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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 1d

Bill Pulte owes his fortune & prominence to his family.

That did not spare them his wrath.

Quite the profile of Trump’s attack dog from @apnews.com apnews.com/article/trum...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before Bill Pulte started targeting President Donald Trump’s political enemies, he practiced on his own family.

He accused his grandfather’s widow of insider trading. He was allegedly the driving force behind a website trashing an aunt as a “fake Christian.” And he publicly blasted another relative as “a fat slob,” “weirdo” and “grifter,” according to court records from a bitter legal feud pursued by Pulte that ensnared PulteGroup, the multibillion-dollar homebuilding giant his grandfather founded.

In any other administration, that background could foreclose the possibility of landing a top government post. But in Trump’s Washington, the attention-seeking and hyper-online millennial has unexpectedly become a major player. The latest measure of his influence came this week when New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who angered Trump with her courtroom pursuits of him, was indicted on bank fraud charges following a protracted campaign by Pulte.

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 2d

Subhed on a @politico.com playbook item about the fallout from videos of @katieporteroc.bsky.social losing her composure:

CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN’

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 3d

What a terrible night for Philly sports

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: In the latest example of the Trump administration dialing back crypto enforcement, DOJ reached a deal to drop charges against Roger Ver, who claimed that he was facing 100+ years in prison.

Ver, who had hired several Trump associates, will pay ~$48m to the government, but won't do any time.

Crypto Investor Known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’ Reaches Deal With Prosecutors

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 4d

a story idea from a reader

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 4d

The latest example of Trump administration policy overlapping with Trump family business:

President Trump is pushing pharmaceutical companies to sell their medicines directly to consumers.

His son Don Jr. is on the board of a co. that facilitates those sales.

Trump Wants to Overhaul Drug Sales. A Company Tied to His Son Stands to Benefit.

The family members of President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are poised to benefit from efforts to remake the pharmaceutical industry.

www.wsj.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 5d

This story is excerpted from my new book, which comes out next week & is available for preorder: www.amazon.com/Devils-Advoc...

Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests

Amazon.com: Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests: 9780063341210: Vogel, Kenneth P.: Books

www.amazon.com

Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 5d

Diddy is not the only rapper openly seeking a Trump pardon.

Torence Hatch Jr., a/k/a Boosie BadAzz, has hired the convicted felons Jack Burkman & Jacob Wohl to lobby for a pardon for a firearms charge on which he is to be sentenced in November. lda.senate.gov/filings/publ...

h/t @legistorm.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: In 2017, Hunter Biden pursued a deal to sell land around the US Embassy in Romania, & possibly the land on which the embassy sat, to a joint venture that included a Chinese government-linked company.

The venture, & the Chinese company, collapsed before the deal went anywhere.

Hunter Biden Pursued a Deal to Sell Land Around the U.S. Embassy in Romania

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 12d

Quite the postcard received by the federal judge considering a challenge to Trump's threats to deport noncitizens for pro-Palestinian protests.

The judge (a Reagan appointee) nonetheless ruled today that the threats infringed on protestors' 1st Amendment rights. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 12d

Former Trump campaign manager Brad @Parscale last month signed a $1.5M/month contract to implement a social media campaign targeting Gen Z audiences on behalf of the Israeli government. efile.fara.gov/docs/7649-Ex...

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 12d

If Trump didn't have the power of the WH behind him, YouTube would not have settled, Trump's lawyer acknowledged.

“If he hadn’t been re-elected, we’d be in court forever,” said John Coale. “Then the president gets re-elected & things look a lot better.”

YouTube Settles Trump Lawsuit Over Account Suspension for $24.5 Million

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 12d

YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5M to settle the lawsuit Trump brought in response to being suspended from the platform after Jan. 6.

Most of the $ will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall & is earmarked for the construction of a WH ballroom.

Exclusive | YouTube to Pay $24.5 Million to Settle Lawsuit Brought by Trump

The Google subsidiary is the final Big Tech company to resolve a trio of personal lawsuits that Donald Trump filed against social-media platforms.

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Ken Vogel

Commonwealth Club World Affairs @cwclub.bsky.social · 13d

The place to be in October—from a Blue Angels party to speakers like Steven Pinker, @joycewhitevance.bsky.social @maryroach.bsky.social Gretchen Whitmer @kenvogel.bsky.social @timbl.bsky.social @brewster.kahle.org Shaka Senghor @ebakerwhite.bsky.social & more

commonwealthclub.org/events

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 13d

Feels like this story could be written about the Mets every few years:

How the Mets lost their groove: Inside baseball’s biggest collapse.

How the Mets lost their groove: Inside baseball’s biggest collapse

Talented, yes, but this year's Mets lacked sizzle. They were MLB's only team never to mount a ninth-inning comeback.

www.nytimes.com

Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 13d

The CEO of the GOP-aligned dark money hub Donors Trust (which has routed $2B to Heritage, Turning Point USA & other orgs) is cautioning Trump against targeting Soros/Open Society & other Dem-aligned foundations.

Such targeting “is antithetical to philanthropic freedom," says Lawson Bader.

Conservative Philanthropy CEO to Trump: Don’t Attack Liberal Nonprofits

Any revenge by the Trump administration against liberal foundations and other groups “is going to come back to haunt us,” Lawson Bader of DonorsTrust tells @gekaminsky.

www.thefp.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 14d

The Eagles are getting so good at blocking field goals/punts that the NFL will probably start pushing to outlaw it.

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 15d

Trump's targeting of Soros/Open Society could backfire, both sides predict:

Democrats expect OSF has the legal standing &💰to beat any charges & become the Harvard of philanthropy.

Republicans worry that their nonprofits will be investigated the next time Democrats are in the White House.

Trump’s Targeting of Soros Foundations Elicits Fear and Defiance on Left

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 15d

I get emails

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 16d

NEW: Responding to a @nytimes.com report that the Trump Justice Department is planning to investigate the Open Society Foundations, @alexsoros.bsky.social said the massive left-leaning philanthropy did nothing wrong & would only stop its work "over my dead body."

Trump’s Targeting of Soros Foundations Sparks Fear and Defiance on Left

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ken Vogel

AmblerRick 🇺🇸 @amblerrick.bsky.social · 16d

Happy birthday to Amber’s own Bobby Shantz. We celebrated today with a proclamation from the mayor.

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 18d

NEW: In 2018, Paul Atkins was paid $1,450/hour by Devon Archer's defense team as it fought charges that Archer defrauded victims out of $60m.

Last week, the Atkins-led Securities & Exchange Commission dismissed a case that could have recouped the victims' money.

The SEC says Atkins recused himself

The S.E.C. Dropped a Complaint Against Its Chairman’s Former Client

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 20d

Glenn Howerton, sporting a Four Seasons Total Landscaping shirt while tailgating outside the Linc.

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 20d

The Swamp, Undrained:

▶️ Ballard Partners has lobbied for 10 clients this year with the Justice Dept, which is headed by a former Ballard lobbyist, AG Pam Bondi.

▶️ BGR Group has lobbied for 19 clients with the Transportation Dept, which is headed by a former BGR lobbyist, Secretary Sean Duffy.

Here’s what happens when big-time lobbyists become big-name Trump officials

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were lobbyists in their past lives. Their former firms are reaping the benefits.

www.politico.com

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Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 21d

FWIW: Cava’s harissa & tzatziki are 🤤

Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 22d

The $50k in cash paid by undercover FBI agents to Tom Homan was inside a bag from the fast casual restaurant chain Cava, the @nytimes.com reports.

The sting grew out of a long-running counterintelligence investigation that had not been targeting Homan.

Trump Justice Dept. Closed Investigation Into Tom Homan for Accepting Bag of Cash

www.nytimes.com

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