This to me is one of those classic TPM stories. In fact, the man at the center of the story, James Russell Bolton Jr., is an embodiment of the Trump Era. Bolton runs a militia. But on the side he was posing as a Mexican drug cartel allegedly kidnapping his wife in order to extort money from the dorks who had joined his militia.
LATEST
Morning Memo
REVEALED: The Scope of ICE’s Surveillance of Its Online Critics
08.04.26 | 10:55 am
Cafe
The Push to Elect Kansas Supreme Court Justices Is a Cynical Anti-Abortion Power Grab
08.04.26 | 10:27 am
The Brief
Tuesday’s Big Contest in Michigan, and a Lower-Profile One in Kansas
08.04.26 | 8:14 am
Where Things Stand
After Some Early Trump Retribution Wins, Pirro Has Fallen Out of His Good Graces
08.03.26 | 5:36 pm