Michael Kunzelman
Michael Kunzelman tracks the collision of law, politics and security through detailed coverage of federal court battles and high-stakes investigations tied to Donald Trump and the U.S. justice system. He reports for The Associated Press, with his stories widely carried by outlets that syndicate its coverage. His recent work centers on Trump-era legal fights over an “anti-weaponization” fund, White House access, Jan. 6 prosecutions, and the reach of federal power in immigration, terrorism and major financial crime. He writes straight news pieces built around court records, judges’ rulings and the people and institutions pulled into those cases.
Trump-era legal battles and the ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
Kunzelman has built a sustained line of reporting around a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund created to compensate Trump allies who claim politically motivated prosecutions.
He covers the officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 and are now suing to block payouts from the fund, treating their case as a test of how far the administration can go in rewarding its supporters. He follows the courtroom fight over whether the fund is truly dead, reporting on a federal judge in Virginia who keeps an injunction in place despite government assurances that the program has been terminated. His coverage tracks related backlash, including Capitol rioters clamoring for payouts and the broader political pressure that forced the administration to retreat.
He also reports on adjacent disputes over Trump’s influence on public institutions, such as the lawsuit that blocked the Kennedy Center board from putting Trump’s name on the building and closing it, and arguments over a White House ban on three prominent news outlets. The through-line is close attention to how Trump’s legal and political maneuvers test the limits of government authority and public accountability.
Jan. 6 prosecutions and political extremism
Kunzelman covers the long tail of the Jan. 6 attack as a criminal and political story, following prosecutors’ efforts years later to track down remaining participants.
He reports on Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders facing lengthy prison terms for their roles in what he describes as a coup attempt, detailing their communications, organizing, and the government’s seditious conspiracy cases against them. His work explains how different categories of defendants - far-right extremists, former police officers, military members and well-off donors - have moved through the justice system. He links those prosecutions back to current fights over the “anti-weaponization” fund, documenting how some rioters now seek compensation from the very government that charged them.
In these stories he stays close to charging documents, plea agreements and sentencing hearings, showing how judges weigh political violence, public safety and deterrence.
Courts, immigration and national security cases
Beyond Trump-specific battles, Kunzelman covers a broad docket of cases where immigration, national security and criminal law intersect. He reports on the Supreme Court’s decision to review a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings for detained immigrants, spelling out how different appeals courts have split over mandatory detention and what that means for people facing deportation. He follows appeals court proceedings over deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, focusing on judges’ questions about contempt powers and the government’s compliance with court orders.
His stories on an Afghan woman tried in a long-dormant court and then deported highlight obscure judicial structures and the Justice Department’s use of rarely invoked authorities.
He covers national security prosecutions, including an Islamic State group member sentenced to 20 years for aiding a bombing that killed U.S. service members and Afghans, and the upcoming trial of a former Libyan intelligence official in the Pan Am Flight 103 case. Kunzelman also reports on a New Jersey man who brought explosives to a Washington church hosting the Supreme Court’s Red Mass, and on a Singaporean group that stole nearly a quarter-billion dollars in bitcoin and went on a lavish spending spree. Across these stories, he explains jurisdiction fights, sentencing decisions and the balance between security and individual rights through clear descriptions of court rulings and investigative findings.
White House, media access and civil liberties
Kunzelman regularly covers cases that test the boundaries of executive power, media access and protest around the White House.
He reports on a federal judge questioning Trump’s ban on three major news outlets from White House grounds, capturing the court’s skepticism toward the administration’s defense of restricting press access. He covers a man charged in an attack near the White House Correspondents’ dinner, including surveillance footage of the suspect running through security and attempts to reach the president, and follows the case through pleas and court hearings.
His work includes a story about a former Justice Department employee found not guilty after throwing a sandwich at a federal agent during a law enforcement surge in Washington, framing the verdict as another rebuke of heavy-handed federal intervention. He reports on a judge allowing Trump to stage a UFC event on the White House South Lawn, using the case to show how courts weigh tradition, security and presidential spectacle during a national celebration. More recently, he has covered a divided appeals court that rejected Joe Biden’s bid to block release of audio and transcripts of his pre-election interviews with a memoir ghostwriter, emphasizing the public interest in disclosure and the limits of attempts to shield such records.
These stories reflect his interest in how courts referee conflicts between the executive branch, the press, protestors and the broader public.
Across his body of work, Kunzelman’s reporting is distinguished by its focus on the mechanics of federal power - how administrations use law enforcement, courts and special funds - and by his close tracking of the legal processes that constrain or enable those choices. He returns to cases over months or years, following them from initial filings through appeals and final rulings, and uses each development to map the evolving relationship between politics, security and civil liberties.
4 more politics journalists.
A.D. Quig
A.D. Quig follows money and power through Chicago and Cook County government, showing how political decisions, taxes and public spending affect residents and businesses. At the Chicago Tribune, she covers city and county politics, municipal finance, tax policy, budgets and the structures shaping mayoral and council authority. She joined the Tribune in 2022 after covering politics for Crain’s Chicago Business and The Daily Line. Her work examines council power, ethics rules, police leadership, tax incentives, public agencies and pandemic aid. She has reported on data center tax breaks, property tax errors, federal relief spending and the fiscal effects of major development proposals. Quig combines insider government reporting with public accountability journalism. She uses public records, data and budget documents, follows committees and staff negotiations, and explains complex decisions in plain language with precise numbers and a direct link to everyday consequences.
Adam Daly
Adam Daly covers politics for amNewYork with a focus on the inner workings of city and state government and the low-profile forums where power is exercised and negotiated. He reports on commissions and panels that shape how New York is governed, treating charter reform and government efficiency as central political terrain. His coverage of moves to replace an Adams-era charter commission with a new government efficiency panel foregrounds mandate, authority, and what “efficiency” means in practice for agencies and services. He tracks who gains and loses influence when one commission supplants another and which constituencies are being answered to. Daly explains dense procedural questions in clear, reader-facing terms, using specific institutional details and occasional wordplay to connect jargon-heavy reforms to public spending, service delivery, and mayoral power.
Adam Pack
Adam Pack covers Capitol Hill through power struggles, investigations and ideological fights, focusing on how Congress intersects with Donald Trump’s agenda. He is a politics writer on Fox News Digital’s Capitol Hill team, covering Congress, federal elections, legislative battles, election rules, war powers, primaries and intraparty fights. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller News Foundation. His reporting examines deadlines, vote counts, bill language, campaign spending, court rulings, oversight reports, culture clashes and emerging issues such as AI-backed political groups. He has covered FISA reauthorization, defense spending, the SAVE America Act, housing policy, redistricting, candidate absences, primary spending and disputes over sex, gender, religion and race-based caucuses. He reports primarily through news features and investigative-style pieces built around documents, committee reports, court records, unearthed video and specific legislative details. He often co-writes complex Capitol Hill stories and publishes “FIRST ON FOX” exclusives.
Adam Sullivan
Adam Sullivan is a veteran politics reporter for WCAX who connects elections and party disputes to everyday life. He covers statewide races, party primaries, federal representation, political rhetoric, extremism, and accountability across the Upper Valley and neighboring states. His reporting includes Becca Balint’s victory over Molly Gray in the Democratic U.S. House primary to replace Congressman Peter Welch. He also reports when political controversies affect public safety, political culture, towns, and institutions, including a New Hampshire Libertarian Party post endorsing violence against elected Democrats. Sullivan follows cultural stories with civic consequences, such as Noah Kahan’s appeal to fans to stop stealing a Strafford road sign linked to his music. He writes straight news centered on concrete events, official reactions, political context, community impact, and what comes next.