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CNN
33 minutes ago
- CNN
Analysis: Trump flails as Epstein storm rages around his government
Donald Trump very rarely loses control of his own story. But the Jeffrey Epstein saga is beyond his powers to quell. It's a new twist for the president, being at odds with the loudest and most conspiratorial faction of his MAGA movement. For once, he's becoming the victim of an out-of-control conspiracy, not the initiator of one. He looks like the insider covering up, not the ultimate outsider and deep-state destroyer. Some of MAGA's most visible personalities are speaking up. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned Monday of 'significant' reverberations in the movement over what some Trump supporters see as a cover-up. 'It's just a red line that it crosses for many people,' she told CNN's Manu Raju. Tensions boiling between Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Patel's deputy, Dan Bongino, are rekindling memories of the chaos and dysfunction that scarred Trump's first term but have been less obvious in his more prolific second presidency. If anyone ought to know that the government can't issue statements of reassurance and make conspiracy theories disappear, it's Trump. He spun some of the most notorious fake intrigues in the history of American politics, from the racist fantasy about President Barack Obama's birthplace to the democracy-corroding tale that he won the 2020 election — which helped vault him back to power in 2024. But Trump's mastery of the conspiratorial didn't help attempts to squelch the Epstein drama. The Justice Department last week issued a memo insisting that there was no evidence the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender kept a client list or that he was murdered in prison. But as the president could have told Bondi, telling people there is no there there only lights the fire of conspiracy. That left the president in a worse spot Monday, as CNN reported he was increasingly frustrated about a controversy that has now gone on for almost a week and is overshadowing what the White House sees as a growing list of wins at home and abroad. One big question is whether Trump risks damage in his own political coalition if he can't quiet the furor over the Justice Department's Epstein memo. Trump has for a decade been the most dynamic right-wing figure in the country. He's built a brand by tearing things down and crushing Washington rules. But if even he can't end a MAGA media revolt, perhaps he's entering a rocky period with a force that has long sustained him. Still, it would be unwise to underestimate his power. Trump transformed the GOP in his populist, nationalist image. Lawmakers who challenge him are often excommunicated. At Trump campaign rallies, the trust and devotion he inspired among his followers was palpable. MAGA media influencers who criticize him seem to understand that their status in the movement relies on the reflected glory of its megastar: Before Trump's recent strikes on Iran, many of them warned that he risked splitting his base by launching foreign wars — but most fell back into line when the bombs started falling. 'Donald Trump has a very significant hold on the Republican Party, and I think anybody that thinks that this is the end of Donald Trump's hold on the GOP is wrong,' Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican strategist and CNN contributor, told Kasie Hunt on 'The Arena' on Monday. Still, Anderson added that this flap could be more problematic for Trump than the ideological battles that he's forced on the GOP because it involves the issue of trust with his supporters and his outsider status. But in next year's midterm elections, when Trump won't be on the ballot, any falloff in enthusiasm among grassroots Republicans could have an impact. Steve Bannon, a Trump first-term political adviser who now presents the 'War Room' podcast, argued at the Turning Point USA conference on Friday that it wouldn't take much erosion in the MAGA base to have a dramatic effect. He said that if 10% of the movement was disaffected, the party could lose 40 House seats. That would mean a Democratic majority. It's worth watching to see whether Trump senses he's under pressure. If so, a president who is an expert at distraction may seek to stage-manage new controversies. Trump has often returned to the issue embedded in the DNA of the MAGA movement — hardline positions on immigration — to bring the gang back together. So it was not surprising to see border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem talking tough on Sunday news shows. But those MAGA administration favorites still couldn't disguise the rumblings over Epstein, which intensified all weekend. Those rumblings were initiated in the first place by Bondi hinting earlier this year on Fox News that there could be a big reveal in the case. Trump has made strong show of support for his AG in recent days, including appearing with her at the FIFA Club World Cup Final on Sunday. She is also valuable to him and has transformed her department into a de facto personal legal firm for the president. Still, if she can't quell the noise from the political base, there will be more whispers in Trump's ear about her performance. The president has soured on his Cabinet picks in such circumstances in the past. Trump wrote on social media over the weekend that Bondi was 'great' and should be allowed to do her job. But loyalty usually only works one way in the Trump administration. And one way of getting on the right side of the story would be for the president to distance himself from Bondi. CNN's White House team reported, meanwhile, that while the president doesn't want to lose Bongino over this issue because it would make his Cabinet look split, some expect the deputy FBI director will not remain in his job long term. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Raju on Monday that he still had faith in Bondi and that he trusted the president to do the right thing about the Epstein issue. The fact that the Louisiana Republican is prepared to entertain such questions shows the attorney general is under pressure. True to form, Trump sought to extricate himself from the mess by starting new conspiracy theories blaming Democrats for failing to release the files years ago. This has often worked in the past to bind his coalition together. But it's not working this time. The president merely opened the way for Democrats to heap scrutiny on his decisions. 'The American people deserve to know the truth, the whole trust and nothing but the truth as it relates to this whole sordid Jeffrey Epstein matter,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday as he tried to widen MAGA splits. 'This was a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump, Pam Bondi and these MAGA extremists have been fanning the flames of for the last several years, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.' Top conservative influencers at the Turning Point conference and on Monday podcasts continued to demand answers about Epstein, where he got his money, who he was linked to and who was covering for him. All this shows that the Epstein controversy is unlikely to go away quickly. One reason why is that it's become central to an argument that Trump and his aides promoted for years that the United States is under the control of a 'deep state' of intelligence agencies, billionaire financiers and shady political forces that are orchestrating events behind the scenes. Trump tapped into this false mythology to build his own power — portraying himself as a victim of CIA and FBI plots and weaponized justice because he was the avatar of the hopes of MAGA followers across the country. Now it looks like he's siding with such supposedly rotten institutions, not bringing them down. But this is not just about the president and his movement. Given his position, and the chaos gripping the Justice Department, there are implications for the country. The controversy is offering a damning insight into modern politics and the contribution of a fractured media environment to the shattering of the concept of truth. The refusal of MAGA media personalities to accept that the facts do not support a cover-up around Epstein's alleged client list and his death in prison reflects an extreme version of a powerful trend — the desire of increasing numbers of citizens to choose curated truths that support what they want to believe. Trump has done more than any other politician to promote this. The corrosive nature of Trump's conspiracy-consumed government also threatens to damage the Justice Department and FBI. Vitriol ricocheting through the management suite risks detracting from the core missions of the DOJ and the bureau — which include the fair administration of justice and the protection of Americans against violent crime and terrorism. It also shows that when the purpose of such agencies is tainted by politics — as it has been under Trump — the ramifications can sometimes spin out of control. And no one in MAGA media is talking about one key issue. Many of those who voted for Trump in his more-diverse-than-usual Republican coalition last year weren't hardcore MAGA conspiracists. They were Americans frustrated with the cost-of-living crisis: the price of groceries, rent, child care and education. How is this political saga over a wild conspiracy about a dead and accused sex offender going over with them? It seems unlikely it will be top of mind when they show up at the polls next November to decide the fate of Republican congressional majorities.
Hamilton Spectator
34 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mike Waltz to face grilling over Signal chat at Senate hearing for UN role
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will face questioning from lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. The former Republican congressman is set to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee . The hearing will provide senators with the first opportunity to grill Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high-level national security officials. Hegseth shared the same information in another Signal chat that included family , but Trump has made clear Hegseth has his support. Waltz was removed as national security adviser in May — replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and nominated for the U.N. role. Trump praised Waltz in the announcement, saying, 'From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first.' The United Nations is facing major changes If confirmed, Waltz would be coming to the U.N. at a moment of great change. The world body is reeling from Trump's decision to slash foreign assistance — affecting its humanitarian aid agencies — and it anticipates U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget. Under an 'America First' foreign policy realignment, the White House has asserted that 'some of the U.N.'s agencies and bodies have drifted' from their founding mission and 'act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism.' With America being the largest United Nations donor, cutting U.S. funding to the U.N. budget would greatly impair operations. Facing financial instability, the U.N. has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The U.N. is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars. John Bolton , a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who was also national security adviser during Trump's first term, was critical of the current state of the U.N. 'It's probably in the worst shape it's been in since it was founded,' Bolton, now an outspoken Trump critic, recently told The Associated Press. Waltz has been meeting with senators Waltz spent the last several weeks meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs committee. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Monday that she and Waltz discussed a wide range of issues, including whether the Trump administration would use the U.N. to strengthen alliances and combat Chinese influence. 'I asked him questions about 'Signalgate,' but I also talked to him about how we are going to sway other nations within the United Nations to our side, in light of how much influence the PRC is having on other nations,' the Illinois senator said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China. Even with Democratic opposition, Waltz only needs a majority in the 53-47 Senate, which Republicans control. 'He'll be fine. Mike won't have any issues,' said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. 'I mean, the Democrats are gonna do their thing. Whatever. Mike's used to taking incoming fire.' It is unclear how Waltz would approach the job. Trump's first nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, had built a track record in Congress of criticizing the U.N. She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of U.S. funding. She was expected to be confirmed, but Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination in March, citing risks to the GOP's historically slim House majority . At the time, the loss of a mere handful of seats could have swung the House majority to Democrats and derailed their recently successful efforts to enact Trump's sweeping agenda. Waltz is still on the White House payroll Waltz, whose Florida House seat was filled during a special election earlier this year, has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Waltz earning an annual salary of $195,200. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Waltz stayed on to 'ensure a smooth and successful transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA.' Waltz was the first Green Beret elected to the House and easily won reelection for a fourth term in November before Trump asked him to join the administration. ___ Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Washington Post
35 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Immigration agents demand tenant information from landlords, stirring questions and confusion
ATLANTA — Immigration authorities are demanding that landlords turn over leases, rental applications, forwarding addresses, identification cards and other information on their tenants, a sign that the Trump administration is targeting them to assist in its drive for mass deportations . Eric Teusink, an Atlanta-area real estate attorney, said several clients recently received subpoenas asking for entire files on tenants. A rental application can include work history, marital status and family relationships.
