Eric Columbus
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ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Eric Columbus
@ericcolumbus.bsky.social
73K followers 810 following 10K posts
Senior Editor @lawfaremedia.org. Previously: Obama appointee at DOJ/DHS. Litigator for Speaker Pelosi and Jan. 6 Committee. Yankee Stadium 🌭 vendor. NYC born and bred. Wannabe historian. Dad joker.
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ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Read this important @qjurecic.bsky.social thread about Minnesota in conjunction with this @glennthrush.bsky.social tweet about the execution of a search warrant in Fulton County.
Glenn Thrush @GlennThrush X.com A feature of the social media-focused Trump Justice Dept is the celebration of incremental procedural benchmarks — subpoenas, opening investigations, perp walks, etc. — as opposed to obtaining sustainable indictments and ultimately convictions. Eagle Ed Martin @EagleEdMartin •8h Months of work yields results. x.com/ quantusinsight... 8:24 AM • 1/29/26 • 20K Views
January 29, 2026 at 4:48 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Trump is on a posting bender right now and has is sharing deranged tinfoil hat stuff about the 2020 election
Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump x.com/thescif/status/201536038 The SCIF & @TheSCIF ••• Maria Zack testified about the stolen 2020 Election operation connected to Obama when he diverted $400 million from the infamous pallets of cash sent to Iran, funneling through the Dubai Embassy to operatives in Italy and Merrill Lynch in Geneva, Switzerland. In return, Italian officials at Leonardo SpA used military satellites to help hack U.S. voting machines, flipping votes from Trump to Biden using CIA-developed tools like Hammer and Scorecard. Along with numerous other methods of fraud and manipulation. China reportedly coordinated the whole operation, providing the tech backbone and bribes to corrupt Americans. The CIA oversaw it, the FBI covered it up, all to install Biden as a puppet. This is the global election fraud cartel and the real threat against American democracy and the rest of the world. 523 ReTruths 1.28k Likes 1/28/26, 9:43 PM
January 29, 2026 at 3:05 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
I know a guy who might have an incentive to invent "evidence" that Venezuela stole the 2020 election
Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs and flanked by DEA agents en route to his initial court appearance on 1/5/26
January 29, 2026 at 1:57 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
I reached the same conclusion as you did re 20701 (as you discussed in screenshot) but I don't get why they cited 20511. Unless I'm missing something, the duty to preserve under 20701 isn't connected to 20511 violations at all.
I think the theory has to be something like the following: allegedly fraudulent activity occurred in 2020 (hence the citation of § 20511). That activity would itself be outside of the statute of limitations. But (the theory must be) there were “records . . . relating to . . . acts requisite to voting” and pertaining to that alleged fraud that election officials willfully discarded in 2021 or 2022 (within the § 20701 time limit). And it’s that alleged discarding that falls within the 5-year statute of limitations. And it’s only that alleged discarding (and not the underlying alleged fraud) that would ever, even theoretically, be subject to prosecution.
January 29, 2026 at 1:15 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Mayor Frey responds to Trump, cites Mayor Giuliani
Mayor Jacob Frey @MayorFrey X.com The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It's similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911. Donald J. Trump @realDonald Trump • 25m Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, "Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws." This is after having had a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE! 9:24 AM • 1/28/26 • 117K Views
January 28, 2026 at 3:57 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Don't miss the prequel
January 28, 2026 at 5:31 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
America 2026: we save gay Iranians from execution by exposing them to measles

www.foxnews.com/politics/us-...
The Iranian deportation flight drew attention due to reports of human rights abuses associated with the protests. Two unlawful migrants scheduled to be on the flight were gay men, and their lawyer, Bekah Wolf, had warned they stood "an extremely high chance" of being executed if they returned. But the men were moved into quarantine due to measles exposure and were not on the flight.
January 28, 2026 at 4:29 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Could someone please photoshop one of these Bovino pics into the Nikolai Yezhov pic in the skeet below?
Two black and white pics of Bovino in his infamous cosplay coat
January 27, 2026 at 1:04 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Trump is sending Tom Homan to Minneapolis. Per this 11/7 WSJ piece, Homan wants to be somewhat less aggressive and to "rely on traditional methods including using police research to develop target lists, and to give priority to people with criminal histories." GIFT LINK:
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
January 26, 2026 at 1:59 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Bill Melugin of Fox News may be the best-sourced journalist within ICE and CBP. If he's hearing this, the administration has a real problem.
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ NEW: Since yesterday's deadly shooting in MN, I've talked to more than half a dozen federal sources involved immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, who all tell me they have grown increasingly uneasy & frustrated w/ some of the claims & narratives DHS pushed in the aftermath of the shooting. Specifically, I'm told there is extreme frustration with DHS officials going on TV and putting out statements claiming that Alex Pretti was intending to conduct a "massacre" of federal agents or wanted to carry out "maximum damage", even after numerous videos appeared to show those claims were inaccurate. While they say it was a terrible decision to show up with a gun and inject himself into a federal law enforcement operation, there is no indication Pretti was there to murder law enforcement, as videos appear to show he never drew his holstered firearm. These sources say this messaging from DHS officials has been catastrophic from a PR and morale perspective, as it is eroding trust and credibility - comparing it to when Democrats falsely claimed the border was closed or that Haitians were being whipped at the border. Some of these sources have described DHS’ response to the shooting as “a case study on how not to do crisis PR”, one said they are so “fed up” that they wish they could retire, another said “DHS is making the situation worse”, and another added that “DHS is wrong” and “we are losing this war, we are losing the base and the narrative." These sources all believe this is going to end up being what they call a “bad shoot”, a “shitty” situation that happened in seconds where agents likely heard “gun!”, then the disarmed firearm may have had an accidental discharge that spooked the agents, and they shot. The agents do not have the luxury of multiple slow motion angles - and had to make split second decisions. All of the sources support the mass deportation agenda, but have serious hesitations about the way it is …
January 26, 2026 at 12:55 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Via @aklingus.bsky.social
January 25, 2026 at 5:06 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Not today Satan
Software Update iOS 26.2 is ready to install. Install Now Later
January 25, 2026 at 1:40 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Walt Whitman, a poet and a nurse
January 24, 2026 at 10:21 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Does he know there are videos and the videos are public and we have eyes?
Stephen Miller X.com @StephenM A domestic terrorist tried to assassinate federal law enforcement and this is your response? You and the state's entire Democrat leadership team have been flaming the flames of insurrection for the singular purpose of stopping the deportation of illegals who invaded the country. Amy Klobuchar v @amyklobuchar •3h Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching. Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools clo... Show more 1:22 PM • 1/24/26 • 1.7M Views
January 24, 2026 at 8:35 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Ha I just sent this to my wife with “um”. The best part of having a dog!
January 24, 2026 at 2:12 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
When your dog demands to go into his favorite bookstore
My dog Sam smiling atop a staircase at Lost City Books in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington DC Sam getting pets from nice bookstore patrons
January 24, 2026 at 1:33 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
DOJ argued the church protest was a “crime of violence”
B. United States' Section 3142(D(1) Argument First, the United States argues that the charge at issue here a conspiracy against rights establishes a right to a detention hearing under 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f)(1). Under that section, a judge shall hold a hearing to determine whether any condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant as required and the safety CASE 0:26-mj-00040-LMP-DLM Doc. 22 Filed 01/23/26 Page 5 of 9 of any person and the community. To proceed under Section 3142(f)(1), the United States must demonstrate that the case fits in one of five enumerated categories. See 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f)(1)(A) (E). The United States argues that the charge is a "crime of violence" under Section 3142(f)(1)(A) or a felony that is not otherwise a crime of violence that involves a minor victim or that involves the possession or use of a firearm or destructive device or any other dangerous weapon under Section 3142(f)(1)(E). The United States, however, offers no factual or legal support for their assertions. The Court has found none! The charged conspiracy is not a crime of violence and does not involve a minor victim as that term is identified in Section 3142(c)(1)(B). And the Court finds more persuasive Defendants' argument that the element to "injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate" a person in the exercise of federal rights does not require physical force, ECF No. 21 at 3-7, as is required to qualify an offense as a "crime of violence," see 18 U.S.C. § 3156(a)(4) (defining "crime of violence" to mean an offense that has an element of physical force or an offense that, by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force may be used in its commission). The United States is not entitled to a bond hearing under 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f)(1). Consequently, the United States' first basis for revocation is unavailing.? The Court turns to the United States' second argument.
January 23, 2026 at 7:58 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Do we know if they’ve been released?
Big picture view: After the hearing, supporters told FOX 9 that Armstrong and Allen had been granted release by a magistrate judge. They are slated to be released later on Thursday. However, prosecutors have appealed the decision to a district court judge.
January 23, 2026 at 5:11 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
cases and neurological disease for 36 %. Recovery was obtained in 62% of the cases, whereas 18% of the cases ended in chronicity and 8% in death.
January 23, 2026 at 4:09 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
It can happen even if you don’t eat the mushrooms
It could also provide important clues about what causes spontaneous lilliputian hallucinations in people even when they're not consuming L. asiatica. The condition is rare, and as of 2021, only 226 non-mushroom-related cases had been reported since lilliputian hallucinations were first described in 1909. But for those relatively few people, the outcome can be serious: a third of those patients who came down with non-mushroom-related cases did not fully recover.
January 23, 2026 at 3:55 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
I think that litigation is challenging something different, no?
245. Defendants and the federal agents discussed in this complaint are operating pursuant to a final federal policy, approved by responsible federal agency heads with final policymaking authority, of making warrantless arrests in Minnesota without making individualized determinations of immigration status. 246. As set forth above, Defendants’ agents are stopping people while they are walking and driving in Minnesota simply based on perceived race or national origin because the agents perceive them to be of Latino, Somali, or some other targeted ethnicity. 247. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(2), an agent may make an immigration arrest without a warrant only if they have “reason to believe” that (1) the individual “is in the United States in violation of any [immigration] law or regulation,” and (2) the individual “is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest.” See also 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(c)(2)(i), (ii) (same). “Reason to believe” is “considered the equivalent of probable cause,” Lau v. U.S. Immigr. & Naturalization Serv., 445 F.2d 217, 222 (D.C. Cir. 1971), which “must be particularized with respect to the person to be searched or seized,” Barham v. Ramsey, 434 F.3d 565, 573 (D.C. Cir. 2006) (quoting Maryland v. Pringle, 540 U.S. 366 (2003)).
January 22, 2026 at 11:19 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Of course
Kathryn Watson @kathrynw5 X.com Trump on AF1 says they'll have something tangible on Greenland in "two weeks" 5:03 PM • 1/22/26 • 1.5K Views
January 22, 2026 at 10:16 PM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Am I missing something or did DOJ argue—wrongly—that this was constitutional in a recent 5th Cir. case, U.S. v. Malagerio? 5th Cir didn't reach the issue, 49 F.4th 911 (5th Cir. 2022). @orinkerr.bsky.social
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
C. Assuming the good-faith exception does not apply, the seizure was nevertheless legal. Finally, even if this Court were to find that the officers seized Malagerio within his home or curtilage and that the good-faith doctrine does not apply, the officers’ conduct in seizing Malagerio was not a Fourth Amendment violation because it was done pursuant to an administrative immigration arrest warrant. See United States v. Dunigan, 555 F.3d 501, 508 n.12 (5th Cir. 2009) (“[I]t is an elementary proposition, and the supporting cases too numerous to cite, that this court may affirm the district court's judgment on any grounds supported by the record.”). “A valid arrest warrant carries with it the implicit but limited authority to enter the residence of the person named in the warrant in order to execute the warrant, where there is reason to believe that the 38 suspect is within.” United States v. Route, 104 F.3d 59, 62 (5th Cir. 1997) (citation omitted). Although Malagerio suggests that this law does not apply to administrative arrest warrants not issued by a neutral and detached magistrate, he cites no cases supporting that proposition. To the contrary, “deportation itself is a civil matter to which the constitutional protections applicable to criminal prosecutions do not apply.” United States v. Koziel, 954 F.2d 831, 835 (2d Cir. 1992). This is because deportation is a “civil penalty.” Id. Because deportation is civil rather than criminal, Fourth Amendment concerns would appear not to apply—or at least not with the same force as in criminal proceedings. In Abel, 362 U.S. at 236-37, for instance, the Supreme Court addressed this issue in the analogous context of searches, reasoning: If anything, we ought to be more vigilant, not less, to protect individuals and their property from warrantless searches made for the purpose of turning up proof to convict than we are to protect them from searches for matter bearing on deportability. According to the uniform decisions of this Court[,] deportation proceedings are not subject to the constitutional safeguards for criminal prosecutions. Searches for evidence of crime present situations demanding the greatest, not the least, restraint upon the Government’s intrusion into privacy; although its protection is not limited to them, it was at these searches which the Fourth Amendment was primarily directed. We conclude, therefore, that government officers who effect a deportation arrest have a right of incidental search analogous to the search permitted criminal law-enforcement officers. 39 Id.; see also United States v. Lucas, 499 F.3d 769, 777 (8th Cir. 2007) (en banc) (plurality op.) (holding that it was constitutional for officers to arrest the defendant in his home pursuant to an administrative arrest warrant and reasoning that “a[n arrest] warrant issued by a neutral and detached [judicial] magistrate was not required for a lawful entry into [the] apartment”). Given this guidance, at minimum, the officers executing Malagerio’s administrative arrest warrant had a “right of [seizure] analogous to [a seizure] permitted criminal law-enforcement officers.” Abel, 362 U.S. at 237. That means the officers could seize Malagerio by show of authority in his home or curtilage. And as the district court found, the manner in which the officers executed the warrant—by never physically entering Malagerio’s home but instead speaking to him from outside—did not violate any of the internal ICE regulations or policies that the parties offered into evidence. (ROA.252-53.) Therefore, the officers acted reasonably and did not violate the Fourth Amendment in seizing Malagerio and in then obtaining his consent to search his home, in which they recovered the three firearms that served as the basis for his conviction.
January 22, 2026 at 2:26 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Marc Caputo @ @MarcACaputo•2m Air Force One turned around en route to Switzerland and is heading back to the U.S. with the president aboard due to "minor electrical issue," the White House says Trump will board another plane and then continue on to Davos After takeoff, the AF1 crew identified a minor electrical issue. Out of an abundance of caution, AF1 is returning to Joint Base Andrews. The President and team will board a different aircraft and continue on to Switzerland. 2m
January 21, 2026 at 3:45 AM
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
The funny (?) thing is that Halligan's temporary gig would expire today even if she had been validly appointed.
Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d). And, although the President has nominated her for the position, the United States Senate has yet to act on the nomination. Notably, even if Ms. Halligan was validly appointed by Attorney General Bondi on September 22, 2025, that appointment would expire today, January 20, 2026. Att'y Gen. Order No. 6402-2025 ("I designate and appoint Lindsey Halligan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and to serve in that capacity for the period of one hundred and twenty days or until replaced in accordance with law, whichever occurs first. The appointment shall be effective September 22, 2025.").
January 20, 2026 at 6:42 PM