Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed Friday that the Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into a leak of classified intelligence aimed at discrediting Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA).
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized the leak as a politically motivated attempt by the “Deep State” to undermine President Trump’s agenda, particularly his recent crackdown on the gang.
“The Justice Department is opening a criminal investigation relating to the selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified, information from the Intelligence Community relating to Tren de Aragua (TDA),” Blanche said in a statement.
He continued, “We will not tolerate politically motivated efforts by the Deep State to undercut President Trump’s agenda by leaking false information onto the pages of their allies at the New York Times. The Alien Enemies Proclamation is supported by fact, law, and common sense, which we will establish in court and then expel the TDA terrorists from this country.”
Statement of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Investigation into Intelligence Leak
: https://t.co/i7ASjEtjrS pic.twitter.com/DZ5KexrCQY
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) March 21, 2025
The leak, which ended up in a New York Times hit piece, was clearly intended to undermine Trump’s Alien Enemies Proclamation—an order issued last weekend aimed at removing violent foreign gang members pouring in through Biden-era open borders.
The Times claims a February 26th intelligence assessment downplayed the TDA threat, even suggesting the gang is not state-sponsored or systematically targeting Americans—an assertion that flies in the face of real-world evidence.
Tren de Aragua, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration, is a violent gang originating from Venezuela, known for crimes such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and extortion.
Naturally, the Times cried foul after Blanche announced the criminal investigation.
Their spokesperson, Danielle Rhoades Ha, trotted out the tired “freedom of the press” line, whining that leak investigations “chill communications” and “undermine” their sacred mission.
“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy and critical for citizens to hold their government accountable. Leak investigations are meant to chill communications between journalists and sources, and undermine the ability of a free press to bring out vital information that may otherwise be hidden,” the spokesperson, Danielle Rhoades Ha, said in a statement.
“Our story raised fundamental questions about whether the American people were getting a straight story about an important national security issue,” she continued. “That is precisely what journalists should be doing, no matter which party is in office.”
In a related development, Elon Musk met with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, calling for the prosecution of officials leaking false information.
Musk, who has multiple Department of Defense contracts, denied reports about being briefed on secret war plans for China and labeled the claims as propaganda.
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