Ken Dilanian

While disinformation is often associated with Russia, Iran or China, Americans themselves are spreading conspiracy theories designed to polarize public opinion.

Ken Dilanian · 4 min read American political activists on the left and the right are using networks of social media followers

Ken Dilanian · 3 min read In a sign of how distrust of the federal government has permeated Republican politics in the Trump

The step complied with longstanding Justice Department policy that a sitting President cannot be prosecuted, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Mark Paoletta, an Attorney General candidate, backed Trump's power to order DOJ prosecutions. Mike Davis called for criminal investigations of Special Counsel Jack Smith and N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James.

One person under consideration for the job is Trump adviser Kash Patel, who is also being considered to lead the CIA, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The president-elect selected Gaetz, who has repeatedly spread falsehoods about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and was previously investigated by the Justice Department, to run DOJ.

The agency said that reports have grown since last week when Black people were targeted with messages from anonymous phone numbers.

Legal experts say that Trump's choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, signals the president-elect's determination to tightly control the DOJ and prosecute adversaries.

Officials in the Justice Department, which oversees the DEA, ordered that the searches be suspended pending an internal evaluation.