Telling the truth inside the federal government now comes with a price — and Steve Friend has paid it over and over again.

“I received news right before Christmas that you had been fired by the FBI,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace tells Steve Friend on the “Steve Deace Show.”

It all started when Friend was assigned to what he calls “the most important, highest-priority case in the history of the FBI” — January 6. This ultimately led to Friend becoming a whistleblower in 2022 when he saw the way the government was weaponizing the law to go after American citizens.

“What I found was that so few people who are currently in the employ of our federal government, in the employ of the FBI, were willing to actually stand by my side when I brought forward my concerns,” Friend tells Deace.

“And that resulted in my ultimate suspension and eventually having my security clearance suspended and permanently revoked,” he explains.

While Friend was promised that things would be different under the Trump administration, it hasn’t changed — and has ended in his termination from the FBI.

“I get a phone call Sunday night, December 7, from the FBI that says I am to report to work the following day. And I did. I reported to work Monday, December 8,” Friend tells Deace. “Was actually driven to Jacksonville. I was not the recipient of a gun because I didn’t have an active security clearance.”

“The FBI, in fact, told me they couldn’t assign me any work, and I had to be escorted around like a prisoner through the facility because they couldn’t allow me to have unfettered access to their facility. I didn’t have access to a computer, a cell phone,” he continues, noting that he did receive credentials and went to work the next few days.

“I had no insurance information, no back pay, and finally was told, ‘You have 400 hours of vacation time. Feel free to use it,’” he adds.

When Friend decided to use the vacation time to take his wife to Tampa for a Christmas event, he got a call asking him to come back to the office — to which he responded that he was out of pocket and couldn’t be there.

“They said, ‘Okay, come back on Monday.’ An hour later, got a text message from Caitlin Doornbos, a journalist from the New York Post, that said she was working on a story about the FBI planning to fire me and wanted a comment,” he tells Deace.

“So, apparently, the plan was in that they were going to bring me back as a sort of humiliation ritual to fire me, but they didn’t execute it properly because they leaked it to the media to besmirch my reputation before they had actually fired me,” he says.

“Wound up getting a termination letter signed, autographed by Kash Patel himself dismissing me as an FBI agent,” he continues, adding, “and then 90 minutes later, the New York Post dropped their story, and then MAGA Inc. influencer crowd went to work to try to besmirch me and say that I had issued some sort of a veiled threat to the director but somehow got a credential and badge 72 hours later.”

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Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she referred the Democratic governor and attorney general in Minnesota to the Department of Justice for criminal charges.

Luna said the action was the result of testimony provided before the Oversight Committee that was evidence of Democratic officials being complicit in fraud schemes in the Somali community.

‘May justice be swift. The American people are tired of being taken advantage of.’

“Based on testimony today, I have enough evidence to believe both [Gov. Tim Walz] and [Attorney General Keith Ellison] were knowingly complicit in a Somali fraud scheme in Minnesota,” she wrote on social media Wednesday.

“Therefore I have referred them BOTH to the DOJ for criminal charges,” she added. “May justice be swift. The American people are tired of being taken advantage of.”

Luna posted a video from questioning from the hearing where she asserted that Walz had known about the large-scale fraud as early as 2017 and 2018 but did little to address the scams.

She went on to say that they should be investigated for possibly violating laws against criminalized conspiracies to defraud the United States.

“Attorney General Ellison agreed on tape to fight Minnesota’s own department of human and health services in exchange for Somali political and financial support,” Luna said.

Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins (R) testified that Walz had allowed the fraud to grow under his watch.

“Tim Walz and his administration have willfully turned a blind eye to crime, in the face of countless whistleblower and auditor reports, as well as stories by local investigative journalists and Bill Glahn, a fellow at Center of the American Experiment,” Robbins said. “These are actual crimes that must be punished. They are crimes against our moral values that erode trust in government. Governor Walz has known about fraud for years and failed to act.”

RELATED: Tim Walz says Minnesota is ‘at war’ with the federal government after fatal ICE shooting

Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) had previously called on Walz and Ellison to provide “documents, communications, and records” to the committee related to the fraud. They are also called to testify before the committee in February.

Walz has announced that he would not seek a third term in a re-election campaign after his current term ends. Many suspect the growing scrutiny over the fraud allegations forced him to make the decision.

“Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his Term is up but, in any event, will not be running again because he was caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar, and others of his Somali friends, stealing Tens of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars,” President Donald Trump responded on social media.

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High-powered attorney Alan Jackson on Wednesday said he “had to withdraw” from the murder case focusing on his now-former client Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents — Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70 — last month.

Jackson told reporters that “circumstances beyond our control — but more importantly beyond Nick’s control — have dictated that sadly it’s made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick.”

Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty.

Jackson added that he’s “legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why” he withdrew from the case but noted that he and his team “remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and his best interests.”

The attorney also told reporters that “we’re not just convinced — we know — that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case, Nick’s case” and that “we’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front. What we’ve learned — and you can take this to the bank — is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that! Print that!”

RELATED: Nick Reiner will be charged with murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner: Prosecutors

Nick Reiner did not enter a plea when he returned to court Wednesday and is now assigned a public defender, Kimberly Green, KABC-TV reported, adding that he will return to court Feb. 23 and remains in jail on no bail.

The New York Times said Jackson withdrawing from the case “may suggest that the Reiner family — Nick has two siblings — has distanced itself from [Nick] Reiner and his legal case, at least financially.

Nick Reiner, 32 — who faces two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders — in court spoke only when the judge asked if he waives his right to a speedy trial, saying, “Yes, I agree, your honor,” KABC reported.

Reiner was ordered to remain behind bars at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles without bail following his first court appearance on Dec. 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock, the station said.

Reiner reportedly was removed from suicide watch ahead of his arraignment, KABC reported, adding that he could enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity.

More from the station:

If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty next month, the case would normally head toward a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial. His mental competence for trial could also be a factor.

A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.

The Reiners were killed early in the morning of Dec. 14 and were found in the late afternoon the same day, authorities said, according to KABC.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that the couple died from “multiple sharp force injuries” but released no other details, the station said, adding that police have said nothing about possible motives.

The counts against Reiner come with special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, KABC said, adding that the additions could mean a more severe sentence.

Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty, the station added.

Blood allegedly was found in a hotel room Nick Reiner checked into hours after arguing with his famed moviemaker father at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party, which took place Dec. 13.

Nick Reiner’s behavior alarmed guests at the party, the New York Times reported in a separate story, citing two attendees who asked not to be named in order to maintain relationships.

More from the Times:

Rob and Nick Reiner got into a shouting match at the party in West Los Angeles, said one of the attendees, who recalled Rob Reiner telling his son that his behavior was inappropriate. The attendee, who did not speak to the Reiners at the party, said that people seemed to be very aware of Nick Reiner’s history with drug abuse, which the family has discussed publicly.

Another attendee said that he did not witness the dispute, but he recognized Rob Reiner in the crowd and noticed the younger Reiner hovering at the fringes of the informal gathering. The guest said that he and other attendees were worried and that several people commented to him on Nick Reiner’s behavior, saying he looked anxious and uncomfortable in a way that deeply unsettled them.

The Reiners were upset and embarrassed about their son’s behavior at the party and expressed worries about his health, NBC News reported, citing another person.

What’s more, Nick Reiner was alleged to have interrupted a conversation involving comedian Bill Hader, NBC News added. When Hader told Nick Reiner that the conversation was private, the source told the news network that Nick Reiner appeared to pause and stare before “storming off.” Hader did not return a request for comment, NBC News also said.

Nick Reiner hours later used his credit card to check into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4 a.m. Dec. 14, TMZ reported, citing sources with direct knowledge.

Eyewitnesses who saw Nick Reiner check into the hotel told TMZ he seemed “tweaked out,” but there were no visible signs that he had been in a violent confrontation, and there were no bloodstains or cuts on his body.

TMZ added that Nick Reiner’s reservation was for one day, but he never formally checked out.

When hotel staff entered Nick Reiner’s room later on the morning of Dec. 14, they found the shower “full of blood” and blood on the bed, TMZ reported, adding that the room’s window was covered by bedsheets.

TMZ said Nick Reiner was located and arrested about 20 miles away in Exposition Park, near downtown Los Angeles, around 9:15 p.m. Dec. 14; authorities were called for medical aid to the Reiner home around 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14, after which the bodies of the Reiner couple were found.

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Yesterday, John Harbaugh — longtime head coach of the Baltimore Ravens — was fired, ending his 18-year tenure with the team. The decision came just two days after the Ravens finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs following a 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, where a missed field goal as time expired cost them the AFC North title.

In the two days between the Ravens’ season ender and Harbaugh’s firing, Jason Whitlock, BlazeTV’s resident NFL expert, predicted this would happen. He argued the game-ending play — where star running back Derrick Henry sat the bench while Lamar Jackson took a knee, forcing the team’s rookie kicker to attempt (and miss) a field goal — was a “fireable offense” for Harbaugh.

One day later, the team issued an official statement, confirmed by owner Steve Bisciotti, that the longtime coach had been fired.

On this episode of “Fearless,” Whitlock addresses the shocking news and explains the broader implications.

“[Harbaugh] and Lamar Jackson popularized the whole RPO offense that has overtaken the National Football League,” Whitlock says, calling the dynamic duo “the face of the run-pass option offense.”

“And this is the thanks [Harbaugh] gets? He gets fired because … Tyler Loop misses a kick? He gets fired … in a year where Lamar Jackson was injured and missed 4 to 5, 6 games?” he asks, stunned.

Whitlock says that according to reports he’s read, “The split wasn’t about John Harbaugh; it was about John Harbaugh’s loyalty to Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator.” Apparently, the Ravens wanted to fire Monken, but Harbaugh refused.

“According to the reports, Lamar Jackson had no problem … with John Harbaugh. His problem was with the OC,” Whitlock explains.

The next layer of Harbaugh’s firing is even more important, however.

“Harbaugh getting fired puts incredible pressure on [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin,” Whitlock says.

“If John Harbaugh can get fired with that record and what he and Lamar Jackson have brought to the forefront with the RPO offense, Mike Tomlin has to be on the clock — has to be.”

“The pressure now switches to Tomlin,” he says, referring to the Steelers’ upcoming playoff game against the Houston Texans.

“The pressure on Mike Tomlin is now intensified incredibly. How is Mike Tomlin going to survive if he loses to the Houston Texans? If you can fire John Harbaugh, you can fire anybody,” he says.

To hear more of Whitlock’s analysis, watch the episode above.

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Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused the federal government of being at war with his state after the fatal shooting during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.

Tensions with the Trump administration escalated sharply Wednesday when an ICE agent shot a woman who appeared to be interrupting their operation with her vehicle. Video shows her swerving into an agent, who fired at her and killed her.

‘Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.’

Walz blamed the Trump administration for the shooting by claiming the increased immigration enforcement actions were unnecessary.

“I said this yesterday, we’ve never been at war with our federal government,” the governor said during a media briefing.

He went on to suggest that he would order the Minnesota National Guard to oppose the federal government.

“We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You’ve done enough. There’s nothing more important than Minnesotans’ safety,” he said.

“I’ve issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks,” he added.

“These National Guard troops are our National Guard troops,” he emphasized. “They’re teachers in your community, they’re business owners, they’re construction professionals. They are Minnesotans. Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.”

Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin had previously blamed Democratic rhetoric for the shooting.

“This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement,” she said. “These men and women who are simply enforcing the law on the books are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats.”

RELATED: DHS accuses Hilton Hotels of ‘siding with murderers and rapists’ over ICE — and the hotel chain responds

Other Democrats are using the shooting to call for the federal government to pull officers out of Minnesota.

“I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis!” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said during an earlier media briefing.

“We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite,” he added. “People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead.”

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