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The U.S. Department of Justice accused a man, whom prosecutors have painted as a left-wing, anti-establishment activist, of inciting supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. 

At the conclusion of the trial against 29-year-old John Earle Sullivan in Washington, D.C., federal prosecutors outlined how he allegedly incited the mob of rioters inside the U.S. Capitol. 

Sullivan claimed to have been a journalist who only followed the crowd to record the historic event. He captured video of the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, who was fatally struck trying to enter the House Speaker’s lobby by a bullet fired by Capitol Police officer ​​Lt. Michael Byrd.

“It does not matter whether Sullivan was holding a camera to record his crimes. He incited the mob at every step. He knew why he was there that day. He wanted to tear it all down,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barclay told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday, according to NBC News. 

Prosecutors also presented a call that Sullivan – the leader of an organization called Insurgence USA, through which he organizes protests – had with members of his Discord channel after January 6 during which he bragged about his actions. “I brought my megaphone to instigate s—,” Sullivan said on the call, added that he wanted to “make those Trump supporters f— s— up.”

LEFT-WING ACTIVIST CHARGED IN CAPITOL RIOT AFTER SAYING HE WAS JUST THERE TO ‘DOCUMENT’

On January 6, 2021, Sullivan, who is from Utah, said he was in D.C. again to film the “Stop the Steal” march. He has claimed that he was at the U.S. Capitol only to document and report it, telling federal agents he was an activist and journalist who filmed protests and riots, but admitted that he did not have any press credentials. 

“Everything that came out of his mouth was a ploy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Lederer told jurors. 

Of Sullivan’s own testimony, she said the only thing more offensive was his “request for you to believe it.” 

“He came to engage in chaos,” Lederer told the courtroom. 

The jury also saw multiple videos of Sullivan’s actions at the Capitol that day. 

Federal prosecutors said that Sullivan was captured in one video from inside the Capitol on January 6, telling the crowd, “We gotta get this sh** burned.” Among other things, Sullivan is heard saying, “it’s our house mother***ers” and “we are getting this shi**” More footage showed Sullivan, who had a ballistic vest and gas masks, join a crowd trying to open doors to another part of the Capitol guarded by law enforcement officers. According to the indictment, Sullivan can be heard on the video telling other individuals in the crowd, “There’s officers at the door.” 

Less than two minutes later, while officers are still at the doors and as others yell to break the glass windows in them with various objects, Sullivan, also known as Jayden X, can be heard saying, “Hey guys, I have a knife. I have a knife. Let me up,” according to federal prosecutors. However, Sullivan never made it to the door. 

FEDS SEIZE $90K FROM SUPPOSED LEFT-WING ACTIVIST WHO SOLD FOOTAGE OF CAPITOL RIOT

“I was only observing,” Sullivan testified in court. “I followed the crowd. I’m there to document.”

“I don’t remember bringing a knife specifically,” he said of the video. “I’m not sure if that’s a knife.”

His defense lawyer, Steven Kiersh, categorized Sullivan’s remarks as “just words,” noting that he had not been in possession of any matches or lighter fluid. 

“His intent was not to burn the place down,” Kiersh told jurors. “His intent was to film.”

Sullivan was arrested in Utah on January 14, 2021, and charged through a federal complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and one count of interfering with law enforcement engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties incident to and during the commission of civil disorder. 

Jurors were expected to start deliberating as soon as Thursday. 

Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of more than $90,000 that Sullivan made from selling video of the January 6 riot, WUSA reported. 

Sullivan is said to have also attended Black Lives Matter and Proud Boys events in the past. 

The indictment says that Sullivan was captured on video shared to YouTube in July 2020 – following the death of George Floyd – telling protesters over a microphone in Washington, D.C., “We need to burn this sh** down,” “We got to rip Trump out of office… f***ing pull him our of that sh**… we ain’t waiting until the next election…we’re about to go get that mother***er,” according to federal prosecutors. The indictment says that Sullivan is then seen leading the crowd in a chant of “It’s time for a revolution.” 

Columbia and Stanford universities, which have been beset by antisemitic events on their campuses during Israel’s war with Hamas, received billions in taxpayer dollars in recent years, according to an analysis.

Critics have assailed universities in recent weeks over what they say is an inadequate response to the antisemitic events, prompting questions and concerns over federal funding going to such institutions.

OpenTheBooks, a government watchdog group, examined 10 top-tier universities’ federal funding and found that Columbia and Stanford sat atop the stack and acquired a staggering amount of cash supported by taxpayers.

“Regular people are asking why taxpayer money is flowing into any university where they’ve incubated discrimination, bigotry and antisemitism,” OpenTheBooks founder Adam Andrzejewski told Fox News Digital. “Let alone advocacy of terrorism against our closest ally in the Middle East. Public funding and discrimination of any type cannot be reconciled.”

ELITE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES RECEIVING BILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS SEE RISE IN ANTISEMITISM: ‘GAMED THE TAX CODE’

The group found that Stanford acquired federal funds at a higher clip than the other elite universities over a five-year span. According to their analysis, the school received roughly $7 billion in taxpayer-backed cash between 2018 and 2022, including federal grants and contracts.

Columbia, meanwhile, obtained roughly $5.8 million in federal grants and contracts during the same period, the group said.

“In fiscal year 2022, Stanford received $1.6 billion in federal grants and contracts, while they charged $598 million in undergraduate student tuition,” Andrzejewski said. “It’s a similar picture at Columbia. The feds sent them $1.26 billion while student tuition amounted to $769 million.”

“These wealthy, elite universities get twice as much funding for acting as a federal contractor than an educator,” he added.

Overall, the 10 universities studied received $33 billion in federal grants and contracts over the five years. The group also analyzed the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth.

“It’s time that Congress reconsiders the primary missions of these institutions,” Andrzejewski said. “These universities enjoy special nonprofit tax status while they stuff their endowments with tens of billions in private-sector donations and off-load the costs of their research on the American taxpayer.”

Not only do Columbia and Stanford sit atop the pile of federal cash in the analysis, but they also have been among those scrutinized over antisemitic occurrences on campuses.

TOP REPUBLICAN WANTS TO BAN UNIVERSITIES ENABLING ‘ANTISEMITISM’ FROM COLLECTING TAXPAYER CASH: ‘ABHORRENT’

Since Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli citizens that left over 1,200 dead, Columbia’s campus has experienced walkouts and rallies along with verbal and written clashes between students and faculty. 

The events included nearly two dozen student groups signing a letter “holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its actions and putting an end to the untenable status quo of Israel’s apartheid and colonial system.” 

Additionally, two student organizations – Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – were suspended from the university through the end of the fall term for violating university policies.

The school said the two student groups “repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event [last] Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”

On Wednesday, students and staff at the school protested the removal of the groups, Fox News Digital reported.

Meanwhile, a Columbia professor went viral for decrying the response by the school regarding antisemitic incidents. A Jewish student was also attacked with a stick after objecting to a woman tearing down posters of Hamas hostages.

Columbia did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Stanford, on the other hand, has also experienced antisemitic incidents on its campus while seeing its leaders come under the microscope.

NYC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STUDENTS PROTEST SUSPENSION OF 2 FAR-LEFT GROUPS

Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez came under fire for initially failing to condemn Hamas in a letter responding to their terrorist attack. Their actions led to over 1,800 Stanford affiliates slamming them in a letter, the Stanford Daily reported in late October. 

When contacted for comment, the university pointed Fox News Digital to statements the university released, including one from Martinez days after the student publication reported on the letter.

“I want to be unequivocally clear that Stanford stands against antisemitism and recognizes the deep historical roots of this form of hate and the ways in which Jewish students, faculty, and staff are affected by this historical legacy and its current manifestations,” Martinez said in the statement.

Furthermore, a Stanford instructor was also dismissed from the classroom after downplaying the Holocaust and singling out students “based on their backgrounds and identities,” CNN reported.

The rising antisemitic events on campuses – and many times, a lackluster response – have led to lawmakers such as House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., calling for tightening the taxpayer valve on those institutions.

“It is abhorrent that Harvard and universities across America are enabling horrific antisemitism to run rampant on their campuses,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital last week. “U.S. taxpayer dollars should be prohibited from funding any institution that promotes antisemitism or anti-Israel bigotry, and House Republicans will hold these extremist institutions accountable for failing their students.”

Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos of New York is facing calls to “resign” after the release of his damning ethics committee report.

The House Ethics Committee released its report on Santos on Thursday that accused him of having “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations.

Santos released a lengthy statement defending himself amid the release and calling for a constitutional convention under Article V.

HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE HEAD TO MOVE TO EXPEL GEORGE SANTOS AFTER RELEASE OF DAMNING REPORT

However, the embattled Republican congressman – who announced he would not be seeking re-election – is now facing calls to resign from both sides of the aisle.

New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said in an X post Thursday that Santos should be “removed from Congress” if he does not resign.

“George Santos should end this farce and resign immediately,” Lawler said. “If he refuses, he must be removed from Congress.”

“His conduct is not only unbecoming and embarrassing, it is criminal,” Lawler said. “He is unfit to serve and if he had any dignity, he would resign today.”

“George Santos should resign,” Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted.

New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres wrote: “George Santos, who illegally spent campaign funds on porn sites and Botox, has announced he is no longer seeking re-election.”

“I will be the sole surviving Jew-ish gay Latino Congressman from New York,” he added.

Santos’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The chairman of the House Ethics Committee will move to expel Santos from Congress after the release of a damning report into the embattled Long Island Republican.

“Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion,” Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest’s personal office told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“So, separate from the Committee process and his role as Chairman, he plans to file an expulsion resolution during tomorrow’s 9:00 a.m. pro forma session.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed reporting.

FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Palestinian Democrat seeking to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate is calling for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race for the White House, claiming his “handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict has thrown his Presidency into a tailspin.”

Nasser Beydoun, who declared in April his candidacy for the Michigan Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow, told Fox News Digital that Biden’s incessant support for Israel amid its war with Hamas terrorists has alienated a large portion of his base.

“As a Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, given the current environment, I can not support this president as my party’s nominee,” Beydoun, the former chairman and executive director of the Arab American Civil Rights League, said in a statement to Fox.

Biden’s willingness to support Israel’s efforts inside Gaza, Beydoun insisted, has resulted in the alienation and loss of “key voting blocks” that previously supported him in the 2020 presidential election.

AOC LEADS TWO DOZEN DEMOCRATS CALLING FOR ISRAEL CEASEFIRE OVER ‘VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN’ IN GAZA

“President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict has thrown his Presidency into a tailspin,” he said. “He has alienated not just Arab Americans but Muslims, Christians, Jews, and others in a way that far surpasses our sentiments following President Trump’s Muslim travel ban. These key voting blocks in swing states like mine overwhelmingly supported him in the last election and now find themselves politically homeless.”

“Joe Biden has blood on his hands, and we are disgusted by his support of rampant violence in Gaza,” Beydoun added.

Beydoun — who has donated thousands of dollars to Democrats in the past, including pro-Palestinian Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib — insisted that “every elected official has a job to represent the needs of their community” and that “Michiganders need a voice in Washington that listens to and understands their needs.”

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which Palestinian officials said last week had resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 people in Gaza, has caused friction within the Democratic Party as several elected members call for a cease-fire.

Biden and other Western leaders have pushed back on calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, arguing it would only serve to benefit Hamas terrorists. Biden’s administration has instead pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting, which Israel has agreed to.

Earlier this week, 400 government officials from 40 departments and agencies within the Biden administration signed a letter opposing the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and demanded a cease-fire.

BIDEN SAYS ISRAEL WILL STOP FIGHTING IN GAZA WHEN HAMAS ‘NO LONGER MAINTAINS THE CAPACITY TO MURDER’

Tuesday’s letter, first reported by the New York Times, includes officials from the State Department, White House, National Security Council and the Justice Department. The signatories of the letter remained anonymous to protect against professional retaliation.

“We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the letter reads in part.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is also leading renewed calls for Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas over the “grave violations” being committed against children in the war.

Along with 23 other progressive lawmakers, Ocasio-Cortez wrote to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday asking for details on the U.S. plan to de-escalate tension in the region.

“We write to you to express deep concern about the intensifying war in Gaza, particularly grave violations against children, and our fear that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a robust bilateral ceasefire, this war will lead to a further loss of civilian life and risk dragging the United States into dangerous and unwise conflict with armed groups across the Middle East,” the progressive lawmakers noted in their letter.

The ongoing tension among Democrats over their support for Israel led to a protest Wednesday evening outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee as pro-Palestinian demonstrators grew violent while calling for an immediate cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington.

Biden and his administration have remained steadfast in support of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. U.S. officials have strongly condemned the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel, in which Hamas terrorists infiltrated the Jewish state and massacred as many as 1,200 people, taking some 240 back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza with rocket fire and a ground invasion.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Top Democrats who have been pressuring the Supreme Court to adopt a new code of ethics appear dissatisfied after the court’s unprecedented announcement of a new Code of Conduct, saying the code alone isn’t enough. 

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said, “It is long past time for a code of conduct that explicitly applies to the justices,” adding “the lack of any way to enforce the code should any justice decide to ignore it is a glaring omission.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the new rules “fall short” of what Congress “could and should expect,” despite several Republicans saying Democrats’ efforts would be unconstitutional. 

“I’m still reviewing the court’s new code of conduct. For now, I will note that the court’s adoption of this code marks a step in the right direction,” said Durbin.

‘DANGEROUS’ DEMOCRAT JUDICIAL ETHICS BILL WOULD ALLOW ANY ‘JACKALOON’ TO DEMAND A RECUSAL, SEN. KENNEDY SAYS

“It may fall short of the ethical standards which other federal judges are held to, and that’s unacceptable And if it falls short, the American people will ultimately have the last word, and the integrity of the court is at issue,” he said.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., echoed that sentiment in comments via a video on X, formerly Twitter, calling the code a “first step” and pushed for congressionally imposed enforcement rules.

But a Republican Judiciary Committee member, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, said, “It’s the court’s role – not Congress’ – to set out how they operate as an independent, coequal branch of government.” 

“The efforts from Senate Democrats – including with their recent subpoena authorization charade – are nothing more than an attempt to delegitimize the court as an institution, simply because they disagree with its recent decisions,” she charged. 

SENATE DEMOCRATS TURN UP THE HEAT, ANNOUNCE ‘NEXT STEP’ IN SUPREME COURT ETHICS INVESTIGATION

Blackburn added the committee should focus its efforts on “protecting the safety” of the justices and their families “given the threats from the far left” they’ve faced in recent months. 

Last week, Democrats on the committee attempted to authorize subpoenas of private citizens for their connections to some of the justices on the court, but after Republicans countered with threatening to request subpoenas for things like Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet manifests, Democrats appeared to sour on the idea.

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FILES ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO

On Tuesday, the nine justices issued an unprecedented Code of Conduct, along with a statement that said, “For the most part these rules and principles are not new: The Court has long had the equivalent of common law ethics rules, that is, a body of rules derived from a variety of sources, including statutory provisions, the code that applies to other members of the federal judiciary, ethics advisory opinions issued by the Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct, and historic practice.” 

“The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” they said.

“To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct,” the justices added.

The code is a set of five “canons,” including two new provisions that appear to be in response to reports over travel arrangements for private trips taken by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas paid by others, and use of court staff for book promotion – referring to a recent report on Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s staff urging colleges and libraries to buy her latest book.

SUPREME COURT ADOPTS MODIFIED ETHICS CODE AFTER PRESSURE FROM HILL DEMS

But Durbin responded with thinly veiled criticism, saying, “After years of refusing to act, a series of scandalous disclosures involving several justices on the court, and the Senate Judiciary Committee passing legislation sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on ethical reform, the Supreme Court has finally responded.”

“Today, for the first time in history, the Supreme Court of the United States is at least saying to the American people: ‘We hear you,'” he declared.

Durbin said he will “carefully review this proposed code of conduct to evaluate whether it complies with our goal that the highest court in the land not languish with the lowest standard of ethics in our federal government,” adding that it “begins a dialogue which can end with restoring integrity of the court. 

Carrie Severino, JCN president and a former clerk for Justice Thomas, predicted Tuesday that she doubts the code “will satisfy Senate Democrats and their liberal dark-money backers, as their campaign has never really been about ethics but rather intimidating a court that it despises for being faithful to the Constitution.”

SOTOMAYOR’S WEALTH HAS SKYROCKETED SINCE JOINING SUPREME COURT, RAISING ETHICS CONCERNS

Democrats on the committee have pushed to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act, which would have required the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct, create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct and other laws, update disclosure and transparency when a justice has a connection to a party or amicus before the court, and require justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public.

But it was met with sharp criticism from Republicans, including Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who said the measure would be “”as dead as a fried chicken,” indicating that he did not believe the measure would earn the 60 votes needed to advance on the Senate floor. 

‘DANGEROUS’ DEMOCRAT JUDICIAL ETHICS BILL WOULD ALLOW ANY ‘JACKALOON’ TO DEMAND A RECUSAL, SEN. KENNEDY SAYS

He also said the legislation is meant to be “a court-killing machine.”

“It would allow any jackaloon out there in America in a tinfoil hat, whose own dog thinks he’s an utter nutter, to file a motion to recuse a United States Supreme Court justice.”

“Now, what could possibly go wrong? And my Democratic colleagues know that,” he said. 

Kennedy said the bill is “dangerous, but it’s unserious.” 

The House Intelligence Committee is unveiling a series of proposals to reform a key surveillance tool that’s been both credited with preventing terror attacks on U.S. soil as well as accused of being a vehicle for spying on U.S. citizens. 

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) lets the U.S. government keep tabs on specific foreign nationals outside the country without first obtaining a warrant to do so.

The 73-page report by Republicans on the committee’s bipartisan FISA Working Group was led by Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill. It defends section 702, added to FISA in 2008, as a critical part of U.S. defense in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. 

“[I]t is hard to find an adjective that adequately describes a tool that has done as much to safeguard American lives and liberty as it has,” the report said. “We are unable to calculate just how many lives it has saved. It is worth noting that there has not been another 9/11 since Section 702’s inception, despite the persistent threat of terrorism.”

However, the report also acknowledges, “Section 702 has a number of problems requiring significant reform — from the need for increased penalties, compliance, and oversight, to the querying abuses by the FBI.”

Section 702 is set to expire at the end of this year, and is already facing an uphill battle for renewal. 

Critics of the program have accused it of being overbroad and susceptible to abuse. Members of Congress on both the extreme right and left have claimed it encroaches on Americans’ civil liberties, specifically if the FBI conducts warrantless surveillance on communications between Americans and foreign nationals.

Allies of former President Donald Trump, like Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have claimed the program was used to improperly spy on the Trump 2016 campaign, including ex-aide Carter Page.

But the Friday report sought to beat back those accusations. Lawmakers disputed the notion that Section 702 allows the intelligence community to access all of a U.S. citizen’s correspondence if they communicate with a foreign national.

“If a U.S. person communicates with a target of Section 702 collection, only the specific correspondence in which the foreign target is a party is collected — this is referred to as ‘incidental collection.’ The government can never target U.S. persons whose communications are incidentally collected under Section 702,” it said. 

The report also calls Section 702 “individualized and extremely limited” to foreigners “who possess or communicate specific types of foreign intelligence information.”

And while lawmakers acknowledge that FBI abuses were found to have occurred in the FBI’s surveillance of Page and the 2016 Trump campaign, they maintained that those were separate from Section 702.