William Turton
Reporter, ProPublica. Focused on federal law enforcement
Contact me on Signal: 804-295-7201
william.turton@propublica.org
- Reposted by William TurtonWe at ProPublica obtained internal government data in May that showed the Trump administration knew the vast majority of Venezuelans sent to El Salvador had not been convicted of violent crimes. Our reporting is featured in Frontline. Read our full coverage: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
- Reposted by William TurtonI went to Albany, Ga., 5 years ago to write about Covid-19, but I realized there was a bigger story to be told about the unchecked power of our health care system and who benefits from its growth. Spoiler: Far too few of us. @propublica.org projects.propublica.org/albany-georg...
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW! The Shakedown: How Trump's DOJ pressured lawyers to 'find' evidence that UCLA had illegally tolerated antisemitism. by me and @KatherineMangan w/ @chronicle.com www.propublica.org/article/ucla...
- Reposted by William TurtonHey folks 👋 I'm the reporter who revealed immigration agents detained 170+ citizens this year My fellowship w/ProPublica has been incredible, but it wraps January. I'm looking for my next gig. Please reach out to share leads & opportunities! nicolemfoy@gmail.com www.propublica.org/people/nicol...
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
- Reposted by William TurtonWelcome to Albany, Georgia, where one hospital dominates the political and economic landscape. The story of Phoebe Putney Memorial is the story of American health care. By @gingerthompson.bsky.social, with research by Doris Burke
- Happening now in NYC: The names of journalists, artists, writers, scholars, and media workers killed in Gaza are being projected onto 33 Thomas Street.
- Reposted by William TurtonThe FBI has recently used polygraph tests to ask senior employees if they have said anything negative about FBI Director Kash Patel or had spoken to the media. Separately, Patel granted waivers to Deputy Director Dan Bongino and two other staffers, exempting them from passing polygraph exams.
- New: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
- FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal assistant Nicole Rucker worked for Stephen Miller since January 2020, according to her resume. The White House said Rucker is not sharing information on the FBI’s operations with Miller and referred further questions to the bureau and the Department of Justice.
- Reposted by William TurtonDoesn't surprise me in the least. Full disclosure: I was one of the lawyers interviewed about this, and everything they say is accurate about how unprecedented this is. If I were to ask for a waiver for a client after they didn't pass a poly, I'd be laughed out of the room.
- New: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: FBI Director Kash Patel granted waivers to Deputy Director Dan Bongino and two newly hired senior FBI staff, exempting them from polygraph exams normally required to gain access to America’s most sensitive classified information, officials said.
- Reposted by William Turton"Former FBI officials said they could not recall a single instance in which a senior official like Bongino received a waiver and was then given a top secret clearance."
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: DHS launched a $200mln+ ad campaign, featuring, Kristi Noem, aimed at stemming illegal immigration. We found the firm secretly hired for the work has ties to Noem. @justinelliott.bsky.social, @josh-kaplan.bsky.social & @amierjeski.bsky.social: www.propublica.org/article/kris...
- Reposted by William TurtonFew people outside North Carolina have heard of Paul Newby, the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court. But Newby has had a huge impact on America and his state. He’s done this with the goal of delivering what he’s called “biblical justice, equal justice, for all.” THREAD 👇
- Reposted by William TurtonJustice Brett Kavanaugh: “If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen...they promptly let the individual go." The reality: Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. A must read from the very talented @nicolefoy.bsky.social:
- Reposted by William TurtonBREAKING from PP We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens* The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied: Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado www.propublica.org/article/immi... by @nicolefoy.bsky.social
- I’m speaking on this panel alongside Matthew
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: Nathan Albers once co-owned a company that schemed to hire and conceal undocumented workers. Now his company could make hundreds of millions from work on the nation's largest detention camp. “The irony is thick,” said a former DHS official.
- Reposted by William TurtonYou may have seen reports about the release of Venezuelans the Trump administration sent to a Salvadoran prison and called "the worst of the worst." But when we set out to learn more about them, that's not what we found. 🧵
- Reposted by William TurtonThe former *police commisioner* said a “rogue” NYPD unit was run by Adams cronies and reported directly to direct City Hall — exactly as we reported. Adams was so tight with the unit, sources told us, he had secret access to live body-cam footage. www.propublica.org/article/eric...
- Reposted by William Turton
- Reposted by William Turton“If this program is implemented in its current form, it’s extremely likely that incorrect addresses will be given to DHS and individuals will be wrongly targeted.”
- Reposted by William TurtonThe IRS is building a database that would let ICE access people's home addresses to speed up mass deportations. It could make dangerous mistakes. Great scoop from @williamturton.bsky.social, @chrisbing.bsky.social, and Avi Asher-Schapiro. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- Reposted by William TurtonThey were “pushing the boundaries of the law,” one official said. “Everyone at IRS felt the same way.” @williamturton.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: The IRS is building a vast effort to help the Trump Admin deportation apparatus. A Trump-appointed IRS official objected. Now he’s out. & the effort is going forward. @williamturton.bsky.social, @chrisbing.bsky.social & Avi Shapiro: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- SCOOP: The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- Reposted by William TurtonDid You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You. www.propublica.org/getinvolved/...
- Just saw this movie at Film Forum. Did anything happen while I was gone
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.
- Reposted by William Turton
THREAD: An ex-DOGE engineer with no government or medical experience used AI to identify which Veterans Affairs contracts to kill, labeling them as “MUNCHABLE.” @vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/ - Have y'all ever experienced the signal bug where it asks you to do a capatcha but never actually verifies you, making you unable to send new messages? Any solution to fix?
- Help.... github.com/signalapp/Si...
- "One of Elon Musk’s employees is earning between $100,001 and $1 million annually as a political adviser to his billionaire boss while simultaneously helping to dismantle the federal agency that regulates two of Musk’s biggest companies." www.propublica.org/article/doge...
- Reposted by William TurtonUPDATE: We've confirmed the identities and roles of 9 more key figures affiliated with Musk, bringing our DOGE tracker to a total of 86 staffers.
- Reposted by William TurtonJUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
- Reposted by William TurtonTeleMessage has taken everything down from their website www.telemessage.com
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW from us: The IRS inspector general is probing whether Trump and his office improperly accessed taxpayer data. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- Reposted by William TurtonNew: A former senior Treasury official told @propublica.org the probe could lead to a criminal investigation if reviewers find evidence of lawbreaking. But That same official said it’s possible those leading the review could face political repercussions.
- Reposted by William TurtonNEW: A Treasury Department inspector general is probing efforts by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE to obtain private taxpayer data and other sensitive information, internal communications reviewed by ProPublica show.
- SCOOP: A Treasury inspector general has asked the Internal Revenue Service to provide details on any instances where President Trump or DOGE tried to obtain taxpayer data and other sensitive information. www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- Reposted by William TurtonOur DOGE tracker is updated with a whole slew of new names, and now you can filter by agency to see which of the DOGErs have been where. Great work by @williamturton.bsky.social, @chrisbing.bsky.social, @kirstenberg.bsky.social and others! projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-do...
- Reposted by William TurtonThe cyber team inside DHS's Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans will be cut from 20-25 to 8 by June as part of DHS HQ's massive downsizing, per a person familiar with the matter.
- Reposted by William TurtonMy @propublica.org colleagues @jeffernsthausen.bsky.social and Avi Asher-Schapiro and I discovered a little-known company started housing ICE detainees at a tent facility in El Paso in mid-March 🧵: www.propublica.org/article/trum...
- I have a new gig @propublica.org to report on the Department of Government Efficiency. If you work in the federal government, I'd like to hear from you. On Signal at: 804-295-7201 or william.turton@propublica.org
- Reposted by William TurtonA UK court has blocked the UK government's attempt to keep secret a legal case over its demand to access Apple users' encrypted data. Judges said in a ruling Monday that authorities’ efforts were a “fundamental interference with the principle of open justice”: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
- Reposted by William Turton*TRUMP: MARKET IS GOING TO BOOM
- Creep Loser Wonderwall
- Reposted by William TurtonThis story for the New Yorker is the culmination of many years of reporting on and thinking about one thing: What's the deal with pitching? It was nice to reconnect with people I know from the baseball world, and I have now seen the inside of a person's elbow. www.newyorker.com/sports/sport...
- Reposted by William Turton"In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Phil Hegseth’s job title and said this 'interagency mission is part of Mr. Hegseth’s preview,' presumably meaning 'purview.'" apnews.com/article/hegs...
- I’m at the federal courthouse in New Jersey this morning for a hearing in the case of Columbia student protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil. Here’s what’s at stake in today’s hearing: open.substack.com/pub/williamt...
- Khalil’s wife, Noor Ramez Abdalla, is at the courthouse today.
- Judge will not be ruling from the bench today
- Reposted by William TurtonAt this risk of sounding overly cynical, my work investigating the weird world of mercenary hackers has made me a little less surprised by these moves than I would’ve been otherwise. Here’s why: ↘️
- Reposted by William TurtonElon Musk recently called out Reddit users for banning links to X and threatening DOGE staffers Turns out he was also texting Reddit’s CEO www.theverge.com/command-line...
- New: Judge Boasberg orders that counsel for Hegseth, Gabbard, Rubio et al, appear in court today at 4PM in the Signalgate lawsuit brought by American Oversight. The lawsuit was brought in an attempt to force compliance with the Federal Records Act.
- NYU has made a decision to punish everyone who wants to walk around the area with arbitrary security theater. It’s a reminder that some of the city’s largest landowners, like NYU and Columbia, operate public spaces that they can reclaim whenever they see fit. www.williamturton.com/p/these-are-...
- Not much of a gotcha here. This applies to anyone who has used the internet in the last decade
- In other news, Der Spiegel found private phone numbers, email addresses and some passwords for Waltz, Gabbard and Hegseth online www.spiegel.de/internationa...
- Hunter Biden didn’t have a government job, he was merely the son of the Vice President.
- Interesting to revisit this James Bamford piece, where he not so subtly implies Canary Mission is, at least in part, an Israeli intelligence operation. www.thenation.com/article/worl...
- She was targeted by a doxxing website and the US government used it to disappear her. canarymission.org/individual/R...
- Reposted by William TurtonUnidentified men grabbing someone off the street and putting her in a car because she wrote an op-Ed. This as flatly authoritarian as anything we’ve seen in this country in a very long time.
- Video of the international student at Tufts being arrested by "federal authorities" in Massachusetts has been released and it's terrifying. They're not even uniformed officers. Just secret police thugs in hoodies and masks. From WCVB: youtu.be/PuFIs7OkzYY
- These Are the Dumbest Fences in New York open.substack.com/pub/williamt...
- “Nobody is allowed to sit,” the security guard replied. “As for the reason why, I’m just doing what is asked of me. I’m sorry.” williamturton.substack.com/p/these-are-...
- NEW: Elon Musk's Brother Gets Paid in the UAE williamturton.substack.com/p/elon-musks...
- NEW: Elon Musk's Brother Gets Paid in the UAE williamturton.substack.com/p/elon-musks...
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- Reposted by William TurtonFELLED BY FOIA?: Judge refuses, for now, to block Trump takeover of U.S. Institute of Peace. Says it may be executive agency, in part because it answers #FOIA requests
- NEW: The Mahmoud Khalil case has been transferred to New Jersey. In a recent filing, Judge Jesse Furman implied that the government may have broken the law by arresting and attempting to deport Khalil. williamturton.substack.com/p/mahmoud-kh...
- Updated this post with a link to Furman's order and a quote from an attorney for Khalil.
- Reposted by William Turton🚨 The Iran War Plan 🚨 www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-iran-w...
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- Using court documents, I created a timeline of Mohammed Khalil's arrest, where he was moved through four states over 28 hours. Khalil's location when lawyers initiated his case is pertinent because it may determine which court eventually has jurisdiction. williamturton.substack.com/p/mohammed-k...
- NEW: Mahmoud Khalil's lawyers have filed a request to release Khalil on bail. Khalil's wife, Noor Ramez Abdalla, submitted a letter to the court in support of his release. williamturton.substack.com/p/mahmoud-kh...
- “I ultimately watched my husband driven off by the agents, having no idea why he was being arrested or how I could reach him,” Abdalla wrote. williamturton.substack.com/p/mahmoud-kh...
- The filing includes a photo of Khalil's green card. williamturton.substack.com/p/mahmoud-kh...
- NEW: The U.S. Government just filed a copy of a Motion To Appear in the case of Mohammed Khalil. The document, dated March 9th (the day after Khalil was arrested), states the Secretary of State's rationale for removing Khalil. Khalil apparently refused to sign the document.
- We were already aware of this specific argument from the Secretary of State as its rationale for why Khalil should be deported. But this document was likely the first time Khalil learned of the justification, shortly after his arrest.
