Justin Elliott

New story: In 2025, the FBI was examining the actions of Sen Lindsey Graham, Rep. Jim Clyburn, and Rep. Joe Wilson as part of a sweeping bribery probe. Then Trump’s campaign of retribution demolished public corruption investigations. www.propublica.org/article/nava...

"The federal government is lying to you." "The government has said that ICE does not zip tie or handcuff children." "They’ve denied engaging in racial profiling" "They’ve said the government is not wrongly arresting U.S. citizens." *We found the truth* projects.propublica.org/american-cit....

In 2024 the former CEO of a defense contractor made a stunning confession to two FBI agents. He alleged that was the ringleader of a massive pay-to-play operation, bribing senators with campaign contributions in exchange for govt contracts. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

This week, ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding festivities. Join our reporters on Sept. 23 for a behind-the-scenes conversation. 🗓️ RSVP: events.propublica.org/don-jr-weddi...

🎧It's ALIVE!🎧 Hear a little bit of BTS on the jaw-dropping reporting on Donald Trump Jr.'s secret wedding guest from the reporters themselves, @justinelliott.bsky.social and Brett Murphy www.propublica.org/podcast/dona...

New: Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin www.propublica.org/article/dona... w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social

NEW: Congress appropriated $1 trillion for defense this year, more than twice as much as the combined budget for agencies overseeing health, veterans affairs, education, housing, agriculture and justice. We’re setting out to report on how this public money is being spent.

NEW: Flaming robots. Haywire Turkish machines. An actual dumpster fire. General Dynamics received $533 million from the Army to produce artillery but hasn’t made a single usable shell. ProPublica got the inside story of what went wrong. It’s a wild ride: www.propublica.org/article/gene...

1/ This is Nick Adams. He’s a big deal in MAGA world. He’s got 638K followers on X and 2.1M on Facebook. President Trump even appointed him to a role at the State Dept. But when I started digging into Adams' nonprofit for "civics" education, something didn't look right ... 🧵

A few weeks ago, after two years of work, I published a story unlike any I’d encountered in my 18 years at ProPublica. I’ve been off social media for a while, but I felt compelled to share some of my reporting journey here. 🧵

As ProPublica’s IT support specialist Penny Serrano puts it: “We're just simply asking for a contract that reflects those values — and not just in words but also in wages.” Help us ensure fair pay for all our workers: www.propublicaguild.org

NEW: Before SpaceX IPO, Investors in China Secretly Acquired Stakes, by @justinelliott.bsky.social @josh-kaplan.bsky.social

NEW: For its IPO, SpaceX banned Chinese investors because of the nat’l security risks. As a private company, it took China-based investment. @justinelliott.bsky.social, @josh-kaplan.bsky.social: www.propublica.org/article/spac...

NEW: In February, I visited Raw Farm. You may have heard of it. RFK Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are customers. It supplies raw dairy products to 500 stores nationwide. And regulators have linked it to over a dozen recalls and outbreaks that have made hundreds sick. 🧵👇

NEW: Earlier this year, an obscure startup in Texas announced that it had received at least $100 mil from one of the richest men in Asia. We dug into the backstory. We discovered a saga involving Donald Trump Jr., Russian oil, and an Indian billionaire family’s private zoo.

New: An Indian Billionaire was targeted by the Trump administration. Then he poured millions of dollars into a startup secretly backed by Donald Trump Jr. www.propublica.org/article/trum... w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social

After a decade+ of nonstop pollution offenses, GOP Sen. Jim Justice's coal empire learned earlier this year that it was under federal criminal investigation. But before prosecutors could gather crucial evidence, Todd Blanche's office told them "pencils down."

I'm impressed by my @propublica.org colleagues every day, but omg the new Paper Trail podcast is so good. Amazing work from @jlussenhop.bsky.social + team. Take a listen: www.propublica.org/podcast/what...

House Dems' letter to DHS on Corey Lewandowski: preserve your documents oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/do...

NEW: Over the past year, we've been collecting thousands of financial disclosure documents from across the Trump administration. Now we're making them searchable. Look up names, assets, former employers across 1,500+ Trump appointees and 3,000+ ethics documents.

Sen. Blumenthal has written a letter to Kristi Noem about her denial that Corey Lewandowski has a role in approving contracts at DHS. "I demand that you amend your testimony" and "provide the basis for your apparent false statement on the record." www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

New: Kristi Noem claimed to the Senate yesterday that Corey Lewandowski has no role approving contracts at DHS. But internal DHS records and interviews with current and former agency officials contradict her testimony: www.propublica.org/article/kris... w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social

NEW: The Trump administration is planning to use AI to write federal regulations despite the risk of hallucinations. “We don't even need a very good rule,” the Transportation Department’s top lawyer said of the plan, per meeting notes reviewed by ProPublica. “We want good enough.”🧵

A billionaire known as “Bitcoin Jesus” was under indictment for massive criminal tax fraud and very likely going to prison. Then, he hired a “Friend of Trump” and the criminal charges disappeared. How did they do it? Avi Asher-Schapiro and I spent months getting the inside story.

BREAKING: We've found 40+ cases of agents using banned chokeholds & other moves that can cut off breathing People have had seizures. They passed out. “I felt like I was going to die” said 16-yr-old citizen Admin won't say whether any agents have been punished www.propublica.org/article/vide...

NEW: Here's the searing tale of one woman's struggle to feed her family after the Trump Administration imposed a man-made food crisis. Beautifully written by Brett Murphy & @annamaria.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Amidst the Trump administration's attacks on "illegal" DEI, @propublica.org has found more than 1,000 nonprofits that revised the mission statements on their tax forms to remove terms like "racism" and "marginalized." Half who made changes reported no govt funding. www.propublica.org/article/dele...

NEW: One of the most significant accomplishments of the Trump Admin: Decimating the US's humanitarian aid. We went to S. Sudan to see the effects. Rubio says no one has died from the cuts. Spoiler: That's not true. @annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy: www.propublica.org/article/usai...

So Jim Justice is one of the wealthiest people in the country. And in 2021, we wrote a story about how almost never paid taxes www.propublica.org/article/how-...

New: Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts www.propublica.org/article/kris... w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social

NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House. By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro

New: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

NEW: We’ve uncovered the first known example of taxpayer money flowing from DHS to businesses controlled by Kristi Noem’s allies and friends. It’s part of a money trail that’s been shrouded in secrecy—and involves $220 million, a mysterious Delaware LLC & a horse named Gill.

JOB ALERT! We are hiring a business editor. You have an unerring instinct for the jugular of the wealthy & powerful? Build a team with me and we’ll get after it! job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j... You can email me or on Signal at 718-496-5233

SCOOP The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” I got the memo laying it all out www.propublica.org/article/vete...

Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages www.propublica.org/article/trum... www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

New: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies www.propublica.org/article/elon...

New: Kristi Noem fast-tracked millions in disaster aid to Naples, Florida tourist attraction after campaign donor intervened www.propublica.org/article/kris... w/ @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social

My latest story - Trump administration rolls back tax shelter crackdown: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/b...

1/ The documents are clear: Lee Zeldin and his wife have two principal-residence mortgages, for properties in Long Island and Washington, D.C. We’ve got the records 👇 Long Island: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26... D.C.: legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...