that authoritarian measures initially targeting marginalized groups eventually expand to encompass broader populations. A threat to anyone’s constitutional rights is indeed a threat to everyone. The Trump administration’s assault on democratic norms continues accelerating, and vigilance has never been more essential.
That’s it for today’s evening round-up. Remember: Raw America couldn’t provide you with unfiltered news free of corporate influence without your support. Share this video, subscribe, and become a member.
I’m British Chris for Raw America. Stay informed, stay angry, and stay active.
