Federal Government Watch 
   - from the Sharia TipSheet

Federal Government Watch
Trump Administration Still Only Getting Islam and Jihad Half-Right
by Clare M. Lopez
July 2026
 
“IRS Allows Hamas Non-Profit to Operate Even After FBI Bust” by Daniel Greenfield at Jihad Watch, June 21, 2026
 
“FBI director Kash Patel says U.S. foiled 640 planned terror attacks last year” by Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, March 22, 2026 
  • Given the new leadership at FBI, numbers are surely on track this year to surpass these from last year.
 
“Biden’s DHS Top Dog Admits It: Yeah, Uh, Maybe We Shouldn’t Have Let In Just Anybody” by Robert Spencer at PJ Media, May 13, 2026 
  • Also from a couple months ago, but worth noting. Despite former Secretary of DHS Alejandro Mayorkas’ belated acknowledgement here, they knew perfectly well at the time that the hordes of illegal aliens they were allowing into the U.S. would cause chaos across the country. [Editor’s Note: Not to mention the national security threats pouring across the border in untold numbers in the Biden years.  This article notes that Mayorkas previously admitted only 7 percent of the people brought here after the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster were U.S. citizens, 6 percent were lawful permanent residents, and 3 percent were Special Immigrant Visa holders who had helped the U.S.  The other 84 percent were … what, exactly? Nobody knows.]
 
“Vance: Iran Says Yes to IAEA Inspections. Iran: No, We Don’t.” by Robert Spencer at Front Page Magazine, June 23, 2026
  • Concern here is that VP Vance is projecting a more positive image of talks with Iran than justified by the actual Iranian regime’s positions.
 
“Trump Vs. Israel” by Hugh Fitzgerald at Front Page Magazine, June 23, 2026
  • While some of President Trump’s comments are surely meant to confuse the Iranian regime, when he speaks of its negotiators as “very nice people” and criticizes Israel for defending itself against Hizballah, many of us are confused, too. Suggesting that Damascus ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and his jihadi regime could be allowed to “take care of Hizballah” because Israel is killing too many people in Lebanon had many of us wondering who could possibly be advising him. And finally, the President’s consistent statements of approval for the HAMAS-sponsors in Qatar leave us seriously confused.
 
“U.S. Pledges to Help Provide the Islamic Republic of Iran With $300 Billion” by Hugh Fitzgerald at Front Page Magazine, June 17, 2026 
  • Even though the Iranian regime remains in power, has refused to even discuss its nuclear weapons or ballistic missile programs, and continues to threaten and attack shipping trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz – in addition to providing unswerving support to Hizballah and continuing the murderous executions of its own people – the U.S. has already pledged in the June 2026 Memorandum of Understanding to support provision of $300 billion in investment and reconstruction funding to that same regime.
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Federal Government Watch
New U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy Comes Up Way Short
by Clare M. Lopez
June 2026
 
The White House 2026 U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy
Some very real and current terrorism threats seem to be either missing or somehow downgraded in this new document. Islamic terror, for example, is cited on page 5 as “Legacy Islamist Terrorists”, although Al-Qa’eda and the Islamic State are named briefly and specifically later on. In what seems a glaring omission, in the Regional breakdown of Counterterrorism threats, neither Iran nor its terror proxies are mentioned at all, even as the documented presence of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force hit teams inside the U.S. remains unresolved and the extensive network of Hizballah operatives gets no mention at all. Neither is the role of the FBI in the domestic counterterrorism mission mentioned while DHS gets only cursory mention.
 
“Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Commander Busted by FBI, Plotted Attacks on Americans and Jews Over Iran War” by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton at RAIR Foundation USA, May 16, 2026
  • This is a recent example of both the ongoing Iran proxy threat as well as the key role of the FBI in thwarting it.
 
“The Bureau of Missed Clues Strikes Again - Failure to Anticipate Old Dominion Shooting Shows Glaring Holes in FBI’s Lackluster Approach to Counterterrorism” by Liberato.us, Federal Government Watch, May 27, 2026 
  • This one is an unfortunate example of the failure of FBI and law enforcement to monitor this shooter, who’d previously been convicted of terrorism in 2017, but then was released from prison in December 2024.
 
“Obama secretly gave thousands of Green Cards to Iran’s Islamic regime leaders in disastrous nuke deal” by Christine Douglass-Williams at Jihad Watch, June 2, 2026
  • This alert cites to a report from The Gateway Pundit (below) that ties into concern about the lack of mention of the Iranian regime or its terror proxies in the new White House 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy, noted above.
  • “Obama Secretly Gifted Thousands of Green Cards to Radical Iranian Regime Leaders in Disastrous Iran Nuclear Deal — Dissident Who Exposed It Was Brutally Executed”, by Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit, June 1, 2026
    • We have to question whether the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, or local law enforcement across the U.S. are even aware that any number of Iranian regime figures and/or their children may still be here in the homeland.
 
“Trump: ‘We Seem To Be Getting Along Quite Well’ With Mojtaba Khamenei” by Robert Spencer at Front Page Magazine, June 3, 2026 
  • President Trump is known to troll our adversaries often—but does he or does he not really mean he’ll ‘probably meet with Iran’s Ayatollah at some point’?  (It may be noted here that neither Mojtaba Khamenei nor his late father Ali Khamenei ever achieved the Shi’ite clerical rank of ayatollah, but both only made it to the middling rank of hojatoleslam.)
 
“Why Did Trump Demand that Netanyahu Stop IDF Attack on Hezbollah Sites in Beirut?” by Hugh Fitzgerald at Front Page Magazine, June 3, 2026
  • Events in Iran as well as Lebanon continue to play out, so this ultimately may be seen as just one U.S. move in a multi-dimensional operation against the Tehran regime. But it does raise questions about the U.S.-Israeli relationship and the long-game U.S. strategy against Iran.
Federal Government Watch -
The Bureau of Missed Clues Strikes Again
   - Failure to Anticipate Old Dominion Shooting Shows Glaring Holes in FBI’s
            Lackluster Approach to Counterterrorism

May 27, 2026

The Bureau is ideologically screwed up and can’t think it’s way out of a paper bag when comes to the existential threat Islam poses to the nation. The Bureau has had plenty of time to get its act together and must be held accountable. 
  • read the article here
Federal Government Watch 
Trump Administration Still Mixed Up About Islam
by Clare M. Lopez
May 2026
 
A shorter list for our newsletter this month includes a couple of important reports about strides the Trump administration has been taking in the right direction regarding expulsion of foreign nationals who never should have been admitted to the U.S. in the first place. Stay tuned to events in the Middle East, though, where the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Envoy to the Syrian regime in Damascus seems more interested in promoting the interests of these two jihadi regimes than those of the USA.
 
“Wall or Sieve? Attacks Raise Doubts About U.S. Immigration System” by Benjamin Weingarten at Real Clear Investigations, April 15, 2026 
  • While important strides toward securing America’s borders have been made and deportations of criminal illegal aliens continue, questions remain about the vetting and screening standards for granting legal entry into the U.S.—albeit for some of those who should never have been admitted but who arrived under earlier administrations.
 
“Final Order of Removal: Board of Immigration Appeals Denies Far-Left Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Efforts to Dismiss Deportation” by Margaret Flavin at Gateway Pundit, April 10, 2026 
  • This is, at last, a final order of deportation for this campus jihadi.
 
“Trump administration attempts to deport Iranian media commentator Yousof Azizi” by Kanishka Singh at Reuters, April 16, 2026 
  • Azizi is accused of lying on his original student visa application by denying membership in the Iranian Student Basij Organization, which supports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
 
“America’s Ambassador to Turkey Is Undermining U.S. Interests” by Sinan Ciddi, Jonathan Schanzer at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, April 24, 2026 
  • U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, increasingly appears to be more supportive of Turkey’s Erdogan regime and Syria’s jihadi leadership than of the U.S. interests he was appointed to promote.
Federal Government Watch -
Adequate Vetting a Chronic Weakness of the Trump Administration
by Clare M. Lopez
April 2026

It’s a mixed bag this month: some things are moving in the right direction, but there are others that still need some adjustment.
 
UPDATE: “Ex-Miss California Booted from Trump Religious Liberty Panel After Allegedly Trying to “Hijack” Antisemitism Hearing — Immediately Turns on Trump in Bitter Public Attack” by Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit, March 12, 2026
 
“Good Riddance! 'Free Palestine' Activist Sameerah Munshi Resigns from White House Religious Liberty Commission” by Rene Nal at RAIR Foundation, March 13, 2026
  • Another one gone…if only adequate vetting had been done before their appointments!
 
“U.S. Army Paid Company Founded By Director Of Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Group For ‘Leadership’ Training” by Luke Rosiak at Daily Wire, February 16, 2026
  • Vetting and awareness of who/what the Muslim Brotherhood is are still too often lacking inside the USG.
 
“Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood to be Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization” at Homeland Security Today, March 10, 2026
 
“Here Are 4 Reasons Why Trump’s Meeting With Comrade Mamdani Was Politically Brilliant” by John Loftus at Daily Caller, February 27, 2026
  • Not entirely convincing as we watch New York City in slow-motion collapse, but perhaps the image of the President giving Mamdani a chance and putting him on notice from the Oval Office itself will now resonate more convincingly.
Federal Government Watch -
Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Goes Off the Rails
by Clare M. Lopez
March 2026

President Donald Trump appointed the members of the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission in May 2025. We have written about some of its members previously, but here’s the latest:
 
“Religious liberty panel hearing on Jew-hatred at times digresses to discuss opposing Israel” by Andrew Bernard at the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), February 10, 2026
 
“WH fires member who hijacked antisemitism hearing to condemn Israel” by Or Shaked at Israel Hayom, February 12, 2026
  • Although she never should have been appointed to this Commission given her views about Jews and Israel, the White House made the right decision in firing her following her antisemitic comments. 
 
News of Note
 
“U.S. Army Paid Company Founded By Director Of Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Group For ‘Leadership’ Training” by Luke Rosiak at Daily Wire, February 16, 2026
  • The payments to a non-profit group called “Nonprofit Empowerment Group” were made between 2021-2025.  The contract has since been terminated.
 
“New ‘Palestinian’ Constitution Shows We’re Creating an Islamic Terror State” by Daniel Greenfield at Jihad Watch, February 18, 2026
  • Trump administration’s Board of Peace includes a slate of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to administer Gaza. Its new draft constitution shows all the reasons why it’s crucial to get better advice to admin officials – ASAP.
 
Jihad Comes for Syria’s Minorities
 
Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) Director Steven Emerson and former Congressman Frank Wolf have teamed up to publish a 4-part series on what is happening to Syria’s minorities under the jihad rule of Ahmed al-Sharaa.
 
Part 1: “The silent genocide of Syria’s minorities: The betrayal of the Kurds” by Steven Emerson and Frank Wolf at Jewish News Syndicate, February 16, 2026
  • Not that what’s happening to the Kurds in Syria is anything but a U.S. betrayal but keep an eye on U.S. support to Iraqi/Iranian Kurds as they move to take on whatever’s left of the Iranian regime.
 
Part 2: “The silent genocide of Syria’s minorities: A country being emptied” by Steven Emerson and Frank Wolf at Jewish News Syndicate, February 16, 2026
 
Part 3: “The silent genocide of Syria’s minorities: Diplomatic treachery and media malpractice” by Steven Emerson and Frank Wolf at Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)”, February 16, 2026
  • The role of U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Envoy to Damascus Tom Barrack comes in here for pointed criticism of his role in shielding the al-Sharaa regime from accountability for ‘sieges, massacres, forced displacement and systematic elimination of minority life’ in Syria.
 
“Part 4: “The silent genocide of Syria’s minorities: A documentary call to act” by Steven Emerson and Frank Wolf at Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), February 16, 2026 
  • This final segment of the 4-part series includes a link to a 4-minute video ‘that chronicles the harrowing systemic persecution of vulnerable minority religious populations by’ Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Damascus regime.
 
Now for some of the recent good news and well-earned kudos for the Trump administration!
 
“Trump Designates Branches of Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organizations – The Progenitor of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Hamas” by Antonio Graceffo at Gateway Pundit, February 23, 2026
 
“Congressional Hearing Discloses Republican Realism vs. Democratic Denial on Sharia” by Andrew Bostom at Front Page Magazine, February 23, 2026
  • Andrew Bostom’s account of the 10 February 2026 House Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing, entitled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam and Sharia Law Are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution”.
 
“At last! ONE elected representative has the raw courage to speak the unmitigated truth about Islam as a threat doctrine – THIS IS EPIC” by Rich Swier at DrRichSwier.com, February 4, 2026
  • Here is some well-deserved praise for Congressman Keith Self and Congressman Chip Roy and their role in convening the Sharia-Free America Caucus.
 
“EXCLUSIVE: ICE Arrests Foreign Terrorists Living in US” by Virginia Allen at the Daily Signal, January 26, 2026
  • Illegal terrorist aliens recently arrested by ICE include ‘members of al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Islamic Republic [sic] Guard Corps of Iran (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC), and MS-13’