Democrats seek to capitalize on Epstein uproar

The Hill

7 days ago

PRESIDENT TRUMP is hoping to leave questions about his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case in the rearview mirror as he begins his weekend trip to Scotland, while Democrats lean into the controversy and seek to leverage it for political gain.
Trump will open his third golf course in Scotland this weekend, with the newest to be named after his late mother. The president will also meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to 'refine' a trade deal with the U.S., while seeking to further negotiations on a trade deal with the the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
But the political frenzy in Washington has shown no signs of abating, driven by Trump's demands that Republicans drop the issue, the Justice Department 's new interest in Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, subpoenas from Congress, and Democratic efforts to stoke an issue they hope will split Trump's MAGA base.
'The Radical Left Democrats are doing everything in their power to distract and obfuscate from our GREAT six months of service to America, results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history,' Trump posted Friday on Truth Social, hitting 'yet another Democrat CON JOB.'
Trump has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury transcripts, but a judge ruled they must remain sealed.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a Thursday interview with CBS News' Major Garrett that the Epstein files are 'not a hoax.'
'They are real victims here, but that's part of a delicate — the balance that's being done here is, I tried to explain in my press conference this week, man, we want full disclosure,' Johnson added. 'If I had — if I had these things in my possession, I would have put them out a long time ago, but I would also have been very careful to protect the innocent,' the Speaker added.
Todd Blanche, the No. 2 Department of Justice (DOJ) official, has taken the unusual step of interviewing Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison on sex-trafficking charges.
Maxwell's attorney said she answered hours of questions on Thursday and thanked the government for trying to 'uncover the truth.'
Blanche continued the interview on Friday, and has said he'll share more information 'at the appropriate time.'
Trump was asked Friday if he'd consider a pardon for Maxwell if she delivers new information on the case.
'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about,' he said.
Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus responded outside the federal courthouse where the interview took place:
'We haven't spoken to the president or anybody about a pardon just yet. The president this morning said he had the power to do so and we hope he exercises that power in the right and just way.'
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed testimony from Maxwell and will interview her next month.
Trump is eager to move on.
'People should really focus on how well the country is doing,' he told reporters before boarding a plane to Scotland.
'I have nothing to do with this guy,' he added.
The media is busy digging up old interactions between Trump and Epstein, who ran in similar social circles until Trump says he cut off contact with the disgraced financier for being a 'creep.'
Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal over a story saying he sent a risqué birthday card to Epstein. The Journal now reports that many other high-profile individuals also contributed to a birthday album for Epstein, including former President Clinton, designer Vera Wang, and billionaires Leon Black and Les Wexner.
The House approved subpoenas to compel testimony from Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as several other senior Democrats from the Obama and Biden administrations.
A separate Journal story said Trump was informed by Bondi earlier this year that his name was one of many in the Epstein files.
'You ought to be speaking to Bill Clinton who went to the island 28 times,' Trump told reporters on Friday. 'I never went to the island.'
DEMS SEEK TO CAPITALIZE
Democrats have a sudden interest in the Epstein case now that it's become a political headache for Trump.
'It's outraged some of [Trump's] core base, I enjoy the hell out of it,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on 'The Diary Of A CEO' podcast.
The Democratic National Committee is launching digital ads targeting a dozen Republican-held House districts calling for the release of all Epstein files.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) plans to attack Vice President Vance on the issue in a speech Friday to the Democratic Mayors Association.
According to prepared remarks obtained by Politico Playbook, Khanna plans to draw on Vance's past remarks demanding transparency in the case.
'Your silence has been pretty deafening,' Khanna will say at the summit in Vance's home-state of Ohio.
Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are cosponsoring a bill seeking to force the release of the Epstein files.
Democratic strategist James Carville said Trump could face 'political catastrophe' with his MAGA base, which has long fixated on Epstein as a symbol of elite corruption.
Axios reports that the House Democratic messaging arm sent an alert to members this week urging them to 'amplify' the Journal story connecting Trump and Epstein.
But not all Democrats think they should be gleefully leaning into the controversy. Some members say they should be spending summer recess focusing on the core issues most important to voters, such as the economy.
'Candidly, this whole thing is just such bulls—,' one Democratic member told Axios.
💡 Perspectives:
• Vox: Why didn't Biden release the Epstein files?
• The Hill: Gabbard sets Trump's base up for the next disappointment.
• Wall Street Journal: How to end the Epstein's follies.
• RealClearPolitics: The damage caused by the Russia hoax.
• Trump's trip to Scotland: What to know.
• Republicans back Graham, Cornyn's call for Obama special counsel.
• GOP leaders submarined by Epstein uproar.
• Dems pressure Schumer, Senate to hold line on GOP spending bills.
• W.H. mulling a rare tool to block spending without Congress.
CATCH UP QUICK:
Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) reported to prison on Friday, capping a dramatic rise and fall in politics that saw him ascend as a GOP trailblazer before plunging to disgrace.
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The approval comes after Paramount agreed to pay $16 million toward President Trump 's future presidential library to settle a lawsuit he brought against CBS News. The president accused '60 Minutes' of editing an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to cast her in a better light.
In addition, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said Skydance agreed to 'root out the bias that has undermined trust in the national news media.'
'These commitments, if implemented, would enable CBS to operate in the public interest and focus on fair, unbiased, and fact-based coverage,' he said.
Democrats and many in the media are furious over the settlement, which they see as capitulation to the government and a bribe to secure the merger.
'Bribery is illegal no matter who the president is,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted on X.
Since then, CBS announced the 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert' would end next year.
Colbert is a Trump critic and his show often features interviews with Democrats, provoking further outrage from the left, although CBS says the cancellation was 'strictly financial.' Media reporting indicates the show was losing tens of millions of dollars every year.
Paramount was in the headlines again this week after reaching a billion-dollar deal with the creators of 'South Park,' who went on to skewer Trump in a new episode.
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'You can't have Chinese control and have something on a hundred million American phones. That's just not OK,' Lutnick told CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street.'
'If it's in American control, China can have a little piece, or ByteDance, the current owner, can keep a little piece,' he added. 'But basically Americans will have control, Americans will own the technology and Americans will control the algorithm.'
The Trump and Biden administrations both declined to enforce a law passed by Congress requiring TikTok's parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or be banned in the U.S.
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against New York City challenging its law protecting undocumented migrants.
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The DOJ is also accusing city leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams (I), of 'efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement.'
'If New York City won't stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will,' the lawsuit states.
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Meanwhile, The Hill's Lexi Lonas reports:
'Columbia University's settlement with the Trump administration is making waves across higher education as the White House indicates it wants the agreement to be a roadmap for other colleges. Advocates are angry at Columbia's cooperation while President Trump's supporters cheer what they consider much needed reforms after the school agreed to pay a $220 million fine and change multiple policies in exchange for all federal investigations into it to be dropped and a restoration of funding.'
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• USA Today: Columbia deal will reshape higher learning.
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IN OTHER NEWS
Roundup: Gaza ceasefire talks crumble
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Meanwhile, top U.S. officials blasted France for becoming the first member of the Group of Seven nations to recognize Palestinian statehood.
It's a largely symbolic move that French President Emmanuel Macron described as part of a commitment to 'a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded on X: 'This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.'
The U.S. will skip an upcoming United Nations conference aimed at reaching a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine next week.
ELSEWHERE…
The U.S. military carried out a raid in Syria on Friday, killing a senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader and two of his adult sons, according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM said U.S. forces killed Dhiya' Zawba Muslih al-Hardani, a senior ISIS leader, along with his two sons, Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani, who CENTCOM said are affiliated with ISIS.
'These ISIS individuals posed a threat to US and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government,' CENTCOM said in a statement.
💡 Perspectives:
• The Guardian: Trump's Alice in Wonderland style of justice. • The Atlantic: Why China won't stop the fentanyl trade.
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