Epstein's shadow reaches Illinois
TOP TALKER
What began as a scandal confined to elite Beltway circles is seeping into the political consciousness of the Midwest — and Illinois Democrats are sure to exploit it.
A revelation: Internal polling by the party shows the Jeffrey Epstein saga is gaining traction with everyday voters. Couple that with a growing swell of Epstein-related content across social media platforms.
'These aren't political people' posting about it, said Sabha Abour, a Democratic campaign consultant in Chicago and nearby suburbs. She said the issue resonates because 'it confirms that there are two systems of justice in this country: one is for the powerful, and one is for everyone else.'
And while kitchen-table issues like health care, immigration and inflation will likely shape the 2026 midterms, the Epstein scandal might make voters question whether Republicans stand by their values. At least that's what Democrats are hoping.
The GOP's response for now has been to duck and cover. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is sending the House home early for the August recess rather than risk a vote on disclosing the Epstein file — a move that raised more than a few eyebrows. President Donald Trump keeps trying to divert attention away from Epstein. And the Illinois GOP isn't responding at all.
The issue is about transparency, said Gov. JB Pritzker at an unrelated press conference Tuesday. 'I don't know why' Trump has 'problems with being transparent,' the governor said. 'People are quite curious and suspicious, frankly, about why the president doesn't want to do what he promised he would do and what seems like an obvious thing — which is to just reveal what the truth is.'
It's too early to say whether the Epstein case will sway voters in 2026, said Becky Carroll, the Chicago political strategist who's worked on national and local campaigns.
'Is this red meat for Democratic voters? Perhaps, but there are a lot of other things going on right now that are capturing the attention of voters and will continue to — like ICE raids and the gutting of Medicaid — that they are seeing, feeling and reading about every single day.'
And a warning from Ron Holmes, another Chicago political consultant, cautioned that 'the Epstein files are certainly good click bait, but ultimately Illinois Democrats need to talk about what they're for heading into the next election cycle rather than' focusing on Trump.
RELATED
Democrats coast to coast are plotting how to capitalize on the Epstein controversy, via POLITICO
House Dems find their mojo with the Epstein saga, by POLITICO's Rachael Bade
Deflecting Epstein questions, Trump urges DOJ to 'go after' Obama, by POLITICO's Eli Stokols
Epstein crisis forces Republicans to shut down House early, by POLITICO's Meredith Lee Hill
THE BUZZ
RULES OF CONDUCT: Mayor vows to curb smoking on the CTA after years of complaints: 'It has got to stop': Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order that would dispatch city outreach teams to trains and buses to curtail smoking. Violators could be fined, by the Block Club's Quinn Myers and Mack Liederman.
Johnson said the city plans to launch public awareness campaigns to deter smoking on trains.
The order comes a month after Ald. Bill Conway (34th), a name that's popped up as a possible mayoral candidate in 2027, introduced his own resolution to City Council to pressure the CTA to deter riders who smoke on public transit.'
If you are Bill Conway, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@politico.com
WHERE'S JB
At Venue SIX10 at 1 p.m. to deliver opening remarks at the Global Quantum Forum and then at 2 p.m. in the same location he'll announce a new IQMP tenant
WHERE's BRANDON
At St. Leonard's Ministries at 10:15 a.m. for the Shelter Infrastructure Initiative press conference — At 4520 South State Street at 2:30 p.m. for the Legends South groundbreaking, part of the redevelopment of the former Robert Taylor Homes site
Where's Toni
At Maggiano's Banquets at noon to give opening remarks at a City Club luncheon featuring Brookfield Zoo CEO Mike Adkesson
Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or complaint? Email skapos@politico.com
BUSINESS OF POLITICS
— Senate race: Robin Kelly is drawing high-profile names to her Thursday fundraiser. Among them: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Here are details with more names
— Senate race: Juliana Stratton outlines LGBTQ+ rights platform and policy agenda in Senate bid, by Jake Wittich in the Windy City Times
— Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim has hopes for statewide post: 'This isn't just the next step on the political ladder for me — it's a continuation of the work I've already been doing,' she told Charles Selle in the Tribune.
— In IL:14: Rep. Lauren Underwood has massive fundraising lead primary and likely November challenger, by the Daily Herald's Russell Lissau
— In IL-08: Christ Kallas and Junaid Ahmed, both Democrats running for this open seat, have signed on with the U.S. Term Limits movement to support an amendment to term limits in Congress, according to the nonpartisan organization.
— In the Illinois General Assembly contests: James O'Brien, an attorney who's worked on the House Democratic staff and is an adviser for the Illinois Commerce Commission, is set to announce he's running for state representative in the 13th District Illinois House seat now held by Rep. Hoan Huynh, who's running for Congress. 'I've seen the good that government can do when it's at its best and having experienced candidates with a record of results is critical to making more of those moments a reality,' he said in a statement. O'Brien has also worked on school-funding reform legislation.
THE STATEWIDES
— Some ComEd customers seeing triple-digit bill increases as supply rate jump, heat wave converge: 'The spike in the wholesale cost of electricity, which ComEd buys at an annual auction and then passes through to its customers, paired with increased energy usage, added $67.28 month-over-month to the average June 30 bill, the utility said,' by the Tribune's Robert Channick
— HIGHER-ED: Changes to federal student loans leave aspiring medical students scrambling to cover costs, by the Tribune's Kate Armanini
— Local groups step up as undocumented immigrants lose state health coverage, by Borderless magazine's Tara Mobasher and Lucy Baptiste
— Federal housing credit expansion could increase affordable rental units in Illinois, according to a report, via Capitol News' Ben Szalinski
— Illinois' school system rates toward the top of this Wallet Hub study
CHICAGO
— CPS board members ask Pritzker, lawmakers to call special session on school funding: 'CPS is grappling with a $734 million deficit. Board members say schools across Illinois are facing budget troubles and need state help,' by WBEZ's Sarah Karp.
— Due process: Ald. Andre Vasquez, chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, will host a hearing Thursday in the City Council chambers to address potential due process violations and infringements on free speech rights by the Trump administration.
— Chicago Housing Authority resident leaders voice opposition to Ald. Walter Burnett as potential next CEO, by the Tribune's Lizzie Kane
— Pritzker, transportation leaders celebrate Union Station's centennial as Chicago-area transit fiscal cliff looms, by WTTW's Eunice Alpasan
— Netflix sets Jussie Smollett documentary with 'new evidence': Alleged hate crime hoax 'might just be a true story,' by Variety's Ethan Shanfeld
COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS
— Arlington Heights board divided on public sleeping ban, by the Daily Herald's Christopher Placek
— Lake Bluff, Lake Forest leaders discuss their communities' current infrastructure projects, by the Pioneer Press' Daniel I. Dorfman
— Naperville's No. 19 on safest places to live in the U.S. list compiled by U.S. News & World Report, by the Naperville Sun's Carolyn Stein
ILLINOIS' POPE
— South Loop family gifts Pope Leo XIV a 'Da Pope' T-shirt: 'There's such a sense of pride': 'The Muñoz family waited two hours in the heat to meet the pope after Mass on Sunday at the Cathedral of Albano in Albano Laziale, a town outside Rome, near where Leo is spending a six-week summer break at the papal retreat,' by the Sun-Times' Selena Kuznikov.
TAKING NAMES
— Rahm Emanuel, the former ambassador to Japan, is scheduled to testify today before the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and Chinese Communist Party. The hearing is titled 'United We Stand: Strategies to Counter PRC Economic Coercion Against Democracies.' Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is a ranking member. The live broadcast starts at 10 a.m. Watch here
— Antonio Romanucci, a founding partner of the national Romanucci & Blandin personal injury firm based in Chicago, has been awarded the Richard D. Hailey Distinguished Service Award by the American Association for Justice. It recognizes members of the association's board for their work.
SPOTTED
— A REAL MIXER: A who's-who from Chicago's hospitality industry packed new Gold Coast hotspot The Alston for state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz's 6th District reelection campaign. Host Committee members Sam Toia, CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, and Scott Weiner, whose Fifty/50 Group owns The Alston, spoke about Feigenholtz's work, including authoring the state's cocktails-to-go legislation during the pandemic. Spotted: Alds. Bennett Lawson and Brian Hopkins, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Democratic Committee members Lucy Moog and Paul Rosenfeld. On the host committee: The Dearborn's Clodagh Lawless, Gibsons Restaurant Group's Liz Lombardo Stark, restaurateur Sam Sanchez, Manny's Deli's Danny Raskin, Vaughan Hospitality's Kevin Vaughan, Lucca Osteria's Steven Hartenstein, Eli's Cheesecake's Marc Schulman and entrepreneur and former Ald. Ameya Pawar.
Reader Digest
We asked what subject you could filibuster on for 12 hours.
Janice Anderson: 'How cheap people are and they can't even admit it.'
Matthew Beaudet: 'The rise and fall of cultures since antiquity.'
Mimi Cowan: '19th century urban riots.'
Jules Gray: ''The Godfather' movies parts one and two.'
John Mark Hansen: 'I'm an academic and could go on about the history of Congress or the matrix algebra and its applications in the social sciences.'
Colby Huff: 'Disney World, starting with the history of the parks, how Disney acquired all that land so cheaply, the evolution of each park and finishing with a couple of hours worth of tips and tricks to vacationing there today.'
Ed Mazur: 'Railroads and their importance for the growth of Chicago's commerce, industry and population.'
Ronald Michelotti: 'Major League Baseball with an emphasis on the stars I have witnessed playing our national pastime over these many years.'
Joe Platt: 'How shorts, exposed shoulders and open-toed shoes are not appropriate for airplane travel.'
Brent Pruim: 'Housing.'
Steve Smith: 'Women's reproductive health.'
John Straus: 'Alexis deToqueville's Democracy in America.'
Michael Strautmanis: 'Each frame of 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' and why the western movie takes us on the hero's journey and creates the foundational story beats of so many of the pop culture movies we love. Superman meet Nat Love!'
Timothy Thomas: 'World Wars I and II, including the time leading up to and their post war ramifications.'
Patricia Ann Watson: 'The TV show 'Babylon 5' and human hierarchies.'
Brent Zhorne: 'As a retired high school sociology teacher, I could talk about sociology and sociological phenomena for an entire semester. Twelve hours? Mere child's play!'
NEXT QUESTION: What's the craziest thing you've seen riding the El?
THE NATIONAL TAKE
— Trump announces trade deal with Japan, by POLITICO's Daniel Desrochers, Ari Hawkins and Doug Palmer
— White House eying education cuts for next funding clawback package, by POLITICO's Calen Razor, Juan Perez Jr. and Eli Stokols
— Republicans want to rename Kennedy Center's opera house after Melania Trump, by POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy
TRIVIA
TUESDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Anders Lindall and Don Davis for correctly answering that 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' which is one of August Wilson's 'Pittsburgh Cycle' plays, is based in Chicago.
TODAY's QUESTION: What is a traditional 'Chicago handshake'? Email your answer to: skapos@politico.com.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Former state Sen. Miguel del Valle, BOMA/Chicago Government Affairs Director Amy Masters, former AG official and a General Assembly candidate Adam Braun, attorney Sam Royko, PwC tax partner Jennifer Darling, Burson Corporate Affairs VP Stephani Englund, ABC 7 political reporter Craig Wall and former state Rep. Edward 'Eddie' Acevedo
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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mike Johnson says Ghislaine Maxwell coming clean on Epstein case would be ‘a great service to the country'
Speaker Mike Johnson called on Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, to come clean and told Americans that he "hoped" she could be trusted as he faces the growing uproar around the White House's handling of the investigation. Johnson appeared Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, where moderator Kristen Welker asked him point-blank if the convicted sex-trafficker girlfriend of Epstein could be trusted to accurately testify about the crimes she and Epstein committed. Epstein was awaiting prosecution for sex trafficking underage girls after a previous conviction on similar charges when he died in federal custody. Maxwell has been thrust back into the spotlight as the MAGA base has grown frustrated with President Donald Trump and his administration's shutting down of the so-called Epstein files release. Last week, a top Department of Justice official met with Maxwell about the case. "Well, I mean, look; it's a good question. I hope so," Johnson told Welker in response. "I hope that she would want to come clean." "I hope she's telling the truth. She is convicted, she's serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking. Her character is in some if she wants to come clean now, that would be a great service to the country. We want to know every bit of information that she has." The House Oversight Committee voted this week to issue a subpoena for Maxwell after the Justice Department announced its own plans to speak with her. Agency officials did so for nine hours between Thursday and Friday, after making a statement seeming to confirm that her testimony hadn't been aggressively sought before. Some have called Maxwell to testify and suggested she should be given a pardon for sharing what she knows about the Epstein case. She was convicted of sexual abuse against minors and sex trafficking for helping Epstein carry out crimes. Johnson touted the Oversight subpoena favorably Sunday, casting it as evidence that GOP leadership supported efforts aimed at transparency. The Trump administration turned speculation about Epstein's death and the so-called 'Client List' of his co-conspirators into a raging wildfire in early July. The Justice Department and FBI published a joint memo explaining that future releases from the files would not take place, and that the list of Epstein's accomplices was not found. Epstein was rumored to have cultivated personal relationships with many powerful men and institutions. Critics of the president have alleged that a cover-up is in the works regarding the Epstein files. Democrats have hammered the president for his reversal, and a pair of scoops from the Wall Street Journal have reported on the president's connections to Epstein, to Trump's fury. The newspaper reported the contents of a message allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein as part of a 50th birthday celebration in 2003, including allusions to a shared 'secret' between them. Trump firmly denied authoring the note, and sued the Journal and its reporters in response. A second article from the Journal days later reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that he was mentioned in the Epstein investigation multiple times, but it was not clear in what context. The White House called that story 'fake' and has repeatedly insinuated that Democrats including Joe Biden tampered with evidence while Trump was out of office. Being mentioned in the files does not mean wrongdoing, and hundreds of names are reportedly included. The lead GOP co-sponsor behind a House resolution that would force the Justice Department to release the entirety of its collected evidence related to Epstein said Sunday that his push was to help the convicted pedophile's victims and would only grow stronger in the coming weeks. Earlier on the same network, Rep. Thomas Massie appeared alongside the resolution's lead Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna, as the two promoted a resolution that would force Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' related to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations. Massie told Welker that 'the release of the Epstein files is emblematic of what Trump ran for' and explained that the president's MAGA base expected results. 'There seems to be a class of people beyond the law, beyond the judicial all thought that when Trump was elected, he would be the bull in the china shop and break that all up,' said Massie. Massie went on to say that the Trump administration had lost his trust on the issue after publicly supporting transparency around the investigation, then doing an abrupt about-face. The administration is now calling on its supporters to move on from the issue and focus on hashing out issues with the 2016 'Russiagate' investigation instead of Epstein. Top administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, also spent months calling for the very releases the Justice Department says it won't authorize. 'People who were allegedly working on this weren't sincere in their efforts,' Massie said. 'Somebody should ask Speaker Mike Johnson, why did he recess Congress early so that he didn't have to deal with the Epstein issue?' 'Politics is the art of the doable. There's enough public pressure right now that we can get 218 votes and force this to a vote on the floor,' said Massie. He also firmly rejected a DOJ memo explaining the administration's position against further releases of information from the Epstein files, despite the very public promises of Bondi and others to do the opposite. In the memo, agency officials said that explicit imagery involving children was 'intertwined' throughout the files collected by the Justice Department. Some have said the files should not be released to protect sex-abuse victims of both Maxwell and Epstein. 'That's a straw man [argument],' Massie responded on Sunday, after Welker read part of the memo. 'Ro [Khanna] and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names would be redacted, and that no child pornography will be released.'
Wall Street Journal
17 minutes ago
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We Won't Miss Government Media
I'm going to miss the sweet and soothing dulcet-toned voices, but not much else. As part of the Trump administration's rescission bill, $1.1 billion in federal funding has been cut for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, perhaps sending National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service and member stations to that great test pattern in the sky. Those jumping to the defense of public-funded media cite both its need during emergencies and for rural areas. Nonsense. I'd bet more people use smartphones than radios these days. But the 'Mr. Snuffleupagus in the room' has always been bias. A year ago, NPR had 87 Democrats and zero Republicans on its editorial staff in Washington, according to a senior editor there. How did we let that happen?
New York Post
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Heavily armored ‘Golf Force One' debuts as it trails Trump on the Scottish links less than a year after assassination attempt
President Trump's security team has debuted what appears to be a heavily armored golf cart 10 months after a would-be assassin aimed an SKS-style rifle toward him at his West Palm Beach tee resort. As the president played at the Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire, Scotland, this weekend, an imposing, apparently heavily fortified black vehicle followed close behind — with security experts saying it bears all the hallmarks of an armor-reinforced golf cart in the mold of Trump's official limo, a k a 'The Beast.' Trump drove a standard white golf cart as he played, but the bulky silhouette of the latest addition to his security fleet — which appears to be a modified Polaris Ranger XP — stood out like a sore thumb on the course. 7 A heavily armored golf car seen following President Trump during a round on his Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire, Scotland on July 26, 2025. Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock 7 Trump waving from a traditional golf cart at Turnberry on July 27, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 'Just looking at the front windscreen, that looks armored,' said Gary Relf, director of Armoured Car Services, to The Telegraph. Relf said that while it's difficult to ascertain exactly which elements have been reinforced, noting companies such as his often remove and discreetly replace nearly every interior element with armor plating, the vehicle's darkened front windscreen featuring black banding is a dead giveaway that something major is afoot with it. 'From those photos, that is 100% armored,' he told the outlet. 'The windscreen is a giveaway, as are the side panels, doors and the large panel at the rear above the load tray.' He said the vehicle appeared to be kitted out for 'defensive, not offensive' purposes and claimed the tinted windows could indicate a robust transparent armor has been added. 7 According to experts, the new armored cart appears to be modeled after Trump's official limousine — known as 'The Beast.' TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock 7 The new special golf cart comes after an assassination attempt from suspect Ryan Routh last September on one of Trump's golf courses in Florida. Getty Images 'The thicker the transparent armoring, the more tinted the window looks,' he said. Relf said it was likely the modifications would likely be designed to keep the vehicle as secure as possible while remaining lightweight enough to avoid damaging grass on the course. A Secret Service spokesman wouldn't confirm or deny whether the cart is armored or part of Trump's security apparatus, telling the outlet that the agency doesn't discuss the specific means and methods it deploys to protect the president. 7 Police snipers positioned on the roof of the Trump Turnberry hotel on July 27, 2025. Photo by7 A sniper on the Turnberry course near other golfers. AFP via Getty Images But stepped-up hardware to protect Trump on the golf course would not be unexpected given his surviving a pair of assassination attempts last year. On Sept. 15, Ryan Routh, 59, trained a rifle styled after a Soviet-designed semiautomatic at Trump's security detail as the president walked along the fifth hole at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Agents spotted Routh during a sweep of the sixth hole, where the suspect had obscured his location in heavy brush some 400 yards from the president, and fired a shot at him, at which point he ditched his weapon and fled in a Nissan SUV. 7 Trump taking a swing during his Sunday golf round. Getty Images Less than an hour later, Routh was apprehended during a traffic stop and charged with the attempted assassination of Trump. Two months earlier, Trump survived another assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., carried out by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks perched on the rooftop of a building just outside the Butler fairgrounds and opened fire with an AR-style rifle, nicking Trump's ear, seriously wounding an audience member and killing former firefighter Corey Comperatore. Crooks was taken out by a counter-sniper team moments after firing.
