The Trump administration is accused of installing an unqualified individual into the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to a report by Anna Bower for Lawfare shared on October 20th, 2025. This occurred during an ongoing government shutdown, where spokespeople involved would have been deemed essential personnel, according to a social media post by Idrees Ali. The accusations stem from a report detailing text exchanges, with a social media user noting that the individual in question, identified as "svdate", is having a "rough week." Another user, Sean Parnell, responded to this observation with a quote about a "patriotic American tie." Previous reports from October 20th, 2025, indicated that Senator Ron Johnson expressed doubt regarding Paul Ingrassia's nomination for Office of Special Counsel, stating he would vote "No." Additionally, the DHS confirmed agents shot a US citizen and subsequently lied about the incident, and Los Angeles was slated to host a congressional hearing on the arrests of US citizens during immigration raids. Governor Kristi Noem announced the USCG would implement "Operation River Wall" to defend against illegal immigration. The government shutdown has been a point of contention, with Senate Republican Leader John Thune reiterating the need to open the government before discussing unrelated issues like the unaffordability of Obamacare.
