Aaron Schaffer
LightNews LightNews
aaronschaffer.com
Aaron Schaffer
@aaronschaffer.com
6K followers 430 following 210 posts
news researcher doing OSINT things and more at @washingtonpost.com. signal: aaronschaffer.01 https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-schaffer/
Posts Replies Media Videos
aaronschaffer.com
It is not clear what Burkman and Wohl did for Schwartz. Here's what the White House said: wapo.st/4igndux
A White House official, asked whether Trump or others in the White House or Justice Department had met with either of the lobbyists, responded in a statement: “No one from White House Counsel nor [White House pardon czar] Alice Johnson met with the individuals named. Either way, the President is the final decision-maker on all pardons, and any one spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting funds.” The Justice Department, which has an office that handles pardon requests, referred questions to the White House. The White House defended the rationale for the pardon in a separate statement. It said Schwartz relied on a third party for the payments at issue. “Mr. Schwartz failed to properly oversee that some funding was used for company operations instead of taxes. No funds were used for personal enrichment and Mr. Schwartz immediately paid $5 million dollars in restitution. Prosecutors initially recommended probation, but the Judge insisted on a sentence of three years — a sentence that is exceptionally harmful to a 65-year-old man already in deteriorating health.” The statement did not address the fact that it was a prosecutor from Habba’s office who at an April hearing recommended a sentence of a year and a day, or at least something in a range of six to 18 months, according to a court transcript.
November 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
aaronschaffer.com
UPDATE: In statement, Plaskett’s office acknowledges that she received messages from Jeffrey Epstein during the hearing. wapo.st/4nVTnfY
A screenshot from the story that says the following: Reached by phone Thursday, Plaskett declined to answer questions about the text messages and directed all inquiries to her congressional staff. Plaskett’s chief of staff, Angeline Jabbar, said Thursday she was “not in a position to confirm or not” whether the congresswoman was texting with Epstein at the hearing. She did not respond to follow-up questions Friday afternoon.
After the story published Friday evening, Plaskett’s office issued a statement.
“During the hearing, Congresswoman Plasket[t] received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” the statement read. “As a former prosecutor she welcomes information that helps her get at the truth and took on the GOP that was trying to bury the truth. The congresswoman has previously made clear her long record combating sexual assault and human trafficking, her disgust over Epstein’s deviant behavior and her support for his victims.”
November 15, 2025 at 1:27 AM
aaronschaffer.com
"Will geofence same targeted churches running digital ads that are both pro-Isreal and anti-Palestinian"

"Will identify Social Media influencers to hire in exchange for favorable coverage"

"Will optimize SEO traffic so that favorable coverage is increased and unfavorable information is decreased."
A slide that says "Activities - Digital backup" Underneath that, it says: • Will develop website and maintain through a 1-year period, even if the bulk of grassroots activities are complete within 4-6 months • Will geofence same targeted churches running digital ads that are both pro-Isreal and anti-Palestinian • Will geofence attendees of our events to follow up with social media advertising. • Will identify Social Media influencers to hire in exchange for favorable coverage • Will manage the creation and shooting of sympathetic TV style commercial(s) • Will distribute materials via social media • Will optimize SEO traffic so that favorable coverage is increased and unfavorable information is decreased.
October 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
aaronschaffer.com
A couple slides that caught my eye:
A slide that says "Activity"; underneath that it says: • Combat low American Evangelical Christian approval of the Nation of Israel • Use biblical arguments to highlight the importance of Israel and the Jewish People to Christians • Educate Christians on the historical importance of Israel and its significance in the region • Increase awareness of Palestinian ties to Hamas and support for terrorism within Evangelical populations • Counter new and evolving pro-Palestinian messaging as the global narrative shifts A slide that says "Goals"; underneath that it says: Use a combination of personal and professional outreach to the Christian Community, combined with digital targeting and social media outreach to increase positive associations with the Nation of Israel while linking the Palestinian population with extremist factions. Large-scale Christian Outreach and Education to individual Christians and to Christian leaders (Pastors and Professors). Impressive physical displays of Pro-Israel educational materials. Comprehensive Digital targeting and heavy Geofencing of ALL Christian churches in select markets.
October 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
aaronschaffer.com
I will note from the outset that the filing (see screenshot) seems to be saying that some of their planned activities are "still undecided and fluid."

But it's still a fascinating document to to read through. Here's the full filing, some highlights to come: efile.fara.gov/docs/7653-Ex...
A screenshot of the filing. It says "8. Describe fully the nature and method of performance of the above indicated agreement or understanding." Underneath that, it says: "Christian outreach through various grassroots and digital targeting of christians in the western Us. we will create a mobile museum to display at churches, christian colleges, and christian events. we will target and distribute pro-Israel information online and through targeted geofencing and digital online tools. We will have teams of people reaching out to Churches and Pastors and possibly even Christian social media influencers. Some of this is still undecided and fluid, but these are the outlets we have planned and proposed."
October 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
aaronschaffer.com
👀 A new FARA filing lays out strategy by a firm hired by Israel's foreign ministry to geofence US churches and Christian colleges to deliver "targeted pro-Israel content and sympathetic anti-Hamas messaging to engaged audiences" in the "largest Christian Church Geofencing Campaign in US History"
A slide that says "Targeted Geofencing Strategy" at the top of the page. Underneath it has three sections: The first says "Church Targeting"; underneath, it says "The largest Christian Church Geofencing Campaign in US History. It will be used to distribute our messages and encourage Christians and Pastors to reach out to us and follow our channels" The second section says "College Campus Focus". It says "Target Christian Churches on Sundays, and Christian Colleges on weekdays with targeted ads for those who enter the regions. Ads will continue to track those who entered our target zones." Another section says "Precision Engagement"; it says "Precision location-based targeting ensures only our target market sees ads, maximizing the effectiveness of our outreach" At the bottom of the page, it says "This geofencing campaign would create a digital perimeter around key Christian gathering places, delivering targeted pro-Israel content and sympathetic anti-Hamas messaging to engaged audiences."
October 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
aaronschaffer.com
A screenshot from Gerrit's video showing Gerrit's face with the "Smiling Face with Horns Emoji" superimposed over it
September 25, 2025 at 6:28 PM
aaronschaffer.com
"Zoomed in and stabilized, the footage shows a person who appears to be in dark clothing running for approximately two seconds before going out of frame as the camera pans. The roof is roughly 140 yards from where Kirk had just been shot." wapo.st/4n46a0y
September 11, 2025 at 4:49 AM
aaronschaffer.com
Yes, ICE also wants to buy two Ford Mustang GTs
In addition to the contracting documents that cite Trump's D.C. crime efforts, ICE sought to spend $695,330 on vehicles and vehicle wrapping services in support of its ramped-up recruiting efforts, records show. Those documents say the purchases are supported by the legislation Trump branded the One Big Beautiful Bill. The vehicles the agency proposed purchasing include two Ford Raptors, two GMC Yukon AT4s and two Ford Mustang GTs. ICE wrote in the documents that the Mustangs were "an immediate request by the White House, on Thursday August 7, 2025." The Mustangs - which are set to cost $121,450 - will aid in recruitment "by serving as a bold, high-performance symbol of innovation, strength and modern federal service," the documents say.
August 21, 2025 at 1:59 AM
aaronschaffer.com
Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray today issued this statement on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's unfounded personal attack on my colleague Ellen Nakashima:
Statement from Executive Editor Matt Murray: "For three decades, Ellen Nakashima has been one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters covering national security. Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment. It is basic journalism. DNI Gabbard's unfounded personal attack reflects a fundamental misunderstanding about the role of journalists to report on government officials and hold power to account, without fear or favor and regardless of party. The Post remains committed to that vital and constitutionally protected work."
July 3, 2025 at 7:02 PM
aaronschaffer.com
...WHAT!!! maybe the craziest cyber story i've read this month...
A screenshot that says the following: "(U) In 2018, while the FBI was working on the "El Chapo" drug cartel case, an individual connected to the cartel contacted an FBI case agent. This individual said that the cartel had hired a "hacker" who offered a menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices. According to the individual, the hacker had observed people going in and out of the United States Embassy in Mexico City and identified "people of interest" for the cartel, including the FBI Assistant Legal Attaché (ALAT), and then was able to use the ALAT's mobile phone number to obtain calls made and received, as well as geolocation data, associated with the ALAT's phone. According to the FBI, the hacker also used Mexico City's camera system to follow the ALAT through the city and identify people the ALAT met with. According to the case agent, the cartel used that information to intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses."
June 27, 2025 at 4:42 PM
aaronschaffer.com
Looks like the 5th Circuit ruled
UNPUBLISHED ORDER Before Ho, Wilson, and Ramirez, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Petitioners' opposed motion for a temporary administrative stay and an injunction pending appeal is DENIED as premature. "A court of appeals sits as a court of review, not of first view." Zaragoza v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, 112 F.4th 313, 322 (5th Cir. 2024) (cleaned up). That principle dictates our ruling today. Just yesterday, the district court entered an order indicating that "[t]he government states that authorities will not remove the petitioners during this litigation, and it will alert the Court if that changes." If Petitioners are concerned that Respondents' position has changed, they should have litigated these concerns before the district court in the first instance. We do not doubt the diligence and ability of the respected district judge in this case to act expeditiously when circumstances warrant. Petitioners insist that they tried to proceed before the district court in the first instance, and that the district court simply "refus[ed] to act." But the district court's order today indicates that Petitioners gave the court only 42 minutes to act-and did not give Respondents an opportunity to respond. The appeal is DISMISSED for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291(a)(1), for substantially the reasons stated in Judge Ramirez's concurrence. IRMA CARRILLO RAMIREZ, Circuit Judge, concurring: This court has jurisdiction to review interlocutory orders, including interlocutory orders that refuse or dissolve injunctions, 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1), as well as orders that do not expressly refuse an injunction but have the "practical effect of doing so," Carson v. Am. Brands, Inc., 450 U.S. 79, 83 (1981) (citing Gen. Elec. Co. v. Marvel Rare Metals Co., 287 U.S. 430, 433 (1932)). A litigant appealing an effective denial of an injunction must "show that [the order or inaction] might have a serious, perhaps irreparable, consequence." Carson, 450 U.S. at 84. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). To be sufficiently serious, the consequences must be "greater than the harm suffered by any litigant forced to wait until the termination of the [proceedings] before challenging interlocutory orders it considers erroneous." Sherri A.D. v. Kirby, 975 F.2d 193, 204 n.15 (5th Cir. 1992) (quoting Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Risjord, 449 U.S. 368, 378-79 n.13 (1981)). Petitioners have identified sufficiently serious consequences - removal of individuals detained under the Alien Enemies Act to a foreign country without "notice... within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief in the proper venue before such removal occurs." See Trump v. J.G.G., 604 U.S. _ 2025 WL 1024097, at *2 (Apr. 7, 2025). [ALT TEXT CUT OFF, MORE IN NEXT IMAGE] [ALT TEXT CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE] Nevertheless, "what counts as an effective denial is contextual-different cases require rulings on different timetables." In re Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, 100 F.4th 528, 535 (5th Cir. 2024). "District courts have wide discretion in managing their docket, and they do not necessarily deny a motion by failing to rule on a parties' requested timeline." Id. Here, the petitioners filed a motion for a temporary restraining order just after midnight on April 18, 2025. Around noon the next day, they filed a motion seeking a status conference and informing the district court that they would construe its failure to act within 42 minutes as a constructive denial of their [ALT TEXT FROM THIS PAGE] motion. The ensuing appeal, after the district court failed to meet this unreasonable deadline, divested the district court of jurisdiction. It was therefore unable to complete its review of the filings, after affording the government an opportunity to respond, and issue rulings by noon on April 19, 2025, as it had planned. Although the declarations fully reflect the need for urgency, we cannot find an effective denial of injunctive relief based on the district court's failure to issue the requested ruling within 42 minutes. The appeal is dismissed for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291(a) (1).
April 19, 2025 at 5:49 AM
aaronschaffer.com
One way you can tell that artists themselves probably don't choose which albums to feature on Spotify: Keith Jarrett's "Artist pick" is the Köln Concert. In 1992 he said all recordings of the concert should be pulped: www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik...
A screenshot of Keith Jarrett's page on Spotify. In the bottom right corner, under "Artist pick," it says "The Köln Concert" was "Posted By Keith Jarrett"
February 25, 2025 at 1:50 AM
aaronschaffer.com
Criterion Channel announced a Michael Mann collection coming in March 👀👀👀
A screenshot for the "Directed by Michael Mann" It says the following: "Whether they're neonoir thrillers or gripping historical dramas, the films of Michael Mann pulsate with visual adrenaline. Through a propulsive fusion of image, sound, and movement, he creates worlds that feel both heightened and intimately real, with light- and color-saturated frames, unforgettably atmospheric soundtracks, and action sequences that play out as masterclasses in perfectly choreographed chaos. Caught between duty, desire, and fate, his characters-James Can's cunning safecracker in Thief, Al Pacino's obsessive cop and Robert De Niro's weary robber in Heat, Tom Cruise's ice-cold hit man and Jamie Foxx's desperate cabbie in Collateral- move through these meticulously constructed spaces with a restless yearning, making his cinema as morally profound as it is visually dazzling." FEATURING: Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986)*, The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), Collateral (2004)*
February 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
aaronschaffer.com
The Office of Government Ethics's frequently asked questions about reporting awards/prizes are amazing www.oge.gov/web/278eGuid...
FAQS: Award or Prize 1. I own a frog that won the prize in a jumping contest in Calaveras County. Do I report the winnings? Yes. 2. I won a prize for public service. Do I report the winnings? Yes.
February 17, 2025 at 9:14 PM
aaronschaffer.com
put this on your self-appraisal
A screenshot showing that this post was liked by the main Washington Post bluesky account.
January 13, 2025 at 4:30 AM
aaronschaffer.com
JUST IN: Trump asks the Supreme Court to consider delaying deadline to divest from TikTok www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...
December 27, 2024 at 9:46 PM
aaronschaffer.com
the last paragraph of this wsj story about the "obscure federal filing" is giving me some serious flashbacks to when @julianpecquet.bsky.social and I first wrote about this in, well, a mildly obscure lobbying newsletter (five years ago!)
A screenshot from a 2019 newsletter that says the following: Squire Patton Boggs has joined the growing army of US lobby firms working for Kuwait's KGL Investment Company as it seeks to pressure Kuwait to drop charges against its former CEO Marsha Lazareva. Patton Boggs is acting as a subcontractor to Crowell and Moring. Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Lott's former chief of staff, Bret Boyles, are expected to lobby on the account. Boyles and Lott also work for Cayman Islands-based Port Link, which manages the Port Fund on behalf of Kuwait's KGL Investment. Meanwhile, Marathon Strategies, which signed an $18,500-per-month contract with KGL Investment in May, has signed an additional agreement. KGL will pay Marathon $1,050,000 for "research and communications consulting" assets held by Florida-based Global Impact Services. Public records indicate that the firm is managed by Eitan Arusy, a former Israeli intelligence analyst who is perhaps best known for discovering in 2010 that European banks evaded US law by helping Iran move billions of dollars in assets. A screenshot from a recent Wall Street Journal story that says the following: Marathon founder Phil Singer said his company declined Arusy's approach. It isn't clear whether Arusy found any buyers. "Once we knew what he was proposing, we said no and that was the extent of it," said Singer. Around the same time, Marathon acquired a batch of data from Arusy's company and flipped it the same day, for $1.05 million, to a Kuwaiti company called KGL Investment. The deal was described in an obscure federal filing submitted to satisfy the U.S. requirement that agents of a foreign government disclose their political and public-relations activities. The data was described as "formatted in electronic disc and/or drive format." Marathon was advising KGL, which was spending heavily to lobby Washington officials at the same time one of its executives faced embezzlement charges in Kuwait. Arusy's lawyer said his client never worked for KGL.
December 4, 2024 at 9:13 PM
aaronschaffer.com
Some wild stuff in here: www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/...
A screenshot from the story that says the following: According to the report, one day after Bessent met with Trump for the first time in February, Epshteyn invited him to lunch at a Palm Beach hotel, where Epshteyn asked for a monthly stipend of at least $30,000 per month to promote Bessent around the club. Bessent did not agree and told an aide that Epshteyn shook him down, people familiar with the findings said. Epshteyn later asked Bessent to invest $10 million in a three-on-three basketball league, the report concluded. Again, Bessent declined, though he believed that if he invested, Epshteyn would treat him more favorably, according to a person familiar with the report's findings. After the election, Bessent came to believe that Epshteyn was "knifing" him as he sought to be chosen to serve as Trump's treasury secretary, according to the report. In a call set up between the two, Epshteyn said he was "Boris F---ing Epshteyn" and that Bessent should have paid for his services sooner, according to the person familiar with the legal findings. He later confronted Bessent in person at Mar-a-Lago in what witnesses believed to be an intimidating way, the legal review found, in an exchange that was viewed by multiple Trump allies. A spokeswoman for Bessent declined to comment. A screenshot from the story that says the following: Soon after the election, Epshteyn also approached a former Trump administration employee who now works as a defense contractor, according to the legal review. He tried to get the contractor to pay him $100,000 per month through the transition period, according to a person familiar with the findings. Epshteyn told the contractor that he knew who to talk to at the Defense Department, and the contractor's business depended on it, according to the findings. The contractor declined, saying the proposal made him uncomfortable, and spoke to the lawyers conducting the review, people familiar with the matter said.
November 25, 2024 at 11:29 PM
aaronschaffer.com
Incredible detail from the newly-unsealed indictment of Jackson Mayor Chokwe Anyar Lumumba, Hinds County DA Jody E. Owens II, and Jackson City Council President Aaron B. Banks
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
A. screenshot from the indictment that shows text underneath a photo of a book that appears to be a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The text underneath the book says: "On May 22, 2024, pursuant to a judicially authorized search warrant, the FBI conducted a search of OWENS's office at the Hinds County District Attorney's Office. The search revealed a small lockbox made to appear like a book bearing the title 'The Constitution of the United States of America.' The FBI discovered approximately $20,000 in cash within the container, approximately $9,900 of which was confirmed via serial numbers to be the cash paid to OWENS by the Developers on December 13, 2023."
November 7, 2024 at 4:28 PM
aaronschaffer.com
From Steve Hendrix:
Screenshots of two tweets. The bottom tweet says "Don't cancel your subscription. Reporters are working so hard, and the campaign folks are breaking incredible stories. Including today’s about Trump ally Musk launching his career as an illegal migrant." The top tweet says "It may feel good to cancel but you’re starving a pretty important engine of journalism, whatever the editorial side fuck ups may be. And I speak as someone who was called at 2 AM this morning because of booms over Iran and I’ve been at the goddamned keyboard ever since."
October 26, 2024 at 6:33 PM
aaronschaffer.com
From Caroline Kitchener:
A screenshot of a Twitter thread. It says the following: "My mom just told me she cancelled her subscription to The Washington Post. She reads every one of my stories. It was a heartbreaking call. I understand why she did it, but I asked her to reconsider. To anyone who has cancelled or is thinking about cancelling, here’s what I said: Post reporters had no part in this decision. But when you cancel, you are hurting us, not our owner. I feel lucky to work at a place that doesn’t blink when I say I need to fly to Texas to meet a woman whose life has been changed by an abortion ban. To document the impacts of Dobbs up close. I can only do that if we have subscribers who support us. Reporters in the Post newsroom will continue to do our jobs. We will report fearlessly on whoever becomes president, and so many other things that really matter, because we are independent and care deeply about holding the powerful to account. I completely understand if you’ve lost faith in our owner, but please, don’t lose faith in us. We have so much work to do."
October 26, 2024 at 6:30 PM
aaronschaffer.com
From Carol Leonnig:
A screenshot of a twitter thread by Carol Leonnig. It links to a Post news story about the decision to not endorse a presidential candidate. It says the following: Dear readers, sources, leaders and friends who have reached out in droves today asking me to quit the Washington Post: 1/ I too worry about the timing and odd explanation for The Post's change in endorsement policy. 2/ My fear is that this signals a tip-toeing deference to a candidate. And that spells trouble what I care deeply about: revelatory reporting without fear or favor, no matter who is upset by the truth we reveal. One last note: Please don't cancel your subscriptions. It will only hurt the independent newsgathering my colleagues and I strive to do for you every day. Thank you to many who reached out about this news and agreed to keep subscribing. I'm a reporter and I don't care who the Post's ed board endorses. A fearless independent newsroom -- which we've so far enjoyed under Jeff Bezos' ownership -- is what I hope we will maintain.
October 26, 2024 at 6:28 PM
aaronschaffer.com
New statement from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (in The Post's news story about the decision, which now has 24,968 comments): wapo.st/40isbQs
Screenshot of a paragraph saying the following: Washington Post legends Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein issued a statement saying: “We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 12 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. Under Jeff Bezos’s ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.”
October 26, 2024 at 12:35 AM
aaronschaffer.com
Here is a new cartoon (titled "Democracy Dies in Darkness") by Pulitzer-winner Ann Telnaes on the decision to not endorse a candidate: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
A cartoon showing dark gray brushstrokes over a white background. Nearly the entire background is covered by the brushstrokes, with only the outer edges of the white background showing, forming a frame.
October 25, 2024 at 11:01 PM