BREAKING NEWS Trump's face says it all when reporter presses for details on Ghislaine Maxwell's secret meeting with his Justice Department
Trump shifted his eyes and looked away when CBS White House reporter Ed O'Keefe asked him about the matter during an Oval Office photo spray with Philippines President Bongbong Marcos.
He said he didn't know about the meeting but called it 'appropriate.'
'I don't know anything about it. They're going to what? Meet her?,' the president said.
In an unexpected twist on Tuesday in the ever-consuming Jeffrey Epstein case, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the department would meet with Maxwell in 'coming days.'
Trump said he wasn't concerned about the sit down.
'I didn't know they were going to do it. I don't follow that too much,' he said. 'It sounds appropriate to do.'
The president then pivoted to call the matter a 'witch hunt' - a favorite description he uses to describe what he considers an unfair prosecution.
And he went on to attack former President Barack Obama.
The president cited a report from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that claims 'overwhelming evidence' that Obama and his national security officials 'manufactured and politicized intelligence' to launch a 'years-long coup against President Trump' with its conclusion about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump.
'They tried to rig the election and they got caught,' Trump raged. 'There should be very severe consequences for that.'
He did not return to the subject of Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. She was convicted in 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking and conspiracy.
The Trump White House is trying to distance itself from the case and the outrage from the president's MAGA followers about how it was handled.
But, in a shocking twist, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday morning the impending meeting between Blanche, her deputy, and the 63-year-old Maxwell.
'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence,' Blanche said in a statement posted to X by Bondi. 'If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.'
Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus told CNN the team is in discussions to have Maxwell tell her side of the story.
'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully,' Markus said. 'We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.'
Just last week, the DOJ opposed Maxwell's request to have the Supreme Court review her case, with her lawyers claiming she should have never been charged because of a 2008 plea deal the courts struck with Epstein.
Trump tried desperately to get his base to abandon criticism of Bondi and the FBI after a memo earlier this month concluded the review found no foul play in Epstein's death.
MAGA supporters were particularly enraged that no new material was produced in the Epstein files review and that Trump's DOJ found no existence of a so-called 'client list' of high profile co-conspirators.
The president even started calling the whole ordeal the 'Epstein hoax' and claimed Democrats were to blame for stoking conspiracies in an effort to divide Republicans.
When that didn't work, Trump directed Bondi last week to request the Southern District of New York to unseal grand jury testimony in the Epstein court case.
And now, Blanche will meet with Maxwell to ask her: 'What do you know?'
'I've contacted her counsel,' Blanche said. 'I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits.'
Some Trump loyalists still aren't buying the latest attempt to recover from the failure that this month has caused a rift in MAGA world.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Report: Kohberger kept 'ID-type cards' from women in his past
Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger collected creepy mementoes from women in his past life before he moved across the country to Idaho and slaughtered four students in the dead of the night. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson told the Idaho Statesman that, at the time of his arrest, the 30-year-old criminology PhD student was in possession of 'ID-type cards' belonging to two women he knew years before the murders. It is also not clear how Kohberger obtained the IDs - or what he planned to do with them. But he said the discovery Kohberger had collected their IDs came as a surprise to both women. Neither of the women had been 'harmed or threatened,' he added. Kohberger attended Pleasant Valley School District schools growing up, graduating from the high school in 2013. He then worked part time as a security officer for the district from 2016 through 2021, while pursuing his studies in psychology and criminology. Kohberger's parents also worked for the district, Michael as a maintenance worker and MaryAnn a special needs paraprofessional. The IDs were found hidden inside a glove inside a box during a search executed at Kohberger's family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylania, following his December 30, 2022, arrest. The revelation shines further light on Kohberger's disturbing interactions with women and potential history of thefts in the years leading up to the murders. In the early hours of November 13, 2022 - just months after moving from Pennsylvania to Washington that summer - Kohberger broke into the off-campus student home at 1122 King Road in Moscow , Idaho, and stabbed the four victims to death. After spending more than two years fighting the charges, Kohberger finally confessed to his crimes and pleaded guilty in Ada County Courthouse on July 2 in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table. During an emotional sentencing hearing on July 23, Judge Steven Hippler handed Kohberger four life sentences with no possibility of parole for each count of first-degree murder and an additional 10 years for burglary. Under the terms of the deal, Kohberger has waived his right to ever appeal. Thompson spoke out following the sentencing and after a gag order that muzzled officials since the start of the case was finally lifted. As well as sharing new information about evidence in the case, Thompson revealed for the first time which of Kohberger's family members would have testified against him at trial. Prosecutors previously revealed plans to call some of Kohberger's immediate family members - his parents and two older sisters Amanda and Melissa - as witnesses for the state. Kohberger's defense had pushed back, claiming his family 'loves him and supports him' and had no desire to help the prosecution's case. Which family members and why remained a mystery, with the details kept under seal. Thompson told the Idaho Statesman the plan had been to call Kohberger's sister Amanda and either his mother or father if the case went to trial. He did not divulge the exact reasoning for this. But, as the trial date loomed, the state decided against calling any of the Kohberger family because they weren't the 'best witnesses' and they had not shared anything 'substantively incriminating' during police interviews. 'As we continued to review them as potential witnesses, we decided that they just simply weren't the best witness to show what was going on,' he said. 'The parents were understandably protective of their son, and the sister really didn't seem to have anything specific that she could contribute.' Kohberger's family have said very little publicly since his arrest for the murders that shocked the nation. MaryAnn is believed to have kept in close contact with her son throughout his time behind bars, according to records released by Moscow Police. Both parents Michael and MaryAnn attended their son's change of plea hearing, looking stricken and emotional as he confessed to the murders. MaryAnn and Amanda were then present at his sentencing, without Michael. The two women sobbed as the victims' families delivered gut-wrenching impact statements, confronting the man who slaughtered their loved ones and sharing their harrowing grief. Kohberger callously watched with no flicker of emotion or remorse. Kohberger's other sister Melissa, meanwhile, has not attended any of his court hearings since his extradition hearing from Pennsylvania in January 2023. Despite his guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims. Kohberger refused to shed any light on the murders or provide any answers at his sentencing. When it was his chance to speak, he said: 'I respectfully decline.' However, new information is starting to be made public since Moscow Police released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest. Among the revelations are reports from the victims' friends and surviving roommates that there had been a string of disturbing incidents at 1122 King Road in the lead-up to the murders. Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day. It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders . Kohberger is now being held in solitary confinement inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days.
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bill comes due: Student loan borrowers are set to see spike in prices as Trump provision begins
Millions of student loan borrowers enrolled in a payment plan the Trump administration has called 'illegal' will see their bills go up starting Friday as interest accrual resumes. The nearly eight million student loan borrowers who rely on the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan — a repayment plan rolled out under former President Joe Biden — will start seeing interest accrue on their loans as of August 1. The repayment plan was among the generous to date, and many borrowers' monthly payments dropped by as much as half, CNBC reports. When announcing the change, the department said it 'lacks the authority to put borrowers into a zero percent interest rate status,' according to a July statement. The Biden administration rolled out the plan in 2023, but it has since faced Republican-led challenges. A court blocked parts of the plan last year, placing SAVE borrowers on a no-interest forbearance plan in the meantime. Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared a video on X on Friday explaining that the 'Trump administration will not allow the American taxpayer to take on debts that are not their own.' 'If you are a borrower enrolled in the illegal SAVE plan, please visit to learn about affordable repayment options,' she said. Now, borrowers are reacting to the change. Shelly Cornwell, a 55-year-old from Illinois, told The Wall Street Journal she has been in 'limbo' for the past year after signing up for a SAVE plan. She wasn't making payments because her loans were in forbearance, so she signed up for a different plan to make progress toward forgiveness. Now, she's worried her payments will go up and hopes she doesn't have to take on another part-time job. Jessica Ochoa, a 31-year-old from California, told the Journal that her life became more affordable after going on a SAVE plan. 'I realized, 'Oh, wow, my loans are much more manageable and affordable. I can have a kid, I can buy a house,'' Ochoa told the outlet. 'So then I did those things.' On social media, users have also shared posts reacting to the decision. 'Completely forgot interest will start accruing on my student loans tomorrow,' one user wrote. — erica (@hotfvzz) July 31, 2025 Experts say borrowers are likely better off finding new plans, CNBC reports. One of the best options at the moment is the Income-Based Repayment Plan, which caps borrowers' monthly payments according to their income, the outlet reports. Borrowers could also opt for the Repayment Assistance Plan, which will launch next year. These options are among the few income-driven plans that will be available to borrowers after Trump's sweeping tax and spending legislation phased out many similar plans, CNBC reports.
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hells Bells! America's cattle farms are being protected by AC/DC
Amid a rise in wolf attacks, America's cattle farmers are taking an unorthodox approach to protecting their herds — with the help of some notorious rock legends. Since gray wolves were reintroduced to the U.S. in 1995 following near-elimination, their populations have rebounded across their historical range in the Intermountain West and along the Wet Coast. While the species' return has led to multiple beneficial ecological changes, it has also recently resulted in the deaths of dozens of cattle and other livestock across multiple states. Along with new strategies in collecting predator DNA to limit attacks, details of which the Department of Agriculture published this week, for the past three years, federal predator specialists have been 'hazing' the gray wolves, using drones with speakers attached to blast AC/DC hits, including 'Thunderstruck' and 'Blue on Black.' And that's not all — a clip of an intense argument between Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson's characters in the 2019 movie 'Marriage Story' also served to startle the wolves away from livestock. The operations are quick and methodical. The drones have heat-seeking cameras that can show operators where the wolves are at night. A loudspeaker attached to the drone then plays a clip of human sound, and the wolves disperse nearly instantaneously. After deploying the speaker-outfitted drones to the Klamath Basin area in southwestern Oregon, wolf attacks fell from around one every other night to less than one a month. 'We were able to effectively haze wolves away from cattle — and in one case — even stop an attack in progress,' said Dr. Dustin Ranglack , Predator Project Leader and Utah Field Station Leader for USDA's National Wildlife Research Center, told Jefferson Public Radio last December. 'Hopefully they're gonna be successful,' Jim Rickert, the 77-year-old owner of California's Prather Ranch, told The Wall Street Journal on Friday, 'but I'm kinda betting on the wolves, truth be known.' It was a vast improvement on previous strategies for preventing wolf attacks — which involved Ranglack and his colleagues at Wildlife Services — chasing the predators on foot, he explained to The Wildlife Society this past February. Hardly an easy task when a gray wolf can reach speeds of up to 37 mph. But while this strategy has had success, the attacks keep coming. So far this year, dozens of cattle have been killed in western states. California saw 27 calves killed in March and April alone, costing the state millions to reimburse agricultural losses and help to pay for fencing and other nonlethal deterrents, according to The Sacramento Bee. Earlier this week, Washington State wildlife officials killed an adult male wolf from a pack blamed for two cattle deaths in Ferry County, The Spokesman-Review said. In Colorado, state officials said they're working to kill at least one wolf in Pitkin County after determining wolves killed one calf near Aspen last month, according to CPR News. And the hunter appears likely to become the hunted once again. Earlier this year, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife, and ensure that the decision could not be challenged. The move comes following similar legislation from Republicans that leaves it up to the states to determine whether the wolves can be hunted. Although proponents have argued that the species has recovered over the last couple of decades, conservation groups say the gray wolves' future remains precarious even without stripping their protections. Melissa Smith, executive director of the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, said when federal protection was lifted in early 2021, Wisconsin state-licensed hunters killed 218 wolves in less than three days, surpassing a quota of 200, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. 'Certainly we've seen what wolf delisting does and did do in 2021 to wolves,' she said. 'I have serious doubts in the accountability, transparency and democracy of the agency, especially when what's going on federally, that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be able to to monitor the situation of a freshly delisted species.'
