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Axios
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: FBI's Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios. Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn't have a celebrity "client list," and that he wasn't murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019. Bongino didn't come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he's still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues. Zoom in: At the center of the argument: a surveillance video from outside of Epstein's cell that the administration released, saying it was proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself. The 10-hour video had what has widely been called a "missing minute," fueling conspiracy theories in MAGA's online world about a cover-up involving Epstein's death. The "missing minute," authorities say, stemmed from an old surveillance recording system that goes down each day at midnight to reset and record anew. It takes a minute for that process to occur, which effectively means that 60 seconds of every day aren't recorded. Bongino — who had pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein actually hadn't been murdered. That conclusion — shared by FBI Director Kash Patel, another conspiracy theorist-turned-insider — angered many in Trump's MAGA base, criticism that increased after Axios first reported the release of the video and a related memo. After the video's "missing minute" was discovered, Bongino was blamed internally for the oversight, according to three sources. Two sources familiar with Bongino's position say he was increasingly displeased with Bondi's handling of the Epstein case because she had publicly overpromised and underdelivered disclosures about an Epstein "client list" that apparently never existed. The intrigue: MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a Bondi critic, wrote Friday on X that Bongino and Patel were "furious" with the way Bondi had handled the case. Some Trump advisers have criticized Bondi, but Trump "loves Pam and thinks she's great," a senior White House official said. Those witnessing the Wednesday clash between Bondi and Bongino in the White House were Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich. Inside the room: During the meeting, Bongino was confronted about a NewsNation article that said he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier, but were held back. Bongino denied leaking that idea. "Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn't end on friendly terms," said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said. "The fact is, Dan was for releasing the information with the video and had no problem until he got heat online," a senior administration official told Axios. "Bongino found the video with the missing minute. He vouched for it after a 'thorough review,' he said, and he thought this would end the matter. When that didn't work, he lost his mind and ran out of D.C." Said a pro-Bongino source: "Dan is not the bad guy here. He shouldn't take the fall." The big picture: The blowup involving Trump's senior law enforcement officials showed just how much the administration has been rocked by its handling of the Epstein case. At different times, Bondi, Bongino and Patel each have complained to others that they were being unfairly blamed for the Epstein flap, and hung out to dry. Zoom out: Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, joined the administration after gaining prominence as a conservative podcaster with a regular appearances on Fox News. What they're saying: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche weighed in Friday morning on X, saying that he "worked closely with @FBIDirectorKash and @FBIDDBongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files. All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo." "The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo's composition and release is patently false."
Sydney Morning Herald
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
America's once kitschy obsession with Trump is no longer funny
Last week, after flying home to America for the first time since Donald Trump's re-election, I made the familiar five-hour drive north from San Francisco to Lake Almanor. This part of California is one of the most MAGA-friendly counties in the state. In 2024, Trump won the seat by nearly 17 points. I've been coming to this part of the West Coast for years, joining my best friend and her family to celebrate the Fourth of July – a weekend full of delightfully kitsch Americana. There's the annual golf cart parade bedecked with American flags and sparkles, a rodeo, a fireworks show on the lake. I grew up in a similar town in South Carolina, where the Fourth of July was an annual event replete with family traditions: the dessert pies the mothers baked, the meats the fathers barbecued, the brand of fireworks the kids were sent off to buy at the nearest petrol station. In American mythology, this has always been a day when everyone could celebrate something that felt unifying: the idea of being American. Even in its darkest moments, this was still a country in which progress was deemed possible, one where those who demanded justice would one day be able to bend the arc toward a better place. But this year felt markedly different. On the same day that Americans celebrated our nation's independence, Trump signed into law a budget mega-bill that will axe critical healthcare and food support for the poorest people living in the wealthiest country on earth, while delivering further tax cuts to the richest. Loading In Lake Almanor, hundreds of golf carts taking part in the annual parade are adorned with inflatable Trump statues, or have MAGA flags flying in place of American ones. It's a topic that comes up many times over the course of the weekend; the shame of seeing the American flag being lost as a symbol of equality or of our nation's ideals, to now seemingly signal a border around those signed onto Trump's grievance-filled vision of a country. The once seemingly kitschy – and in some cases sycophantic – obsession much of America has with Trump is no longer funny. The painful irony of this adoration is that Trump's latest bill will result in lives being lost in communities just like Lake Almanor. It's estimated that between 11 and 18 million Americans will lose their health insurance as a result of the new bill, meaning either their healthcare bills become so high they go bankrupt, or they die because they're unable to access essential services. Taxes that directly help fund rural hospitals in regions like this are also set to be lowered, while as much as $US3 trillion will be added to the national debt. Though Republicans are attempting to sell the brilliance of the so-called 'big, beautiful' bill, they know it is deeply unpopular. Days before its final passage, polling showed that just 29 per cent of Americans supported the bill.
The Age
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Age
America's once kitschy obsession with Trump is no longer funny
Last week, after flying home to America for the first time since Donald Trump's re-election, I made the familiar five-hour drive north from San Francisco to Lake Almanor. This part of California is one of the most MAGA-friendly counties in the state. In 2024, Trump won the seat by nearly 17 points. I've been coming to this part of the West Coast for years, joining my best friend and her family to celebrate the Fourth of July – a weekend full of delightfully kitsch Americana. There's the annual golf cart parade bedecked with American flags and sparkles, a rodeo, a fireworks show on the lake. I grew up in a similar town in South Carolina, where the Fourth of July was an annual event replete with family traditions: the dessert pies the mothers baked, the meats the fathers barbecued, the brand of fireworks the kids were sent off to buy at the nearest petrol station. In American mythology, this has always been a day when everyone could celebrate something that felt unifying: the idea of being American. Even in its darkest moments, this was still a country in which progress was deemed possible, one where those who demanded justice would one day be able to bend the arc toward a better place. But this year felt markedly different. On the same day that Americans celebrated our nation's independence, Trump signed into law a budget mega-bill that will axe critical healthcare and food support for the poorest people living in the wealthiest country on earth, while delivering further tax cuts to the richest. Loading In Lake Almanor, hundreds of golf carts taking part in the annual parade are adorned with inflatable Trump statues, or have MAGA flags flying in place of American ones. It's a topic that comes up many times over the course of the weekend; the shame of seeing the American flag being lost as a symbol of equality or of our nation's ideals, to now seemingly signal a border around those signed onto Trump's grievance-filled vision of a country. The once seemingly kitschy – and in some cases sycophantic – obsession much of America has with Trump is no longer funny. The painful irony of this adoration is that Trump's latest bill will result in lives being lost in communities just like Lake Almanor. It's estimated that between 11 and 18 million Americans will lose their health insurance as a result of the new bill, meaning either their healthcare bills become so high they go bankrupt, or they die because they're unable to access essential services. Taxes that directly help fund rural hospitals in regions like this are also set to be lowered, while as much as $US3 trillion will be added to the national debt. Though Republicans are attempting to sell the brilliance of the so-called 'big, beautiful' bill, they know it is deeply unpopular. Days before its final passage, polling showed that just 29 per cent of Americans supported the bill.
Politico
07-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
The Yellow Rose of antitrust
Presented by Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. Quick Fix Ken Paxton's bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn in a GOP primary is the latest chapter in a battle between pro-Trump upstarts and old-line Republicans for control of Washington. When it comes to antitrust policy, the powerful — and oft-embattled — Texas attorney general is already making his presence known. 'From an enforcement policy standpoint, what the Republicans were doing in Texas is now what the Republicans are doing in Washington,' said Michael Keely, who chairs the antitrust practice at the law firm Axinn, Veltrop and Harkrider. Texas law affords its state attorney general considerable authority when it comes to competition policy and consumer protection, and Paxton has taken a broad view on how those powers can be put to use to advance MAGA-friendly political priorities. The Texas AG was recently backed by Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater in a lawsuit targeting large asset managers for allegedly disrupting coal production in their pursuit of environmental, social and governance initiatives. Paxton's investigation into alleged collusion among advertising firms was cited by the FTC chair in a recent decision allowing the ad giant Omnicom to purchase its rival Interpublic — so long as the firms swore off any future effort to steer ad dollars from publishers for political or ideological reasons. Notably, several Paxton alums are now in prominent roles at the White House National Economic Council (Paige Willey, Ryan Baasch), DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel (Lanora Pettit), the Department of Homeland Security (Joseph Mazzara) and the upper echelons of Vice President JD Vance's policy shop (James Lloyd — the former head of the Texas AG's antitrust division). 'Personnel is often policy,' said Keely, who has written about how Paxton could become a driving force for antitrust policy in Trump 2.0. 'The people setting policy have done an interesting job — including the Texas people — of building up what I would consider to be an antitrust intellectual framework around issues that have been more associated with Trump's political' priorities, he added. Still, Paxton's playbook risks creating some political headaches for President Donald Trump's team. Paxton's efforts to police ESG initiatives at asset management firms, for instance, could limit resources for the very industries that the president has sought to elevate. The Texas AG's lawsuit against BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard over their coal holdings requested a court order that would require the investment companies 'to divest from coal or restrain them from limiting coal production or competition.' As the WSJ's editorial board said, it would be hard to boost coal production in the U.S. if three of the largest asset managers in the world were forced to unload their coal company shares. IT'S MONDAY — If you have thoughts on how the Trump administration is navigating antitrust and merger policy, I'd love to hear from you. And as always, send MM tips and pitches to me at ssutton@ Driving the Week MONDAY … TUESDAY … The NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index is out at 6:30 a.m. … House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions holds a hearing on 'Main Street or Mandates? How Dodd-Frank Closed the Door on Financial Opportunities' at 10 a.m. … The House Financial Services Task Force on Monetary Policy holds a hearing entitled 'Less Mandates. More Independence' at 2 p.m. … The Federal Reserve's report on consumer credit is out at 3 p.m. … WEDNESDAY … Senate Banking holds a hearing on 'From Wall Street to Web3: Building Tomorrow's Digital Asset Markets' at 10 a.m. … House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets holds a hearing on the costs and consequences of Dodd-Frank at 10 a.m. … The Chamber of Commerce holds a virtual discussion on 'Trade Wars and the Cost of Doing Business' at 1 p.m. … The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance holds a hearing on the housing shortage at 2 p.m. … The Federal Reserve meeting minutes for June will be released at 2 p.m. … THURSDAY … The Brookings Institution holds a discussion on 'Can Trump Bring Manufacturing Back to the U.S.?' at 10 a.m. … Fed Gov. Christopher Waller will speak at a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and World Affairs Council of Dallas/Ft. Worth event at 12:30 p.m. … The Bipartisan Policy Center holds a virtual discussion on the economic effects of rent regulation at 2 p.m. … FRIDAY … Treasury's monthly budget statement will be released at 2 p.m. … Deadline approaching? Maybe? — As the countdown to Trump's July 9 deadline to impose punishing 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of trading partners, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN's State of the Union that the new rates won't take effect until next month. 'If you don't move things along, then on Aug. 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level,' he said. — Trump isn't sweating that he has yet to deliver on major trade deals with just days to go, Daniel Desrochers and Megan Messerly report. 'We can do whatever we want,' the president said last week about Tuesday's deadline for countries to reach deals — or face punishing new tariffs. 'We could extend it, we could make it shorter. I'd like to make it shorter.' AWOL — As first reported in Playbook, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was supposed to join EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič on Thursday for a meeting as Europe negotiates a trade deal with the Trump administration, but Lutnick had already left town to go on vacation with his family in Italy, a person familiar with the matter told POLITICO's Daniel Lippman and Daniel Desrochers. Instead, Bessent said he was meeting with the EU as the deadline for Trump's pause on his so-called reciprocal tariffs is due to expire next Wednesday. Bessent canceled a family July 4 trip to Wimbledon and the Henley Royal Regatta to get Trump's tax and spending legislation across the finish line and work on trade deals, according to a person familiar with the matter. On Thursday, he also did five media appearances, including all three business networks. 'Secretary Lutnick met his wife and family for a July 4th trip,' a Commerce spokesperson said in a statement to Playbook. 'He has been on nonstop calls working for the American people and plans to be back in DC this weekend. President Trump's deal announcement with Vietnam earlier this week proves that Sec. Lutnick continues to level the playing field for the American worker.' A Treasury spokesperson declined to comment. At the White House Contradictions — Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4. The measure is chockablock with new tax breaks for 'venture capitalists, Alaskan fisheries, spaceports, private schools, rum makers and others,' reports Brian Faler. — While GOP heavyweights spent decades trying to simplify the tax code. Trump's signature piece of domestic policy legislation did the opposite, writes Victoria Guida. 'The result was a sprawling and quirky piece of legislation that is distinctively Trumpy: lower taxes and a bigger pile of tax breaks.' — ICYMI: The legislation allocates tens of billions of dollars for deportation and border patrol that hastens the decline in the size of the foreign-born workforce, the economy could slow. — The effects on health care could be profound, according to The WSJ's Dominique Mosbergen, Joseph Walker, Liz Essley Whyte and Josh Ulick: 'Millions of people will lose health-insurance coverage, and struggling hospitals across the country may have to close, lay off staff or shut down some services, they say. States will also face difficult budget choices as federal funds are reduced.' — White House officials say they are bullish on the economy's trajectory now that OBBB is law. 'It's the same combination of policies, tax cuts, deregulation, trade renegotiation, and energy abundance that gave us astounding economic growth in the president's first term, 2.8 percent until the pandemic,' Council of Economic Advisers Chair Stephen Miran said on Sunday. 'And that's exactly what we forecast again, very similar numbers.' On The Hill The next big bill — The scheduled cuts to the social safety net imposed by OBB are setting the stage for massive political battles in 2026 and 2028, writes Benjamin Guggenheim. Zelle — From Katherine Hapgood: 'Democratic lawmakers in a letter released Thursday called on the banks that own Zelle to provide information on how they will monitor and handle social media scams on peer-to-peer payment platforms.' First in MM: Bipartisan legislation sanctioning Russia — House Financial Services members Reps. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) will introduce legislation today that would impose sanctions on Russia by restricting the opening or maintaining of correspondent or payable-through accounts by certain foreign financial institutions, Katherine Hapgood reports. The bill is expected to be marked up by the committee. 'As a combat veteran and former intelligence officer, I know that words alone will not bring the Russians to the table,' Nunn said. 'This bipartisan bill puts teeth behind our message, cutting off the financial lifelines that fund Putin's aggression without costing the taxpayer a cent.'
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Dooley seeks support as he weighs US Senate bid in Georgia
ATLANTA - Former football coach Derek Dooley's potential bid for U.S. Senate is no fleeting trial balloon. Since emerging as a potential GOP rival to Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, Dooley has quietly met with Georgia donors aligned with Gov. Brian Kemp and traveled to Washington to sit down with senior Republicans close to President Donald Trump. But his possible candidacy raises a question even his allies can't yet answer: Can a political newcomer with almost no public record on hot-button issues win the support of a former president who prizes loyalty above all? Dooley avoided politics during his decades-long coaching career, which included stints as Tennessee's head coach and nine years as an NFL aide. His only recent campaign donation was a $5,000 check to Kemp, a longtime friend. He's steered clear of MAGA rallies, culture war flashpoints, policy debates and overt political messaging. That ambiguity may serve him well in a campaign climate where name recognition and political flexibility can be assets. Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue is one example of a newcomer who converted an outsider brand into statewide victory in Georgia. But Dooley faces a different climb: positioning himself as a unicorn candidate who can win both Kemp's endorsement and Trump's blessing - two factions that have often pulled Georgia Republicans in opposite directions. And other MAGA-friendly contenders are already in the race. Locking up Kemp's support may be the easier task. Though the governor hasn't said much publicly about Dooley's possible bid, his key allies are encouraging it. And Kemp recently told donors to "keep your powder dry" to give him and Trump time to align behind a candidate. The two Republican powerbrokers met in May to discuss a potential joint endorsement, a move supporters say would help the GOP unify against Ossoff – a formidable incumbent already mobilizing his campaign – and avoid a primary that could devolve into who can out-Trump the other. But winning over Trump could prove far tougher. The president has long favored unflinching loyalty over political pragmatism - sometimes to the GOP's detriment. He backed Perdue's failed 2022 primary challenge against Kemp and lined up behind a string of longshot Georgia candidates, including a doomed Democrat-turned-Republican congressional hopeful so smitten with the president he branded himself the "Black Donald Trump." And other GOP contenders are showing no signs of backing off. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Insurance Commissioner John King are in the race, while U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is inching closer to a possible bid. All three have deeper political roots and their own ties to Trump's orbit. Adding to the uncertainty: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could enter, testing just how far a centrist can go in today's Trump-dominated GOP. A coach's playbook A lawyer-turned-coach, Dooley hasn't made a public statement since floating his candidacy earlier this month, when he cast himself as someone who can "cut through the noise and partisanship and get back to real problem-solving." A Trump endorsement might boost his chances - but it may not be a golden ticket to a GOP nomination. Unlike Tommy Tuberville, who rode football fame to the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Dooley's brand in Georgia may be linked more to his late father Vince, the revered Bulldog coach. "Derek Dooley has never been a head coach who built the sort of popular appeal necessary to overcome his unknown political views," said S.E. Buchanan, a Georgia College and State University political scientist. "Realistically, he'd need a strong endorsement from President Trump - and even that's no guarantee in Georgia." The speculation around Dooley's candidacy has been met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, even from some in Kemp's orbit. Jay Morgan, a lobbyist with close ties to Kemp's administration and a former Georgia GOP executive director, said Dooley's bid could backfire. "Now every other candidate thinks they can prove they're more MAGA than he is. It's a curious development," Morgan said. "I know he's a smart guy. I know he's respected. But Ossoff has to be salivating at the chance to face someone so politically untested." Carter and King, for their part, aren't easing off the gas. Carter, a Savannah-area congressman, recently endorsed the former president for a Nobel Peace Prize, just months after sponsoring legislation supporting Trump's effort to purchase Greenland. King, a military veteran and former small-town police chief first appointed to his post by Kemp, is leaning into his foreign policy background while picking up a spree of endorsements from public safety officials. And Collins could further fracture the Trump-aligned base if he runs. Meanwhile, Republican operatives are already previewing the kinds of attacks Dooley could face. A fake press release and website mocking his campaign – dressed in Tennessee's orange-and-white colors – made the rounds this month and briefly fooled some insiders. The "Dooley's Volunteers" spoof also doubled as a warning: In football-mad Georgia, ties to a rival SEC school – and his losing record in Knoxville – are fair game. Still, not all MAGA figures are dismissing him. Salleigh Grubbs, the newly elected first-vice chair of the Georgia GOP and a staunch Trump supporter, said she's open to hearing more. "I believe it all comes down to policy positions. The Dooley family is beloved in Georgia and the legacy of Vince Dooley clearly speaks for itself," Grubbs said. "For MAGA voters, it's all about America First policies. I'm not sure where Derek Dooley stands on those topics, but I sure look forward to finding out." 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