Trump addresses growing firestorm over handling of Epstein case
The president is facing the most serious split of his political career from his famously loyal right-wing base over suspicions that his administration was covering up lurid details of Epstein's crimes to protect rich and powerful figures they say are implicated.
'The attorney general has handled that very well,' the Republican leader said of Pam Bondi, who leads the Justice Department, when he was asked about the case at the White House.
Trump repeated his claim that the Epstein files were 'made up' by his Democratic predecessors in the White House - even though he said multiple times during the election campaign that he would 'probably' release them.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Photo: Reuters
'She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her,' Trump said. 'Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Russia launches major aerial attack on Kyiv hours before talks on support for Ukraine
Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months hours before Britain and Germany chaired a on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump's plans for Nato allies to provide Ukraine with weapons. Advertisement The drone and missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The deadly assault underscored the urgency of Ukraine's need for further Western military aid, especially in air defence, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. A drone struck the entrance to a subway station in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district where people had taken cover. Videos posted on social media showed the station platform engulfed by smoke, with dozens inside. The heaviest strikes hit the city's Darnytskyi district, where a kindergarten, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. Advertisement French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who arrived in Kyiv on Monday for talks with Zelensky, visited some of the damaged area.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
US releases FBI records on Martin Luther King Jnr, despite his family's opposition
The Trump administration has released records of the FBI's surveillance of Martin Luther King Jnr, despite opposition from the assassinated Nobel laureate's family and the civil rights group that he led until his 1968 death. The digital document dump includes more than 240,000 pages of records that had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered the records and turned them over to the National Archives and Records Administration. In a lengthy statement released on Monday, King's two living children, Martin III, 67, and Bernice, 62, said their father's assassination has been a 'captivating public curiosity for decades'. But the pair emphasised the personal nature of the matter, urging that 'these files must be viewed within their full historical context'. The Kings got advance access to the records and had their own teams reviewing them. Those efforts continued even as the government granted public access. It was not immediately clear on Monday whether the documents would shed any new light on King's life, the Civil Rights Movement or his murder. 'As the children of Dr King and Mrs Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief – a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met – an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,' they wrote. 'We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief.' They also repeated the family's long-held contention that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of assassinating King, was not solely responsible, if at all.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Scottish police union considers legal action over plans for Trump's visit
Police officers are weighing up legal action against Police Scotland over its plans for Trump's visit. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98 per cent of all police officers in Scotland, said the force has already breached health and safety standards in the run-up to the visit. Thousands of officers are expected to be involved in what Police Scotland has described as a 'significant policing operation'. The White House has confirmed Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29. He will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney as well as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his private trip. The visit is likely to result in widespread protests, following similar demonstrations during his last visit to Scotland. Police Scotland said earlier this month it would seek help from the Scottish and UK governments over the 'considerable' cost of policing Trump's visit.
