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Ben Kochman

@benkochman

Senior courts reporter for the New York Post. Ping me on Signal from a non-work device: courttalk.99 https://nypost.com/author/ben-kochman/

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Latest posts by Ben Kochman @benkochman

The print lede of the NY Post’s story about Mamdani and Trump posing with a mock-up cover of the NY Daily News:

Mayor Mamdani snuck off to Washington, DC, Thursday to pitch President Trump on a housing project - and brought along a photoshopped version of a failing and irrelevant New York City newspaper in an attempt to flatter him.

The print lede of the NY Post’s story about Mamdani and Trump posing with a mock-up cover of the NY Daily News: Mayor Mamdani snuck off to Washington, DC, Thursday to pitch President Trump on a housing project - and brought along a photoshopped version of a failing and irrelevant New York City newspaper in an attempt to flatter him.

Cry more, New York Post.

27.02.2026 20:04 👍 14 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1
As Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family, we commend the British authorities for taking meaningful action and treating the Epstein files with the urgency they demand.

While these arrests aren’t for the underlying exploitation, they are a crucial step toward truth and accountability.

The contrast with the continued inaction in the United States is undeniable. Survivors deserve transparency, swift investigation, and real justice, no matter who is implicated.

Sky and Amanda Roberts

As Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family, we commend the British authorities for taking meaningful action and treating the Epstein files with the urgency they demand. While these arrests aren’t for the underlying exploitation, they are a crucial step toward truth and accountability. The contrast with the continued inaction in the United States is undeniable. Survivors deserve transparency, swift investigation, and real justice, no matter who is implicated. Sky and Amanda Roberts

Virginia Giuffre's family on the arrest of ex-U.K. Ambassador Peter Mandelson:

"The contrast with the continued inaction in the United States is undeniable. Survivors deserve transparency, swift investigation, and real justice, no matter who is implicated."

Full statement

23.02.2026 21:43 👍 5620 🔁 1594 💬 51 📌 30
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Opinion | Some Democrats Panicked Over Mamdani. Obama Called Him.

In a lengthy call in June, Obama congratulated Mamdani, offered him advice about governing and discussed the importance of giving people hope in a dark time.

Others in Obama’s orbit have also shown a keen interest in Mamdani, too.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/o...

13.08.2025 18:44 👍 1930 🔁 319 💬 105 📌 253
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Cuomo’s Attack on Mamdani’s Apartment Struck a New York Nerve

No evidence at all in this story to support its headline
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/n...

14.08.2025 10:18 👍 592 🔁 98 💬 74 📌 11
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Feds claim jailed migrants at NYC ICE facility could use toothbrushes as ‘weapons’ The Justice Department is bristling at the idea of providing toothbrushes to jailed migrants at a Manhattan ICE lockup — claiming the detainees could use the teeth-cleaning tools as dangerous &#822…

NEW: Detainees at a Manhattan ICE jail could turn toothbrushes into “improvised” weapons, US Attorney Jay Clayton warns.

He did not give an example of a migrant using a toothbrush as a weapon.

Lawyers say they’ll be used to clean teeth.

nypost.com/2025/08/14/u...

15.08.2025 00:04 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Luigi Mangione should face death penalty for ‘cold-blooded assassination’ of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Pam Bondi orders Law enforcement sources have told The Post that the feds had been lobbied by the insurance industry before bringing their case against Mangione.

Despite Pam Bondi’s announcement that the feds would seek to kill Luigi Mangione, there was no movement on the docket today.

But more than $20k in donations rolled in to his legal defense fund.

“Keep your head high my little bambino!!!!” one donor wrote.

nypost.com/2025/04/01/u...

02.04.2025 00:47 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Mahmoud Khalil to remain in Louisiana ICE facility as judge refuses to free him at court hearing attended by wife Detained Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil will stay locked up in a Louisiana ICE facility for now — as a New Jersey judge refused to consider freeing him on bail during a…

Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil has been locked up, away from his pregnant wife, for more than two weeks.

Did a judge listen to arguments today on whether to release him on bail?

He did not.

nypost.com/2025/03/28/u...

28.03.2025 21:37 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Letters from Mahmoud Khalil’s Jewish peers are pouring onto the court docket:

“I can state with full confidence that Mahmoud has never expressed support for Hamas.”

“Mahmoud has protected Jewish students at Columbia like myself more than the university ever has.”

15.03.2025 05:45 👍 76 🔁 24 💬 1 📌 0
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‘It’s night and day’: Why some NYC commuters say they’re coming around to congestion pricing New York Governor Kathy Hochul went to the White House on Friday in defense of the tolling pilot program, which is gaining popularity in New York City.

NEW: Congestion pricing has turned some of its staunchest critics into supporters.

“I’ve definitely changed my mind,” one commuter told me, whose daily bus trip has gone from more than an hour down to 25 minutes.

14.03.2025 21:29 👍 260 🔁 64 💬 1 📌 4
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Diddy defense PR messaging screenprinted on hoodie: "The media and social media has this case all wrong...There are no celeb sex tapes. No minors. No celeb freak off tapes in this criminal case."

14.03.2025 22:22 👍 0 🔁 5 💬 4 📌 2
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PUFFED DADDY nypost.com/2025/03/14/u...

14.03.2025 23:15 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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The scene outside of the Manhattan criminal courthouse on Friday for Luigi Mangione's first NYC court appearance since his December 2024 arraignment.

22.02.2025 00:36 👍 81 🔁 17 💬 1 📌 0
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NEW: Mayor Eric Adams and Trump's Justice Department have insisted that Adams' corruption case is over and done with.

It's not.

Judge Dale Ho has appointed an independent lawyer to weigh in before he rules on the government's unprecedented request:

nypost.com/2025/02/21/u...

21.02.2025 18:46 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

!

19.02.2025 16:43 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I second this motion!!

17.02.2025 21:35 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1
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Exclusive | Son of British banking bigwig gets forgiving Manhattan plea deal on charges of beating comedian girlfriend: ‘Slap on the wrist’ The son of a British banking bigwig was allowed to take a forgiving plea deal after he was charged with beating and strangling his up-and-coming comedian girlfriend in Manhattan, The Post has learn…

NEW: The son of a British banker was arrested for violently assaulting Sienna Hubert-Ross, a comic known for Kamala Harris impressions.

Months later, charges were quietly dropped.

“This is a travesty of justice,” Sienna told me.

We take a closer look:

nypost.com/2025/02/16/u...

16.02.2025 20:51 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Ha

12.02.2025 17:53 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

important story about a monstrous character

12.02.2025 15:48 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Exclusive | Feds drop criminal probe into whether WWE boss Vince McMahon covered up sexual misconduct allegations, his lawyer says A grand jury had considered whether the 78-year-old billionaire broke the law by hiding allegations of sexual misconduct from two former two female employees, whom he ended up paying $10.5 million …

NEW: Manhattan federal prosecutors have ditched a criminal probe into WWE boss Vince McMahon — months after a judge quietly found that there was “probable cause” that he covered up payoffs to women at his company, his atty says.

We take a closer look:

nypost.com/2025/02/12/u...

12.02.2025 14:45 👍 74 🔁 29 💬 17 📌 11
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DOJ disbands foreign influence task force, limits scope of FARA prosecutions Both the task force and FARA were used by the bureau to investigate, charge and disrupt foreign and domestic actors accused of working to influence American policy on behalf of other nations.

The Justice Department says it’s shutting down an FBI task force targeting foreign influence because it has more “pressing priorities”.

Russia, Russia, Russia

cyberscoop.com/doj-disbands...

07.02.2025 04:21 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
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US judge accuses Trump of ignoring rule of law to curb birthright citizenship A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday accused Donald Trump of ignoring the rule of law for political and personal gain as he declared an executive order that the Republican president signed seeking to curtail birthright citizenship to be unconstitutional.

"It has become ever more apparent that to our president the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals," Reagan-appointed Judge Coughenour said as he blocked Trump's birthright citixenship order. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

06.02.2025 21:34 👍 30 🔁 11 💬 0 📌 0
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Jan. 6 defendant pardoned by Trump arrested again on 2016 solicitation of a minor charge: ‘Suspected child predator’ Andrew Taake, 36, was captured by Texas authorities over allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover cop who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl.

Andrew Taake pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump pardoned him.

Now he’s been rearrested on charges of sending sexually explicit texts to a minor.

nypost.com/2025/02/06/u...

07.02.2025 04:15 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Doing so would be inconsistent with what she writes here about defending the work of her line prosecutors.

Stay tuned

03.02.2025 22:31 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Opinion | Biden’s Commutations Hurt Crime Victims Despite his claims, the former president ordered many violent offenders released.

Interim SDNY boss Danielle Sassoon blasts Biden for making pardons on his way out of office “without consulting the career prosecutors who handled the cases.”

Sassoon is overseeing the case of Eric Adams — whose camp is angling for a Trump pardon

www.wsj.com/opinion/bide...

03.02.2025 13:24 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Thanks Renee

31.01.2025 01:21 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Trump to claim ‘misuse of criminal law’ as he appeals ‘hush money’ conviction: lawyer “The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” attorney Robert Giu…

Trump has lawyered up to fight his felony conviction in his Manhattan hush money case — remember that one?

His new attorneys for his appeal are from a very prominent law firm but you won’t see me calling any lawyers “elite” 😉

nypost.com/2025/01/30/u...

31.01.2025 00:50 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

He’s due to report on June 6 — 10 weeks after his wife’s trial is set to start — and the feds’ reply to the bail pending appeal request is due Feb 19.

No word on that yet.

30.01.2025 03:38 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1
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In court, Bob Menendez said he was a “chastened” man.

Outside, he called the case a political “witch hunt” — even though he’s Democrat and the case was brought by a Democrat.

I asked him about this.

He slunk away without answering.

30.01.2025 03:35 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Cc @damian-williams.bsky.social

30.01.2025 01:25 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Disgraced ex-NJ Sen. Bob Menendez cries as he begs for leniency — but gets 11 years in prison for gold bar bribery scheme “Your honor, you have before you a chastened man,” Menendez, 71, said before choking up.

When asked repeatedly why he was claiming the case was “political” given that it was brought against him by another Democrat, former Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams, Menendez slunk away and walked to a waiting car without answering.

nypost.com/2025/01/29/u...

30.01.2025 01:24 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0