Judge to consider blocking FBI from assembling list of agents who investigated Jan. 6
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(NEW YORK) — A federal judge on Thursday will consider whether to block the Federal Bureau of Investigation from assembling a list of agents involved in cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack for potential disciplinary action or firings.
A class action lawsuit filed anonymously by a group of FBI agents alleges that the country’s leading law enforcement agency is planning to engage in “potential vigilante action” to retaliate against government employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases or Donald Trump’s classified documents case.
The lawsuit warned that the effort to survey thousands of FBI agents about their past work could be “catastrophic to national security” and result in the termination of as many as 6,000 FBI agents.
The plaintiffs warned that the Department of Justice may seek to publicly disseminate the names of agents that investigated the conduct that allegedly stemmed from the sitting president.
“Such public disclosures would directly put the safety of all impacted individuals at risk as well as their family members,” the lawsuit said. In a court filing submitted Thursday morning, the Justice Department urged the judge hearing the case to reject the plaintiffs’ request to impose a restraining order blocking the collection the list.
DOJ attorneys argued in the filing that the motion for the restraining order is based largely on speculation and that the FBI agents have failed to show they face any imminent threats in connection with the list.
Trump’s federal classified documents case and his Jan. 6 case were both dropped following Trump’s reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
(LAS VEGAS) — Matthew Livelsberger — the suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel — died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, officials said at a Thursday press briefing.
Investigators had already collected significant evidence that Livelsberger was behind the wheel of the vehicle before publicly confirming their suspicions.
Officials found credit and identification cards in his name, purchase records identifying him as the owner of weapons found in the destroyed vehicle and identified tattoos similar to Livelsberger’s on the driver’s body, physical injuries to which slowed the identification process.
The Clark County Coroner ultimately identified Livelsberger — of Colorado Springs, Colorado — as the driver on Thursday. His cause of death was a self-inflicted intraoral gunshot wound.
No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said.
An active-duty Army soldier, Livelsberger was found with a gun at his feet. Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found in the vehicle “burnt beyond recognition,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.
Both weapons were purchased legally on Monday, he added.
Livelsberger rented the Tesla vehicle on Saturday in Denver via the Turo app, before driving to Las Vegas through cities in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. His progress was tracked through Tesla charging stations, officials said.
The vehicle first pulled into the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel valet area just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It then left the area, driving along Las Vegas Boulevard, before returning to the valet area at about 8:39 a.m., exploding 17 seconds after its arrival.
Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.
He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.
The Las Vegas incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people — as well as the suspect — and injured 35 others, according to the FBI. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented using the Turo app, officials said.
“At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” the FBI’s Christopher Raia said Thursday morning at a press conference on the New Orleans attack.
The two drivers may have overlapped at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, though no evidence suggests the two ever were assigned together or knew each other, McMahill said.
President Joe Biden, in remarks Thursday, said federal investigators have not any evidence of a connection between the attacks but said he had directed them to keep looking.
Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, an official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.
His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.
Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.
Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.
The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
McMahill said police believe the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community.” He also said police do not believe anyone was helping the Las Vegas suspect.
“We believe everything is safe now,” McMahill said.
Video played at the Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to Trump.
Emergency vehicles and rescue crews gather along the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport after an air crash near Washington, DC, on January 29, 2025. A regional jet from Kansas crashed into Washington’s Potomac River after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, officials said Wednesday, prompting a major emergency response and grounding all flights. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A regional American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night in the nation’s first major commercial airline crash since 2009.
There are confirmed fatalities from the collision, law enforcement sources familiar with the ongoing operation told ABC News. Several bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River, and so far, no survivors have been rescued, sources said.
There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the jet, which can hold up to 70 passengers. It departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA.
“I know that flight. I’ve flown it many times myself,” Jerry Moran, a senator from Kansas, said at a press briefing on Thursday morning.
“I lobbied American Airlines to begin having a direct, nonstop flight service to DCA,” he said of the route, which has been operating for about one year.
“It is certainly true that in Kansas and in Wichita in particular, we’re going to know people who are on this flight, know their family members, know somebody. So this is a very personal circumstance, as well as an official response,” Moran added.
Three Army soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter at the time of the crash. Army officials confirmed that no senior military leaders were onboard.
The Black Hawk helicopter was on a training flight at the time, according to Heather Chairez, spokesperson for Joint Task Force-National Capital Region.
It was based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, according to an Army official. “We are working with local officials and will provide additional information once it becomes available,” the official said.
The collision involved American Airlines Flight 5342, the airline said. The flight was operated by PSA Airlines.
“Our concern is for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft,” the airline said. “We are in contact with authorities and assisting with emergency response efforts.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information indicates that a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to the airport.
A multi-agency search-and-rescue operation is underway, authorities said. About 300 responders were on the scene as of late Wednesday night, according to D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly.
The operation will continue overnight as divers and boats are searching the dark, frigid waters of the Potomac River.
Officials have not provided an update on whether anyone had been pulled from the water or taken to the hospital but three emergency care providers in the Washington, D.C. region have confirmed with ABC News that they have not yet received any patients from the crash.
“At this time, we have not received any patients,” VHC Health, formerly the Virginia Hospital Center, said in a statement at midnight on Wednesday. “The crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a sad and shocking tragedy and our thoughts are with all those impacted by this incident. We are working directly with the Arlington and Metropolitan Police Department, Fire, and EMS teams and all authorities,” VHC Health said, adding, “VHC Health is prepared to assist and support first responders as these agencies continue their emergency response.”
The water temperature in the Potomac River is approximately 36 degrees, and the air temperature at the time of the crash was 50 degrees with winds gusting 25 to 30 mph.
This is the first major commercial airplane crash in the United States since the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, New York, in 2009.
President Donald Trump released a statement following the crash Wednesday night.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” he wrote.
The president followed up with a post on Truth Social that seemed to be probing for further answers regarding the cause of the crash.
“Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane,” he wrote in the post, adding, “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Army and Defense Department would “immediately” launch an investigation into the collision.
“Absolutely tragic. Search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families. Investigation launched immediately by Army & DoD,” Hegseth wrote on X.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said “extensive resources are fully supporting the search and rescue efforts” following the crash.
“First responders from across Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland mobilized quickly,” he said on X. “I ask everyone to pray for the passengers, crews, their families, and brave first responders.”
Wichita Mayor Lily Wu discussed the reality of people from her community being on the flight — noting that the first direct flight from Wichita to the nation’s capital, which began daily service on Jan. 8, 2024, coincided with her first day in office.
“Our entire community right now is praying, hoping for better news,” Wu told ABC News. “But as a community, the entire city of Wichita, the city council members and the staff all throughout the city of Wichita are hoping that we have better news to come out of this.”
Meanwhile, in somber remarks at a news conference early Thursday morning, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall suggested he feared the passengers and crew aboard a regional American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that collided were lost.
“When one person dies, it’s a tragedy,” Marshall said. “But when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow … It’s really hard when you lose, you know, probably over 60 Kansans, simultaneously.”
Speaking of the pilots, flight attendants and military personnel, Marshall added, “All those lives are so valuable, and it is such a tragedy that we lost them.”
Officials have not publicly confirmed any fatalities.
However, U.S. Figure Skating issued a statement saying that “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342,” according to the statement obtained by ABC News.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” the statement said. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
Russian media also reported that two Russian figure skaters were on board the plane and expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the plane crash.
“Unfortunately, we see that these sad information is being confirmed,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday morning. “There were other of our fellow citizens there. Bad news from Washington today.”
Earlier, several Russian state media outlets were reporting that Russian world figure skating champions in pairs (1994) Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the plane, though U.S. authorities have not confirmed these reports.
At least 19 aircraft that were in the air and due to land at Reagan National Airport had to be diverted after the mid-air collision, according to Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The diverted flights landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and the FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement that it’s sending its National Capital Response Squad “in support of our law enforcement and public safety partners.”
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will be closed until 11 a.m. Thursday, officials confirmed first thing in the morning, rather than the original estimated reopening time of 5 a.m. Friday,
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Mayor Eric Adams’s criminal defense attorney was at Justice Department headquarters in Washington on Friday to discuss the future of the mayor’s criminal bribery case, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro attended the meeting along with federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, including acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and acting chief of the criminal division Perry Carbone, the sources said.
Spiro was seen by an ABC News reporter departing the Justice Department following his meeting but he declined to comment when asked whether DOJ leadership agreed to drop Adams’ case.
Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted, has pleaded not guilty to taking luxury travel benefits in exchange for helping expedite the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan, among other crimes.
Federal prosecutors accused Adams of accepting more than $100,000 in improper benefits over nearly a decade, many of which came in the form of flight upgrades and stays in luxury hotels, none of which were publicly divulged as required.
The indictment also alleged Adams and a staffer knowingly worked with Turkish nationals to send foreign money to straw donors for his mayoral campaign and used that money to rake in over $10 million from New York City’s matching funds program.
Adams has insinuated that the indictment was politically motivated by President Joe Biden, without any evidence.
He has had several meetings with President Donald Trump since the election but has denied that the talk of dropping the charges or a pardon has come up. Adams canceled appearances at two New York City Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at the 11th hour to attend Trump’s inauguration.
Trump has also criticized the investigation into Adams.
