Trump ally warns of media prosecution in second term

Former Defense Department official Kash Patel, a key political ally of former President Donald Trump, has vowed to target "conspirators" among journalists and government officials if Trump were to be reelected. Patel, who has been touted as a possible acting attorney general under Trump, made the comments during an appearance on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast. He stated that they would come after their political opponents, whether criminally or civilly, and that they were dead serious about it. Trump has been escalating his anti-government and anti-media rhetoric on the campaign trail, calling for a government crackdown on MSNBC and drawing concern from journalists and media critics who see his message as a threat to press freedom.