Top DOJ official expects to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell
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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Vance's trip to an RNC fundraiser flooded with ‘MeowTucket' protests to remind him of his cat lady gaffe
Vice President JD Vance was met with 'boos' from a crowd in Nantucket, Massachusetts, who trolled him with poster-sized photos of his face in a well-known meme, inflatable couches and plush cats in what was called a 'MeowTucket' protest. The protest, promoted heavily by Amanda McGonigle, who is behind the Instagram account catsonacouch, was meant to disrupt Vance's time on the island as he headlined a Republican fundraising dinner. In keeping with the Instagram account's theme, many of the signs mocked Vance by referencing online jokes or memes about the vice president. That includes cats – a reference to Vance's controversial 'childless cat lady' comment during the campaign. Trump drew ire during the campaign for saying the country was being run by "a bunch of childless cat ladies.' There were also couches at the protest – a reference to a fictitious rumor that Vance had sex with a couch. Protestors even set up an inflatable couch underneath a massive tarp that contained an image of a popular Vance meme as a photo opportunity at 'MeowTucket.' As Vance's motorcade drove by, crowds of people yelled 'fascist' and called for Vance to leave. Signs brought to the protest said phrases such as 'In America, the law is king' and 'fascists not welcome.' To expand the mockery, protesters wore shirts with cats on them and held up cat masks to their faces. The protest was organized was several groups. McGonigle used her popular Instagram account, which is dedicated to 'fighting fascism,' along with mocking Vance, to promote 'MeowTucket.' Ahead of the protest, McGonigle also distributed thousands of ' Wanted ' posters featuring meme photos of Vance. McGonigle says the purpose of her account was to surpass Vance's number of followers, but also took on the new mission of constantly trolling him so he 'does not know a moment's peace for the next three and a half years at least.' Vance's time on Nantucket, an island known as a summer vacation haven for the wealthy, was brief. The vice president hosted a Republican National Committee fundraiser ahead of the 2026 midterm election season. Tickets to the ritzy dinner were a minimum of $100,000
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Congress subpoenas Ghislaine Maxwell and plans a prison interview even after House Speaker questioned her credibility
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has issued a subpoena ordering Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, to testify from prison in Florida. Comer set Maxwell's deposition date for August 11 as the Trump administration faces mounting criticism over the Epstein files. Maxwell is set to be interviewed at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee, where she is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse young girls. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also announced Tuesday he has contacted Maxwell's attorneys to set up a meeting with her. Comer said the Justice Department is 'cooperating and will help facilitate the deposition at the prison.' Some have called for Maxwell to testify to shed light on if any other people were involved with Epstein's actions. The subpoena comes after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson questioned whether Maxwell's testimony will be truthful. 'If they see fit to bring in Ghislaine Maxwell for testimony, that's fine,' Johnson told reporters Wednesday. 'I will note the obvious concern, the caveat that Chairman Comer and I and everyone has, that, can she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness?' 'I mean, this is a person who's been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people,' he added. 'I mean, can we trust what she's going to say, even if she raises her hand and says that she'll testify under oath?' Maxwell's attorney, David Markus, told The Independent he understands the 'general concern' that Congress should vet witnesses, but says Johnson's worries are 'unfounded' in this case. 'If Ms. Maxwell agrees to testify before Congress and not take the 5th—and that remains a big if—she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would and as she will with Mr. Blanche,' Markus wrote. 'The truth should not be feared or preemptively dismissed. No previous prosecutor from the Southern District of New York or elsewhere has had the courage to meet with Ms. Maxwell and ask her these important questions.' 'As for the Congressional subpoena, Ms. Maxwell is taking this one step at a time,' he added. 'She looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds.' Johnson said the House will go on its annual summer recess beginning Wednesday. The break comes as Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna — a Republican and Democrat, respectively — lead a charge to force a vote that would compel the Justice Department to release more information on Epstein. Earlier this month, the Justice Department and FBI released a memo claiming that Epstein did not have a client list, even though Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested it was on her desk months prior. The memo also confirmed the financier died by suicide while in jail in August 2019, after years of conspiracy theories surrounding his death. The memo stated there would be 'no further disclosure' related to the Epstein investigation. Trump has defended Bondi and his administration amid backlash from both sides of the aisle. He also directed Bondi to begin the process of unsealing grand jury testimony related to the Epstein investigation. The Justice Department has since requested that the testimony be unsealed. Judges in Florida and New York rejected the requests Wednesday.
NBC News
22 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump foe Thomas Massie wins over MAGA allies with his push for Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Once fighting a lonely battle against President Donald Trump, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie has found an issue that is winning him more Republican friends and political allies than he's had all year: his push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Many of Trump's MAGA allies on and off Capitol Hill are frustrated with the president and top officials in his administration for dragging their feet in releasing the government's remaining documents and records related to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. But they're rooting for Massie, who has leaned into the fight in recent weeks and made it his sole mission to get the files released. It is a rare issue where Massie aligns more closely with many of Trump's own supporters than Trump himself. That's a big shift for the Kentucky conservative who was swimming against the current in his opposition to Trump's megabill by raising debt concerns that fell on deaf ears with other Republicans. Nearly a dozen House conservatives have signed onto Massie's resolution to defy Trump and force Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish 'all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' that the Justice Department and FBI possess. Thirteen Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have joined the effort as well. 'I have the people on my side,' Massie told reporters, pointing to a CBS News/YouGov poll that showed that 89% of Americans want all of the Epstein files released. Republicans split evenly in the CBS poll when asked if they're 'satisfied' or 'dissatisfied' with Trump's handling of the Epstein case. That's very unusual for Trump, who tends to win lopsidedly high marks from self-identified Republicans on his handling of issues. A recent Quinnipiac poll also showed a GOP split about evenly when it comes to Trump's handling of the Epstein matter. The CBS poll showed that Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 42% but that 89% of Republicans approve of the job Trump has done in his first six months in office. Massie leans into confrontation with Trump Massie is boldly going where no other Republican in Congress dares go: Running for re-election while leaning into a confrontation with Trump, who has threatened to support a primary challenger to oust him in the GOP contest. Massie told NBC News the president and his allies are wasting their time, vowing that their efforts to unseat him would not only fail but backfire. 'They've spent $1.8 million against me so far in my congressional district. I think it's had very little effect, but they're trying to beat up on me to keep everybody else in line here. and I think it's not working,' Massie said. 'I think it's gonna backfire tremendously.' 'They're wasting millions of dollars against me, and they're gonna lose the majority because of that,' he said. 'I think it will embolden Republicans who are right now, quietly, agreeing with me, but saying, 'I'm afraid of winning my primary. Let's see if you can win yours, Massie.'' Massie's confidence drew a clapback from Calvin Moore, a former House GOP campaign operative, who tweeted, 'How'd that work out for [Bob Good?],' referring to the former Virginia congressman who lost his 2024 primary to a Trump-backed challenger. Massie's foray into the Epstein saga has also sparked a personal, very public row between him and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Johnson, a Trump loyalist, said Wednesday that 'Republicans stand for maximum transparency and truth' and are 'pushing for the release of all credible information about the Epstein matter, but added that Massie's Epstein resolution with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., provides no protection for victims' identities. 'We have … a moral obligation to protect people who have been the victims of these unspeakable crimes so that their names are not drug through the mud,' Johnson said. A day earlier, the speaker invoked Massie at his weekly news conference, showing unusual frustration and saying he was baffled by Massie's motivation in the Epstein matter and that 'some people seem to enjoy trying to inflict political pain on their own teammates.' Massie later told reporters that by introducing his Epstein resolution now, his effort would gain momentum over the House's five-week summer recess that begins on Thursday. He and Khanna, Massie said, plan to file a so-called 'discharge petition' to force a vote on their resolution when the House returns in September if they can win support from 218 members. Then, in a midnight post on X, Massie shot back at the speaker: '@SpeakerJohnson, why are you running cover for an underage sex trafficking ring and pretending this is a partisan issue? MAGA voted for this.' Johnson's office did not respond to a request for comment about the Massie tweet, but the speaker has repeatedly said that anyone who has committed sex crimes should be prosecuted. And Massie's effort has been elevated by some podcasters credited with boosting Trump in the 2024 election, including Theo Von, who recently tweeted, 'Why cant we put the @RoKhanna @RepThomasMassie bill for a vote this week @SpeakerJohnson @JDVance??' Von also publicly questioned why Vance isn't standing by his earlier comment on Von's own show that 'we need to release the Epstein list, that is an important thing.' Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Cory Mills of Florida, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina are among the Republicans who have signed onto the Massie-Khanna resolution. Massie also has an ally in Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a fellow self-described libertarian who describes the congressman as a good friend. 'I'm a big supporter of his, and vice versa. I'm planning a 10-city tour with him in September to support him, and we will do what it takes. We both represent sort of the liberty wing of the Republican Party,' Paul said. 'We want to make sure that we don't allow anybody to come in and try to defeat him.' Paul is the only GOP senator who voted against Trump's megabill due to debt concerns, but, unlike Massie, he doesn't face re-election until 2028. Paul said he's 'very confident' Massie will beat a Trump-backed challenge. 'He's the most fiscally conservative member of the House. He's the most pro-gun member of the House, most pro-Bill of Rights person in the House,' Paul said. 'Good sense of humor, travels the district and is somebody who pays attention to his constituents. I think he'll do well.'
