Dems put Kash Patel on the spot to testify about his drinking detailed in 'damning report'

As Democrats’ victory became apparent Tuesday night, former White House spokesperson Harrison Fields, who served as Trump’s special assistant last year before resigning to join a conservative lobbying firm, pitched what he believed Republicans’ response should be: initiate redistricting in Florida to benefit Republicans.

“To my friends in Tallahassee: in a state that is ruby red, it’s time to respond to what we saw tonight in Virginia with a redistricting plan that reflects Florida’s true partisan lean – and adds 3-4 GOP seats to our supermajority,” Fields wrote in a social media post, tagging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican figures.

“Virginia is a purple state being drawn as deep blue. Florida should draw a map that’s even redder – and get it passed ASAP.”

The proposal, however, has already sparked “concern” among Republicans, Politico reported, particularly given the recent off-year Democratic election victories in the state.

“Recent special elections in South Florida (including one in Palm Beach itself) offered up eye-catching Democratic wins and overperformances, raising fears among some Republicans that redistricting could backfire,” Politico reported.

“Even some of Trump’s closest allies in Florida are worried. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer – who famously has the president on speed dial – told [Politico] this month that with DeSantis moving forward with redistricting, ‘he’s going to take away from the strongholds.’”

Prosecutors allege the center had funneled $3 million into confidential sources within extremist groups between 2014 and 2023.

Joyce Vance, who served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017, wrote in her Substack, "At first blush, these allegations feel like an extension of the revenge docket and the attacks on universities and law firms, an effort to delegitimize and marginalize an organization that is pushing back against the administration.

"We’ll have a chance to study the charges as we learn more about the government’s evidence. The government’s core theory is that the SPLC paid high-ranking white supremacists, but they seem to ignore the reason—that the use of paid informants was essential to the intelligence the Center was gathering on the groups they were members of, including intelligence that was shared with the FBI."

Vance went on to note that the DoJ's filing named no individuals, and that this could be a telling sign of where the case leads.

"It’s worth noting that only SPLC, as an entity, is indicted here," she wrote. "No individuals are charged. That suggests an inability to identify a specific individual who committed a specific criminal act, or perhaps a lack of confidence in the ability to convict an individual, given the overall context of the work the Southern Poverty Law Center does.

"[Todd] Blanche reiterated that the investigation was ongoing at the press conference. So why rush to indict the case today? Why not wait and see what the investigation reveals before charging? Perhaps it’s that Blanche is auditioning for the AG position and [Kash] Patel is trying to hold onto his. But it may also suggest some weakness in the evidence.

"This administration has targeted people and institutions whose philosophies run contrary to its own, even as it has protected and rewarded its allies, disappearing convictions of people like Steve Bannon and January 6 defendants convicted on serious insurrection charges."

The ballot measure, which passed last night (April 21), will redistrict the state's congressional map and could result in Democrats winning as many as four House seats.

Democratic state House Speaker Don Scott said, "Virginia just changed the trajectory of the 2026 midterms. At a moment when Trump and his allies are trying to lock in power before voters have a say, Virginians stepped up and leveled the playing field for the entire country."

The Bulwark analysts Tim Miller and Bill Kristol analyzed the chances of Democratic Party victory at the Virginia midterm elections.

Miller added, "The side that favored the referendum that redistricted the state of Virginia and redrew the state in such a way that it might end up being a 10-to-1 Democratic majority.

"My main takeaway though, like my biggest picture of all this, like taking off the campaigns and elections nerd hat, you know, and just like looking at the biggest picture takeaway, it's really a huge win and an exclamation point for the response that the Democratic Party and the pro-democracy movement had to Donald Trump and his cronies attempts to rig the midterm elections. And they're going to keep trying other things."

Kristol added, "I mean, this is Virginia. Two-thirds of Virginians voted in 2020 for the previous redistricting, and that was the actual sentiments of Virginia are probably two to one for let's have nonpartisan redistricting and so they overcame that because of the threat of Trump, and I I was one of those who thought they should, and I voted that way and obviously a lot of other people thought so too.

"The Democrats have won [Virginia] with the exception of that first Biden midterm. It's why the state of Virginia has gone blue. It was a swing of two-thirds in favor of nonpartisan redistricting. That would be one way to look at it.

"It [Jay Jones Nov. '25 results] is very consistent with the generic ballot polling right now nationally, which is +7, +8. I feel like that's a kind of, pretty good for Democrats but not quite at blowout levels."