Emmy winning investigative journalist. Telling the stories I could not tell before, where the facts have a power all their own. #CatherineHerridgeReports
Washington, D.C.
Joined November 2019
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MY FIRST AMENDMENT CASE: SUPREME COURT CERT PETITION NOW PUBLICLY DOCKETED
We believe the critical First Amendment issues in this case merit the Supreme Court’s review.
If I had been a reporter in Boston, in the First Circuit, the subpoena for my confidential sources would have been quashed by the courts years ago.
But the decisions in my case have made protections for reporters and their sources in Washington DC the weakest—even though this is where most national security stories are reported.
The outcome of our case will impact every journalist and their ability to protect confidential sources.
It should also concern every journalist — and every American who values a free press — that vital First Amendment rights are being decided in a case where the courts have kept important information hidden from public view.
I have never seen this unclassified evidence, but court records confirm it includes the Department of Defense’s decision to terminate the plaintiff's federal funding on national security grounds.
Serious journalists everywhere should demand the release of this sealed evidence, so the public can fully understand what is at stake when courts impose fines and order reporters to reveal their confidential sources.
- Catherine
Veterans Day: Meet 101-year-old Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward “Eddie” D. Desmond, who served at Okinawa.
I met Eddie on November 10. He turned 101 and shares the same birthday as the Marine Corps, the day before Veterans Day.
On November 11, Desmond is being honored at the Veterans Day Wreath Laying Ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial.
TRUE STORY: Eddie served at Okinawa because he hated cold weather and liked cooking.
Veterans advocate Christopher M. Lehman shared Eddie’s story.
"When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Eddie was just 16 years old—too young to serve in the armed forces. He enlisted in the Navy in early 1944 at age 17.
After boot camp, he was given the choice to serve either as an armed guard (gunner) on a merchant supply ship doing convoy duty in the cold North Atlantic or as a ship’s cook on a ship in the Pacific.
Since he didn’t like cold weather and he did like to cook, the choice was easy.
Within months, he found himself as a cook on a small ship heading across the Pacific and was destined to participate in what became the bloodiest and one of the longest and hardest campaigns in the history of U.S. naval warfare—the Battle of Okinawa.
By early May 1945, 20-year-old Petty Officer 2nd Class Desmond had already been exposed to heavy combat.
He had also discovered that the ship’s cook on these small ships had additional duties when the ship was engaged in combat or the crew was at Battle Stations.
His battle station was at a 20-millimeter anti-aircraft gun on the starboard side of his ship.
He also witnessed the devastating effects of Japanese kamikaze suicide planes hitting other ships—many much larger than his—with some sinking in minutes and with tremendous loss of life.
As one of the last (and likely the final) surviving sailors from the roughly 10,000 men who served on the 130 Landing Craft Support ships known as LCSs during World War II, Eddie has helped preserve their history.
After the jump, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help keep the historic USS LCS-102 operating as a museum ship in California.👇
Eddie has set up a GoFundMe page to help keep the historic LCS 102 operating as a museum.
gofundme.com/f/save-the-ship…
.@TheJusticeDept Reaction @GOPoversight Epstein Report
DOJ spox: “With all due respect, the Chairman’s @RepJamesComer recommendations have already been addressed.
The Attorney General has repeatedly said that the Epstein case is not closed and there is no statute of limitations on human trafficking.
The Chairman should know that the FBI has a long-established ‘process for crime victims and their representatives to access personal files’ that starts by filing out form DOJ-361.
The Committee notably fails to acknowledge the historical overlap between potential co-conspirators and victims, which all members who visited the reading room could see for themselves.
The Department will continue following all additional investigative leads in matters relating to Jeffrey Epstein.
Any victims with evidence and information are encouraged to reach out to the FBI.”
.@GOPoversight Epstein Report: Federal Government failures cited span republican and democratic administrations.
Report contains transcribed interviews that provide new and in some cases, harrowing detail.
"...the crimes Epstein committed after 2005 could have been prevented—and justice served—if not for failures by federal investigators and prosecutors in South Florida and Washington, D.C."
"While some of these failures reflected poor judgment by the USAO (US Attorney's Office,) others appeared to stem from Epstein’s pervasive influence and far-reaching connections, potentially including two attorneys employed by the office."
"...the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to adequately communicate about document releases and failed to sufficiently protect survivors. Deficient redactions exposed survivors’ sensitive personal information."
It recommends @TheJusticeDept pursue investigations of Epstein's associates and Congress pass legislation that would block non-disclosure agreements from silencing victims.
Full Oversight Report @JamesComer after the jump
.@gopoversight EPSTEIN REPORT
- Former FBI special agent told me before the report's release that Epstein had all the earmarks of an intel gathering operation
- AI can accelerate the pursuit of long buried leads
- Transcripts released via @jamescomer reveal new and harrowing details
NEW: Former FBI Special Agent says there is “No Doubt” the information gathered by Epstein looks like an “intelligence collection operation.”
“I think there's no doubt…He went after people or he had connections to people that had connections to national security or huge technological advances. An intel operation would greatly benefit and be able to not only understand what otherworld leaders are doing, but be able to influence what they're doing.”
@thelatmg @latimesstudios_
.@GOPoversight Epstein Report: Federal Government failures cited span republican and democratic administrations.
Report contains transcribed interviews that provide new and in some cases, harrowing detail.
"...the crimes Epstein committed after 2005 could have been prevented—and justice served—if not for failures by federal investigators and prosecutors in South Florida and Washington, D.C."
"While some of these failures reflected poor judgment by the USAO (US Attorney's Office,) others appeared to stem from Epstein’s pervasive influence and far-reaching connections, potentially including two attorneys employed by the office."
"...the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to adequately communicate about document releases and failed to sufficiently protect survivors. Deficient redactions exposed survivors’ sensitive personal information."
It recommends @TheJusticeDept pursue investigations of Epstein's associates and Congress pass legislation that would block non-disclosure agreements from silencing victims.
Full Oversight Report @JamesComer after the jump
First Amendment Update: Leading Press Freedom Groups File Support At Supreme Court
In a friend of the court or "Amicus brief," the Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of the Press Foundation @FreedomofPress urged the Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that ordered me to disclose confidential source(s) in a series of national security reports.
Freedom of the Press Foundation writes, "This case is a prime candidate for this Court’s review. The Circuits have deeply divided over whether and to what extent a reporter can withhold the identity of her confidential sources in response to a civil subpoena.
And the decision below falls on the wrong side of the split. It affords no meaningful protection to reporters and their confidential sources in the nation’s capital, thereby abridging the freedom of the press in the place where it is needed most."
In 2024, the lower court (DC Circuit) held me in contempt for refusing to disclose my confidential source(s) to the plaintiff whose school for US military personnel lost its federal funding on “national security grounds.”
Defense Department records about the decision have been kept secret from me, the public and remain under seal by the lower courts.
Reporters Committee writes, "The public must
have access to the entirety of these documents
because Ms. Herridge argues they are relevant to
whether Plaintiff’s injury was in fact caused by the
alleged Privacy Act violations, and therefore whether
Plaintiff’s claim would fail even with Herridge’s
compelled testimony. Access to judicial proceedings
and documents “permits the public to participate in
and serve as a check upon the judicial process—an
essential component in our structure of self-government."
Thank you Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Reporters Committee for supporting transparency and robust rights for journalists.
The Supreme Court is expected to consider our CERT Petition in early December and issue its decision shortly thereafter.
FULL Briefs Supreme Court Docket 👇
NEW: First Amendment Case + National Security
In a friend of the court or “Amicus brief" filed Friday, @SenTedCruz @BasedMikeLee @SenLummis urge the Supreme Court to hear our First Amendment case, citing national security.
The lower court (DC Circuit) held me in contempt for refusing to disclose my confidential reporting sources to the plaintiff whose school for US military personnel lost its federal funding on “national security grounds.”
The Senators write; “This Court’s guidance as to whether a court may consider the United States’ national security and core constitutional rights when compelling a reporter to disclose confidential source information is sorely needed.”
“The D.C. Circuit’s rule doesn’t permit a court to ask whether disclosure of a reporter’s sources would harm national security, whether it would dry up reporting on which the public and Congress depend, or whether a damages claim the court below acknowledged may be worth as little as $1,000 justifies those harms…”
The Supreme Court is expected to consider our CERT Petition in early December and issue its decision shortly thereafter.
Thank you, Senators, for standing up for the First Amendment and national security interests.
Full Brief on Supreme Court docket. 👇
UPDATE: Largest Labor Union representing working media artists and journalists @sagaftra urges Supreme Court to hear our First Amendment case about the protection of a reporter's confidential sources.
In a friend of the court or "Amicus brief" filed Friday, SAG-AFTRA writes;
"Investigative journalism runs on trust. Sources extend trust, one reporter at a time, and the promise of confidentiality is how a reporter earns it."
"A rule under which that promise is only as good as the reporter's ability to fund a contempt fight breaks that trust.”
For reporters and their sources, our First Amendment case reveals there are different rules in different parts of the country; what's known as a 'circuit split.'
For example, if I had reported the investigation at the heart of this First Amendment case in Boston, not Washington D.C., the subpoena would have been thrown out years ago.
SAG-AFTRA "represents over 10,000 journalists and media professionals who gather and report the news in every part of the country.
For them, the circuit split is not abstract. It determines whether the promise of confidentiality they make to a source can be kept…."
The Supreme Court is expected to consider our CERT Petition in early December and issue its decision shortly thereafter.
As a long-standing member of SAG-AFTRA, thank you for standing up for journalism and a free press.
Full SAG-AFTRA Brief on Supreme Court Docket 👇
.@LeaderJohnThune poll results are in.
New reporting and analysis all in one place for @C__Herridge subscribers.
Thank for believing in independent journalism!
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Three Hours Left To Vote in My Poll @LeaderJohnThune
So far overwhelming majority want next week’s leadership vote postponed
New minority leader should be judged on their record next two months.
Via @BasedMikeLee "...perhaps Senate Republicans should assess leadership candidates based on how they lead the conference over the next few weeks while we still have the majority—especially while the full membership of the next conference is still being determined."
@SenRonJohnson and others support delaying the vote.
SENATE GOP LEADERSHIP ELECTION POLL
- Name one thing Senator John Thune has done to earn the minority leadership or disqualifies him.
QUESTION: Should the Senate GOP leadership elections be postponed?
78%Yes, postpone vote
22%No, vote next week
13,091 votes • Final resultsBREAKING: @StephenM Replaces @SusieWiles47
- Signals Major Shift
- Reinforces Signature and Controversial Policies: Immigration
- Iran War
NEW: US Attorney "Grand Conspiracy" case resigns.
Those who have worked with U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (@USAReding) call him talented, dedicated, and driven by the evidence and the law.
There has been a narrative that Quiñones and others were not moving fast enough on the so-called Grand Conspiracy case based in Florida, which alleges a years-long plot by intelligence and law-enforcement officials to undermine and deprive President Trump of his rights.
Based on my reporting, this narrative ignored the realities of an investigation that had to navigate statute-of-limitations issues and highly classified information.
I was told the investigation was never going to move quickly, and that focusing on a handful of indictments rather than dozens was most likely to succeed.
Privately, there was internal frustration and complaints of unproductive interference from Main Justice.
@AGToddBlanche said @x "We are grateful for Jason’s leadership in combatting violent crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and transnational crime, including the indictment of Raúl Castro.
Jason has served the Department multiple times over his distinguished career, and we thank him for his service to this country."
I submitted my resignation to the President as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, effective today.
From serving our Nation in uniform to serving at the Department of Justice and on the bench, public service has been the honor of my lifetime. But leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office in my home district has been especially meaningful.
I am grateful to President Trump for his trust and to the extraordinary men and women of the great Southern District of Florida for their dedication, friendship, and unwavering commitment to justice and the rule of law.
It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve alongside them and our law enforcement officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.
I leave with immense pride in what we accomplished together and profound gratitude for the opportunity to serve our great Nation.
God bless America. 🇺🇸
CONFIRMED; I have independently confirmed @AAGDhillon resigns as Assistant Attorney General.
In her first in-depth interview as AAG, Dhillon said she was taking on DEI, political violence, getting boys out of girls sports, government overreach, and more. 👇
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon
As Head of @TheJusticeDept Civil Rights Division, @AAGDhillon is taking on DEI, political violence, getting boys out of girls sports, government overreach, and more.
We sat down with her for an exclusive interview you’ll only see right here on Straight to the Point.
FULL INTERVIEW
0:50 Staffing Challenges in Civil Rights Division
2:00 200+ DOJ lawyers quit after learning President Trump’s priorities would now be their priorities
3:00 AAG Dhillon: “We've had a mass exodus of the career staff here in the Civil Rights Division. In fact, they have their own support groups.”
4:20 AAG Dhillon: “We are here to serve all Americans, not just some Americans or the Americans who are winning the diversity sweepstakes.”
4:40 AAG Dhillon Responds to Senator Schiff’s allegations that the Civil Rights Division has been cancelled.
5:30 “Massive Fail”: Tuesday elections, 75,000+ Independent voters in PA not included in poll books
7:00 Anti-semitism is a top priority for President Trump’s Civil Rights Division
7:30 Calls Zohran Mamdani’s rhetoric throughout the campaign ”extremely inflammatory and concerning to the Jewish community.”
8:15 AAG Dhillon: This DOJ “has zero tolerance” for anti-semitism
8:50 AAG Dhillon opens investigation into swastika at Jewish day school in Brooklyn
11:20 AAG Dhillon reaches out to Federal Election Staff (FEC) over former UK Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn phone-banking For Mamdani
12:45 DOJ seeks 2020 election records from Georgia
16:10 California’s Prop 50: Challenging redistricting
20:30 Federal Shutdown impact at DOJ and Civil Rights Division
21:30 AAG uses X as tool to spot and refer issues
24:00 Senate rules should be re-evaluated: lost civility under Obama Administration
24:30 Investigating Potential Hate Crimes: Iryna Zarutska’s murder on mass transit in Charlotte, NC and Charlie Kirk’s assassination
30:05 Big Tech censorship, cancelled Americans, and the need for legal consequences
31:30 Outdated: Communications Decency Act of 1996
32:30 AAG Dhillon: Confirms review of Arctic Frost Records for potential legal violations
34:40 Getting boys out of girls sports
37:30 College Settlements: AAG Dhillon reports progress on Harvard talks “ I think a number of points have moved quite far along” and UCLA “has been slowed down significantly”
39:30 AAG Dhillon responds to criticism alleging “lack of civility” and an “election denier”; confirms death threats
41:05 Press Freedom: Examining new Trump administration rules
42:50 Role of independent journalism “that's where the real news and the real journalism is coming out…”
43:50 END