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Nick Schwellenbach

@schwellenbach.bsky.social
2.5K followers 921 following 644 posts

I'm an investigative journalist at POGO: www.pogo.org/about/people/nick-schw… Signal: @schwellenbach.27 Encrypted email: schwellenbach@protonmail.com Substack: districtofcorruption.substack.com

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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Yesterday I watched a talk hosted by @freedom.press about editorial independence. It was prompted by the Paramount-Warner Bros merger. One point that came up is audiences may leave and revenue might drop if there's a lack of editorial independence...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"the plans"
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Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 02/10/2026
Virginia-based firm ResponseAI takes over the DHS Home "self deportation" app from the embattled Salus Worldwide Solutions. The company's past ICE contracts include so-called skip tracing awards for locating people for ICE's expansive deportation sweeps.
projectsaltbox.com
DHS Taps ResponseAI, an ICE Skip-Tracing Contractor, to Run Self-Deportation Contract
The company, whose growing ICE portfolio includes locating people for deportation, will now run DHS’s contract for people leaving through the CBP Home app.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Thanks @gillianbrockell.com! Give her a follow if you haven't yet. Her dogged, in-depth reporting on ICE flights, the people impacted, and the companies involved has been indispensable.
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 04/10/2026
Nick and Dan first reported on William Walters’ donation to the Noem PAC and the awarding of a shady contract A YEAR AGO. I first reported his connection to Daedalus and all of the airplane purchases for a markup in February. I first reported that the final planes were purchased under Mullin’s
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 04/10/2026
There are new and specific numbers in this story, so it’s worth reading. I continue to resent the lack of credit to Nick Schwellenbach at @pogo.org, Dan Friedman at @motherjones.com, and me, who have previously reported every other aspect of this story, including that the sale prices were very high.
Kristi Noem's Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She
Left
The Homeland Security Department signed a multi-million dollar agreement to buy five aircraft from a company owned by a political contributor of the secretary on her last day, documents show.
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Dan Friedman @dfriedman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Salus Worldwide, whose big contract helping DHS run a "self-deportation" contract we've reported on bunch, appears be out. Source familiar with Salus' contract have said that press coverage of the deal contributed to DHS leaders looking to replace Salus. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
How taxpayers are still getting screwed on Kristi Noem's Big Beautiful Jet
The infamous 737 is connected to a DHS contractor who received “an appearance of favoritism.”
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, who sits on the Appropriations Cmte, says Trump’s $810 million unilateral rescission undermines a funding deal, including GOP goals of more military money: “It’s going to make it very hard for us to actually get an outcome in the next appropriations bill.”
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., slams the White House’s pro-Trump ad that’s paid for with taxpayer money and says it is not a PSA: “I hate it. I tell you, it feels like Viktor Orbán talking to the Hungarian people. There’s no place for that sort of thing.”
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Dan Friedman @dfriedman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Political routed through LLCs, a fake charity and a 2020 Trump lawyer. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
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Dan Friedman @dfriedman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Emailing this not as smart. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 22/09/2026
Exclusive: The ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan man in Austin was hired last year and was not wearing his body camera, @nickmiroff.bsky.social reports.
bit.ly
The ICE Officer in Austin Wasn’t Wearing a Body Cam
The officer who shot a Venezuelan man was hired last year from another federal law-enforcement agency.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 22/09/2026
Jaw-dropping documents from our lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI reveal how tech leaders talk when they think no one is listening: We may have pulled off “the largest theft of labor in human history.”
motherjones.com
AI exec: We may have pulled off “the largest theft of labor in human history.”
Documents from our lawsuit reveal how tech leaders talk when they think no one is listening.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Both my reporting and that of ProPublica's followed that of Hawaii-based @civilbeat.bsky.social's @nickgrube.bsky.social A takeaway is that reporting is cumulative & we need sharp reporters at the local & national levels - we inform each others' work www.civilbeat.org/2020/03/this...
civilbeat.org
This Hawaii Defense Contractor Has Emerged As A Major Political Player
Navatek's strategy has paid off. It's received millions of dollars in federal contracts with the help of members of Congress throughout the country.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In 2020, for @pogo.org, I examined this defense contractor & noted its connection to Senator Collins, including the $8 million contract that is a central focus of the ProPublica story. www.pogo.org/investigates...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Today @propublica.org revealed a federal probe into Sen. Susan Collins & donations to her from a defense contractor through a shell company, allegedly to get her help winning contracts. That probe got shut down after Trump returned to office www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Lauren McGaughy @lmcgaughy.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A Venezuelan man was shot and injured by ICE yesterday in Austin, TX. I spent hours outside the hospital with his wife, who told me he called just after he was shot. She didn’t see him before he was discharged into federal custody. More from @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
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Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Trump administration is ramping up its hostile environment for journalists, from American streets to the corridors of the White House, writes Jem Bartholomew. www.cjr.org/the_media_to...
cjr.org
Trump’s hostile environment for journalists, from American streets to the corridors of the White House.
The Trump administration is ramping up its hostile environment for journalists, from American streets to the corridors of the White House.
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 21/09/2026
This will make it nearly impossible to file habeas petitions, because attorneys won’t even know what federal district their client has been moved to to stage for their removal. Something like a third of all people in ICE custody. apnews.com/article/ice-...
apnews.com
AP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, in a move that has made it harder for lawyers an...
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Nancy Mace told me there is not a genocide in Gaza. It's just a 'narrative,' she said. So I educated her on Gaza and genocide in less than 60 seconds. I brought receipts. I named names.
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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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POGO Investigates @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The GAO report reveals a rising number of whistleblower reprisal complaints reviewed by the DHS watchdog in recent years and a large share of the most recent cases were open when GAO collected data
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POGO Investigates @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The Government Accountability Office found that DHS's watchdog took over 3 years to investigate a majority of DHS #whistleblower reprisal claims www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - Whistleblower Protection: DHS Should Ensure Timely Resolution of Retaliation Complaints
Federal whistleblowers are critical to fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in the government. However, they risk retaliation, such as demotion and firing...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
worth a read... by the @acdatacollective.bsky.social crew thebulletin.org/2026/09/insi...
thebulletin.org
Insiders are betting on war: How prediction markets are becoming a national security threat
Prediction markets allow those with insider information bet on national security issues, giving adversaries a potential heads-up.
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POGO Investigates @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Welcome veteran journalist @kyle_rempfer to the POGO Investigates team! As a new senior investigative reporter, Kyle brings valuable experience covering all things defense related. We’re thrilled to have his expertise as we dig deeper into the decisions shaping national security.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Since becoming president again, Trump has promised: -$5000 stimulus checks via "DOGE dividend" -$2000 stimulus checks via "tariff dividend" -$1000+ checks via "savings" from expiring ACA subsidies -$5000 "dividend" if Rs win midterms No checks have been issued www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-magi...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"We’re here because we didn’t listen to the civil libertarians. It’s not too late to start." - @radleybalko.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened.
The civil libertarians’ warnings have come true.
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is a familiar promise — last year Trump proposed a DOGE dividend of $5,000 and $2,000 per person tariff checks. Neither one happened. This requires approval from Congress, which is already controlled by Republicans (who aren’t interested).
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Jazmine Ulloa @jazmineulloa.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Breaking news this morning: The City of Denver, Latino civil rights organizations and government watch groups asked a federal judge on Thursday to block the Trump administration from allowing armed federal immigration agents to serve warrants at polling sites. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/u...
nytimes.com
Denver Sues to Block Armed ICE Agents at Voting Sites
The City of Denver and civil rights groups argued that sightings of ICE agents at polling places are having a chilling effect.
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
3/ "Trump pledged to bring down home prices and create more housing. But for more than a year, the nation’s homebuilders have told administration officials that their immigration policies keep that from happening... 'It’s been chaotic,' Associated Builders and Contractors president and CEO" said.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Eric, we brought on WaPo alum Kyle Rempfer yesterday… hopefully more to say soon: www.pogo.org/press-center...
pogo.org
As Part of Newsroom Expansion, POGO Investigates Hires Veteran Journalist Kyle Rempfer
As a senior investigative reporter, Rempfer will cover Pentagon issues.
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 09/09/2026
Eastern Airlines' subsuming of Omni Air International's longtime ICE-route monopoly appears complete. They've already taken over Omni's Africa removals, now they appear to be on their first removal flight to Asia.
An ADSBx map showing Eastern's N771KW flying from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Anchorage and then heading southwest toward Asia.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Democratic senators called on Witkoff to divest himself of his World Liberty Financial holdings: "As long as you maintain ownership of these assets, you stand to profit from any decisions you are involved with while serving in the Administration" www.slotkin.senate.gov/2025/10/22/s...
slotkin.senate.gov
Slotkin Demands Answers from Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff on Failure to Divest Ownership of Crypto Assets  - Senator Elissa Slotkin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and seven of Senate colleagues demanded Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Special Envoy, explain his failure to divest ...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Bloomberg was the first to report this yesterday afternoon: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Witkoff Reports $107 Million From Entity That Held Crypto Stake
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff earned $107 million in 2025 from the holding company that owned his share of a crypto venture he and his boss helped co-found, according to a recen...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A holding company owned by Steven Witkoff, "co-founder emeritus" of Trump's World Liberty Financial (WLFI), received about $107 million last year from WLFI & other ventures, per a new financial disclosure, obtained by @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Excited that @kyle-rempfer.bsky.social started at @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social today! www.pogo.org/press-center/release/as-part-of-newsroom-expansion-pogo-investigates-hires-veteran-journalist-kyle-rempfer
pogo.org
As Part of Newsroom Expansion, POGO Investigates Hires Veteran Journalist Kyle Rempfer
As a senior investigative reporter, Rempfer will cover Pentagon issues.
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POGO Investigates @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
New reporting shows that Greg Bovino, who led controversial DHS raids in Chicago and Los Angeles, was under internal investigation when he retired from CBP: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/31/b...
chicagotribune.com
Bovino was under internal investigation by Border Patrol when he retired, newly released records show
Former Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino retired while under internal investigation for his conduct during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis and Chicago, records show.
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Jon Collins @jcollins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Two prominent right-leaning legal groups are backing an effort by Minnesota 15 defendants to obtain more discovery from the feds, including correspondence they believe could show the prosecution is politically motivated or intended to suppress 1A activities. share.google/VkgxP7qohIWx...
share.google
Right-leaning groups say MN 15 prosecution violates free speech of anti-ICE activists
Free speech and conservative legal groups are urging a federal judge to order prosecutors to release documents in the Minnesota activists conspiracy case that defendants say could reveal political tar...
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This new reporting raises pointed questions about SEC enforcement & Trump's profiting from crypto at exactly the moment Washington is debating the future of crypto regulation
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Gizmodo @gizmodo.com · 25/08/2026
Legal Experts Are Alarmed the SEC Isn’t Investigating Trump-Linked Crypto Venture
gizmodo.com
Legal Experts Are Alarmed the SEC Isn’t Investigating Trump-Linked Crypto Venture
A shareholder lawsuit against a Trump-linked crypto company has also been uncovered.
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FOIA Feed @foiafeed.social.freedom.press.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026
Gizmodo: Legal Experts Are Alarmed the SEC Isn’t Investigating Trump-Linked Crypto Venture gizmodo.com/legal-experts-are-alarm…
Excerpt: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could not find records of an investigation into AI Financial Corporation, formerly Alt5 Sigma, over the previous year, according to a Freedom of Information Act response obtained by POGO Investigates. AI Financial is the public company that cut a massive 2025 deal with World Liberty Financial, the Trump family crypto venture, and then saw its stock collapse as investors got hammered.
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POGO Investigates @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A murky crypto deal helped enrich Trump and his family by an estimated $500 million last year. Now, a previously unreported shareholder lawsuit raises questions about whether the SEC will do their job when President Trump’s business interests are at stake: www.pogo.org/investigates...
pogo.org
No SEC Probe of Trump Crypto Deal Despite Alleged "Illegality"
In matters involving the president and cryptocurrency, some experts say the Securities and Exchange Commission has abandoned its mission of protecting investors.
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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
working class hero RIP www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbxU...
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - 9 To 5 (Official Video)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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tony romm @tonyromm.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
E.P.A. Moves to Curb Public Input on Data Centers www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/c...
nytimes.com
E.P.A. Moves to Curb Public Input on Air Pollution Permits for Data Centers
Under the proposal, states would no longer need to provide public notice or solicit comments on air pollution permits for data centers and other projects.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“They need to investigate,” @rokhanna.bsky.social told @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social in regards to a massive Trump crypto deal with a publicly traded company. But we found out that the SEC isn't investigating.
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Nick Schwellenbach @schwellenbach.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“The SEC abetting Trump’s corruption is a problem in its own right,” said @csfrayer.bsky.social, director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America and a former SEC advisor on crypto markets. He also said its hands-off approach is fueling distrust in U.S. markets
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Project On Government Oversight @pogo.org · 25/08/2026
The latest from @pogoinvestigates.bsky.social: The SEC isn't investigating a deal between Trump's crypto venture and a publicly traded company called Alt5 Sigma. But an Alt5 shareholder lawsuit alleges "illegality" and "unjust enrichment." Read more:
pogo.org
No SEC Probe of Trump Crypto Deal Despite Alleged "Illegality"
In matters involving the president and cryptocurrency, some experts say the Securities and Exchange Commission has abandoned its mission of protecting investors.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 25/08/2026
DHS agents secretly recorded meetings of anti-ICE protesters at churches, libraries around Minneapolis, infiltrated group chats, sought financial records, and more. The scope of the surveillance was “breathtaking,” @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social tells NPR.
npr.org
Churches, libraries and breweries: Inside DHS' covert surveillance operation
DHS allegedly went undercover at community meetings, subpoenaed the financial records of labor unions, and created dossiers on people at a church gathering, according to court filings.
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David Szakonyi @szakonyi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The SEC cannot locate a single investigative record for a company that handed the president's crypto venture $750m and then fell 90% www.pogo.org/investigates...
pogo.org
No SEC Probe of Trump Crypto Deal Despite Alleged "Illegality"
In matters involving the president and cryptocurrency, some experts say the Securities and Exchange Commission has abandoned its mission of protecting investors.
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/08/2026
I’ve lost track of the number of times an immigrant has told me they had to sit on a prison bus in the back of an airport for six, 10, 20 hours with no food or water and being told to urinate in a corner or onto themselves.
A screenshot of a White House tweet styled after The Magic School Bus cartoon but this one says “The Magic Deportation Bus” and shows shackled brown men in the back. The White House account says “Please let this be a normal field trip…” One put gray text over the whole thing that says “FASCIST PROPAGANDA.”
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