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Jeff Mordock

jmordock@washingtontimes.com

Jeff Mordock is the White House reporter for The Washington Times. A native of Newtown, Pennsylvania, he previously worked for Gannett and has won awards from both the Delaware Press Association and the Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association. He is a graduate of George Washington University and can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Jeff Mordock

Special Counsel John Durham testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Durham recently completed his report on the FBI's investigation of Trump's 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Durham says FBI agents became emotional, apologized over bureau’s handling of Trump probe

Special counsel John Durham told lawmakers Wednesday that FBI agents who worked on the Trump-Russia collusion probe became emotional and apologized when confronted with intelligence that the investigation may have been part of a plan by Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign to distract from her use of a private email server.

June 21, 2023

Special Counsel John Durham leaves a closed hearing of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Special counsel John Durham says FBI agents ‘apologized’ for Trump-Russia probe

Special counsel John Durham told House lawmakers on Wednesday that some FBI agents were so upset about how the Trump-Russia collusion probe was handled that they apologized to him.

June 21, 2023

Special Counsel John Durham leaves a closed hearing of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

John Durham says AG Merrick Garland never prohibited him from bringing indictments

Special counsel John Durham testified Wednesday before Congress that the Biden Justice Department never blocked him from bringing high-profile prosecutions during his four-year investigation.

June 21, 2023

Special Counsel John Durham leaves a closed hearing of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Special counsel John Durham says he investigated Trump tip, but it was ‘nothing’

Special counsel John Durham said Wednesday that his team looked into a tip from Italian officials detailing suspicious financial dealings related to former President Donald Trump but did not uncover wrongdoing.

June 21, 2023

Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, speaks to guests during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 18, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Scandal-prone Hunter Biden keeps dodging serious consequences

Hunter Biden's plea deal with federal prosecutors is the latest in a long line of embarrassing escapades, eyebrow-raising foreign deals and legal headaches that have resulted in few consequences for the first son.

June 20, 2023

President Joe Biden waves as he walks to board Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Monday, June 19, 2023, as he heads to California. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Bribery allegations hurt Biden with independent voters, but his base looks the other way

President Biden's supporters are willing to give him a pass on allegations he accepted a $5 million bribe from a Ukraine businessman, but less forgiving are independent voters who will be crucial in the general election next year.

June 20, 2023

President Joe Biden speaks at a political rally at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden tells union members that Republicans are coming for their jobs

President Biden kicked off his reelection campaign Saturday with a rally in Philadelphia where he appeared alongside union members and argued that his economic agenda deserves another four years.

June 17, 2023

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wears his "Make America Great Again" hat at a rally in Sacramento, Calif., on June 1, 2016. (Associated Press) **FILE**

White House continues to use ‘MAGA’ even after being told it violates Hatch Act

The White House isn't backing down from using the phrase "MAGA" to tie congressional Republicans to former President Trump, even after a government watchdog agency told officials its use violates the Hatch Act.

June 15, 2023

Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson holds up the championship trophy as she celebrates with teammates after their win in the WNBA basketball finals against the Connecticut Sun, Sept. 18, 2022, in Uncasville, Conn. The Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup championship is the latest big step for a city that didn't have major professional sports less than a decade ago. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

WNBA champ slams Biden for lack of White House invite

A 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces player blasted President Biden for not extending a White House invitation to her team after the commander-in-chief congratulated the Las Vegas Golden Knights for winning the Stanley Cup on Tuesday.

June 15, 2023

Former President Donald Trump gestures before boarding his personal plane at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department's efforts to get the records back. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Multiple defenses open to Trump in classified documents case

Former President Donald Trump has multiple defenses available to try to beat federal criminal charges of mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice, legal scholars say.

June 14, 2023

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden could pardon Trump in classified document case, but would pay a ‘political price’

President Biden could bridge the bitter divide in the country over the federal prosecution of former President Trump by pardoning his predecessor, but the move would also risk political martyrdom for Mr. Biden.

June 13, 2023

Gregg Donovan of Calif., rallies outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Former President Donald Trump is making a federal court appearance today on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department's efforts to get the records back. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Prosecutors’ zeal shapes federal case against Trump, seen as ‘weaponizing the Justice Department’

The Justice Department's aggressive pursuit of former President Donald Trump stunned legal scholars who say it makes his case starkly different from other politicians who've been investigated but not prosecuted for mishandled government secrets.

June 12, 2023

President Joe Biden leaves Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown section of Washington, after attending Mass, Saturday, June 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden undergoes root canal and a follow-up procedure

President Biden had a root canal on Sunday and completed a follow-up root canal procedure Monday because of continued tooth pain, the White House announced.

June 12, 2023

American flags and a pride flag hang from the White House during a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden takes heat for violating U.S. Flag Code with Pride flag display

The Biden administration is taking heat for its Pride Month display over the weekend, with critics complaining that the White House violated the U.S. Flag Code in its display of the rainbow-colored Pride flag.

June 12, 2023

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican convention, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Prosecutors aim to keep Trump off trail; cases threaten to put him in court, prison during campaign

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers will have to defeat more than three dozen charges to assure Mr. Trump stays out of prison in a historic federal case that threatens to hobble his bid for a second White House term.

June 10, 2023

Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters Friday, June 9, 2023, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed on Friday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Jack Smith says he will seek speedy trial in Trump classified documents case

Special counsel Jack Smith, in a rare public statement Friday, said his office will seek a speedy trial in its criminal case against former President Trump.

June 9, 2023

President Joe Biden walks back to the Oval Office past Attorney General Merrick Garland after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Friday, May 13, 2022, during an event to highlight state and local leaders who are investing in the American Rescue Plan funding. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) **FILE**

Biden says he hasn’t spoken to AG Garland since Trump’s indictment

President Biden said Friday that he hasn't been in communication with Attorney General Merrick Garland since the Justice Department indicted former President Trump.

June 9, 2023

President Joe Biden listens during a news conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden’s fight to restore ‘America’s soul’ clashes with tradition, Christian beliefs

President Biden has framed his presidency and reelection run as a battle for "the soul of America," which his campaign defines as a fight for causes such as abortion and transgender rights.

June 9, 2023

An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is seen, Aug. 10, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Trump aide Walt Nauta indicted alongside former president in documents probe

Former President Donald Trump said one of his aides, Walt Nauta, also had been indicted by the grand jury that looked into classified documents stored at the ex-president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

June 9, 2023

President Joe Biden smiles during a news conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden to host first campaign rally in Philadelphia

President Biden next week will hold his first political rally since announcing his 2024 reelection campaign nearly two months ago, his campaign announced Friday.

June 9, 2023