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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump was told by Bondi his name appeared multiple times in Epstein files: Report
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche informed President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein that the Department of Justice and the FBI reviewed. The officials told Trump of their plan not to release any additional documents, the report says, because the material contained child pornography and the personal information of victims. President Trump, according to the Journal, said he would defer to the Justice Department's decision not to release additional files on Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019. MORE: Florida judge rules Epstein grand jury records will remain sealed According to the report, Trump was also informed that the names of many other high-profile individuals appeared in the documents, which the Journal reported was not evidence of wrongdoing. The Trump administration did not say anything publicly about the decision not to release additional files until July, when it angered many of Trump's supporters by announcing that it would not release any additional files after earlier promising to do so. The DOJ and FBI stated that their review "did not uncover evidence" that could lead to further criminal charges. When asked by ABC News on July 15 what Bondi told Trump about the review -- "specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?" Trump responded: "No, no, she's -- she's given us just a very quick briefing," before making baseless claims that the files were created by some of his political foes. Asked by ABC News following the publication of the Journal article if the president had been told his name is in the files, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung, said, "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about." In a statement, Bondi and Blanche said, "The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6 memo. Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." FBI Director Kash Patel, who prior to joining the new administration called for the release of all Epstein files, said in a statement, "The memo released on July 6th is consistent with the thorough review conducted by the FBI and DOJ. The criminal leakers and Fake News media tries tirelessly to undermine President Trump with smears and lies, and this story is no different." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House pushes Obama 'coup' story to distract from Epstein
The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told a White House press briefing there had been a "years-long coup" by Obama. The extraordinary narrative essentially rehashed Trump's longstanding argument that investigations into Russia's multi-layered attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, where he beat Hillary Clinton, were a "hoax" against him. Gabbard touted newly declassified intelligence that she said provided "irrefutable evidence" that Obama had ordered intelligence assessments to be manipulated to accuse Russia of election interference to help Trump. The Justice Department announced the formation of a "Strike Force" to examine the allegations with "utmost seriousness." But Gabbard's findings run up against four separate criminal, counterintelligence and watchdog probes between 2019 and 2023 -- each of them concluding that Russia did interfere and did, in various ways, help Trump. As a way to distract from the intensifying speculation over Trump's handling of the case against the late sex offender and reputed pedophile pimp to the powerful Epstein, the Obama accusations had some effect. White House journalists at the briefing barely asked about Epstein, focusing instead on Gabbard's claims, and Fox News heavily promoted the Obama story to its right-wing audience. However, the Epstein scandal quickly roared back, showing just how hard it is for 79-year-old Trump to maintain his usual mastery of driving news agendas -- even within his fervently loyal "MAGA" base. - Trump's name in files - Epstein was a financier and friend to numerous high-profile people -- for years, including Trump -- who was convicted of sex crimes and then imprisoned pending trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls. His 2019 prison cell death -- ruled a suicide -- supercharged a conspiracy theory long promoted by many of Trump's supporters that Epstein had run an international pedophile ring and that elites wanted to make sure he never revealed their secrets. After Trump came to power for a second term this January, his administration promised to release Epstein case files. But when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on July 7 that she had nothing to release, Republicans were furious -- and Trump has been attempting to control the scandal ever since. Things got even more complicated for him after The Wall Street Journal last week reported that Trump had written a lewd birthday letter to Epstein in 2003. Trump denies this and has sued the Journal. On Wednesday, the Journal dropped a new story, saying Bondi had informed Trump in May that his name appeared several times in the Epstein files, even if there was no indication of wrongdoing. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called this "fake news" and said Trump had long ago broken with Epstein and "kicked him out of his club for being a creep." However, the drip-drip of reminders of Trump's close former relationship with Epstein is proving hard to stop. Several of Trump's most effective promoters over the years -- including new FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino -- made careers of fanning the concerns about Epstein, including the rumor that his death was actually a murder. Democrats are piling on the pressure. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break Wednesday to avoid being forced by Democrats into holding politically awkward votes on the affair. But some lawmakers on the "MAGA" right have indicated they are in no mood to let Epstein drop. Several bids for transparency are in the works, including efforts to circumvent Republican leadership and force a vote on releasing files after they return from recess. In another bid to satisfy his base, Trump had told Bondi to release "credible" Epstein information and to seek release of grand jury transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 investigations of Epstein. But on Wednesday a judge rejected this, citing legal secrecy protocols. ft-sms/mlm
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
Viral story about grandpa secretly ‘deported' to Guatemala by ICE, then found ‘dead' is hoax: feds
A widely-reported story about a Pennsylvania grandfather being secretly snatched by ICE agents and deported to Guatemala is nothing but a 'hoax,' according to Homeland Security — as it emerged he may even have died six years ago. Luis Leon's family told reporters that the 82-year-old Chilean national had been handcuffed and taken away by federal officers when he went to a green card appointment in Philadelphia on June 20. They then claimed they were told he had died in ICE custody — but then he turned up alive at a hospital in Guatemala. Advertisement 3 The viral story circulating that Luis Leon, 82, was secretly deported by ICE agents turns out to be a 'hoax,' according to Homeland Security (DHS). Leon Family The story, which was initially reported by Allentown outlet the Morning Call, before being picked up by lefty outlets including the Daily Beast, the Guardian and the Independent, was shut down by the Department for Homeland Security. 'ICE never arrested or deported Luis Leon to Guatemala. Nor does ICE 'disappear' people — this is a categorical lie being peddled to demonize ICE agents who are already facing an 830 percent increase in assaults against them,' DHS Assistant Press Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Advertisement 'This was a hoax peddled by the media who rushed to press without pausing to corroborate the facts with DHS. This was journalistic malpractice,' she said. The DHS also said there is 'no record of the man appearing at any green card appointment in or around the area of Philadelphia' on June 20. Leon's family told the reporter that he was sent to a Minnesota detention facility and that a woman claiming to be an immigration lawyer called them to say he had died in ICE custody and offered to help them, without disclosing how she knew about the case. 3 Leon's family told reporters he was taken away by officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after going to a green card appointment — but then he turned up alive at a hospital in Guatemala. Paul Martinka Advertisement They claimed they later found out he was in a hospital in Guatemala from a Chilean relative. But the Guatemalan Institute of Migration, which coordinates with ICE on all deportations from the US, said it had not received anyone matching Leon's name, age or nationality, the Associated Press reported. And while Guatemala has agreed to receive US deportees from other Central American countries, the agreement doesn't extend to South America. 3 The story of Leon's deportation circulated through many outlets before DHS shut down the story. Leon Family Advertisement Leon was granted political asylum in the US in 1987 and worked in a leather manufacturing plant for 40 years before retiring, the Morning Call reported. However, ICE states its only record of Leon entering the US is in 2015 from Chile under a visa waiver program. A death certificate matching Leon's name and date of birth from the Chilean capital of Santiago in 2019 was presented to the Morning Call by a Chilean journalist, Jose Del Pino. The Morning Call published an updated story on Monday defending its reporting, saying its reporters 'repeatedly requested information from Ice during its reporting; an Ice spokesperson previously refused to confirm details, including whether or not Leon was even at the Philadelphia office, and said Monday that Ice investigators were not able to contact the family.' Leon's supposed family told the Morning Call in a statement that they would no longer speak to the media and asked for privacy. The Morning Call did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
