6 more ways McGuire and Trump are flouting the law

Including McGuire's failure to file financial disclosure forms for the past two cycles.

As a follow-up to last week’s post, “4 ways Trump and McGuire are flouting the law,” I emailed Rep. McGuire’s office with more questions about the administration’s abuses of power. They’re not directly connected to the 5th district, but McGuire does serve on the House Oversight Committee, which means he’s in a good position to hold the administration accountable if he wants to.

I’m not so naive as to think he actually wants to—he’s shown zero interest so far—but that’s no reason not to press him on these points.

One doozy

As I was finishing this post, I got a note from Jay Hunter at the Hunter Index about a piece he’s just published: “Exclusive: Virginia Congressman McGuire Likely Violated the Law.” As Hunter writes: “John J. McGuire III never filed financial disclosure forms in 2022 or 2024 as required by law. Disgraced former Rep. George Santos was the most recent member to not file a report.”

I know next to nothing about financial disclosure reports, but it sure looks to me like Hunter did his homework. McGuire’s press secretary, Elizabeth-Burton Jones, declined to comment for the story beyond telling Hunter to contact the congressman’s campaign. And the campaign hasn’t responded to his questions.

Jones also hasn’t replied to my questions about whether McGuire benefited from buying the dip—loading up on stocks when prices bottomed out earlier this month, just before Trump boosted the market by announcing a pause on his trade taxes. I’ve been assuming we’d get the answer when McGuire files his disclosure forms, but maybe that’s expecting too much.

Five more examples

Here are the questions on five other issues that I sent McGuire’s office. They haven’t replied.

1. Three unidentified men, one of them masked in a balaclava, detained two people at the Albemarle County Courthouse yesterday. They claimed to be Homeland Security agents, but none of them showed badges and they refused to produce a warrant.

• Does the congressman have any comment on this incident?

• Does he think federal agents should have to wear uniforms when making a detention or show an ID? Should they have a warrant or other proof that they are who they say they are?

[Update: The Albemarle County sheriff has released a statement saying the three men did show IDs and paperwork to the bailiff before making their arrests. That doesn't explain, though, why they were in plain clothes and one wore a mask, or why they refused to engage with others on the scene who asked for ID and a warrant.]

2. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom the Trump administration mistakenly trafficked to a prison in El Salvador.

• The Supreme Court ordered the administration to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia. Does Rep. McGuire believe the administration is trying to comply with the order in good faith? If so, what actions or evidence can he point to to support that conclusion?

• Has he taken, or will he take, any action to hold the administration accountable for complying with the Supreme Court’s order?

• Does he believe Abrego Garcia has the right to a hearing to determine whether he should be deported? If not, why not?

3. Imprisoning U.S. citizens abroad.

• What is Rep. McGuire’s response to President Trump’s comment that he’s looking for ways to put U.S. citizens in prisons in El Salvador? Does he believe that’s legal?

• If the president moves ahead with such a plan, will the congressman take or support any action to stop it? Are there guardrails he would want to see put in place?

4. Denying citizens the right to counsel of their choosing.

• What does Rep. McGuire think of the president’s executive orders designed to pressure law firms into providing pro bono support for activities he approves of?

• Does he believe the government should have the power to coerce private firms into actions like this?

• Does he believe everyone has a right to legal representation of their choosing? If so, what does he say to critics who argue that the president’s actions undermine that principle by punishing law firms for representing clients he disapproves of?

5. Ordering the FCC to investigate CBS News.

• What is Rep. McGuire’s opinion of the president’s ordering the Federal Communications Commission to investigate CBS News for running stories that he thinks criticized him? Does he believe that’s an appropriate use of executive power?

• What would his response have been if Barack Obama or Joe Biden had ordered the FCC to look into revoking Fox News’s broadcast license? Would he think that was a permissible use of executive power?