Latest news with #RobertGarcia
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Oversight Democrat pledges probe into Epstein files: ‘Someone is lying'
Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, urged his colleagues Wednesday to 'demand answers' regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, as President Trump has repeatedly tried to tamp down the public fixation on the convicted sex offender's case. 'It's obvious to the American public, someone is lying, and someone is trying to hide something,' Garcia said on the House floor Wednesday. 'The truth is we don't know what the facts are in this case.' The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a memo last week it concluded in its investigation that Epstein didn't have a 'client list' and ruled he died by suicide in 2019, after Trump supporters have spent years speculating about his case. The president on Wednesday ripped supporters who have pressed for more information about documents related to Epstein. 'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls‑‑‑,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.' 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' he added. Garcia, while speaking for roughly three minutes during a session in the chamber open to various topics, propped up a giant photo of Epstein and Trump from decades ago. He detailed the president's prior statements about the disgraced financier and comments made by key members of his administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, about his case. 'Now, I can't explain why the Trump administration have changed their minds on Epstein, but their behavior raises questions,' the California Democrat said. 'This is the time that we must demand answers, and the Oversight Committee is going to do just that.' Despite the threat, Democrats on the top investigative panel do not have the ability to subpoena people on their own as the House has a GOP majority. Committee Chair James Comer's (R-Ky.) office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Separately, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee has also pressed for a hearing. 'President Trump and his top appointees at the DOJ and FBI have spent years advancing theories that 'the Deep State' has been suppressing the true magnitude of the child sex trafficking and abuse ring created by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates,' Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote in a letter to Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). 'The Trump DOJ and FBI's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and President Trump's suddenly shifting positions, have not restored anyone's trust in the government but have rather raised profound new questions about their own conduct while increasing public paranoia related to the investigation,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top Oversight Dem: ‘We need to keep the pressure' on Epstein files
Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, urged lawmakers to keep pushing for the release of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files as the White House has attempted to tamp down on the issue. 'Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. We know that,' Garcia asserted on MSNBC Friday. 'It's time for the whole truth to come out.' Garcia previously pledged to launch a probe into Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top Trump officials, although he cannot force the Oversight Committee to take any action without the support of at least some of its Republican members. President Trump on Friday instructed the Justice Department to seek the release of grand jury testimony. The department filed motions in federal court later in the day to unseal the transcripts. 'I have asked the Justice Department to release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday. 'With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request.' 'It will always be more, more, more,' he continued. MAGA!' Garcia, in his Friday appearance, highlighted a discharge petition in the House circulated by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a vote on releasing information related to Epstein, the now-deceased financier and convicted sex offender. The resolution now has at least 10 Republican cosponsors, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) alongside progressives like Khanna and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Garcia is not yet an official cosponsor, but he has called on the Trump administration to release files related to the Epstein case. If it garners majority support, the discharge petition would bypass the House's usual committee process and force a floor vote. That could happen as soon as the chamber returns from the August recess, Garcia said on Saturday. 'We'll see how serious the MAGA base and the MAGA Republicans actually are about releasing the files,' he said. On Friday, Garcia also attacked Fox News for editing an interview with Trump last summer in a way that he views changed Trump's answer to a question about the release of the Epstein files. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Manny Pacquiao vs Mario Barrios undercard thrown into chaos as fighter is rushed to hospital on eve of Las Vegas fight
MANNY PACQUIAO'S return fight has suffered a last-minute blow following a major change to the undercard. Pacquiao, 46, is scheduled to take on Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 3 3 3 However, the fight card has been thrown into disarray following a very unfortunate incident. Angel Fierro was rushed to hospital and sadly had to pull out of his rematch with Isaac Cruz. Fierro, 26, and Cruz, 27, were set to face off in a super lightweight clash following the latter's victory in February. However, Fierro was deemed unfit after being taken to hospital due to health issues relating to his weight cut. Fierro's trainer Robert Garcia confirmed the unfortunate news by stating it would be "too dangerous" to continue cutting weight and insisted he has a responsibility to protect his fighter's health. Garcia tweeted: "I want to start off by apologizing to all the fans that made the trip to Vegas, to Pitbull and his team and everyone involved in the fight. "I made the decision this morning to not allow my fighter Angel Fierro to cut anymore weight and instructed our team to take him to the hospital. "I have a responsibility to not only prepare my fighter to fight, but also to keep him safe. "The last few lbs were going to be too dangerous for him to cut and I made the decision to pull him out. Again we apologize to everyone involved." Omar Salcido, who is scheduled to face Brian Gallegos on the same card, is said to be the frontrunner to replace Fierro in the fight against Cruz. Salcido's trainer Jose Benavidez Sr confirmed they are "ready" to step up to the plate after the boxing ace successfully made the 140lbs super lightweight limit Benavidez Sr told Boxing Scene: 'It's a big opportunity. We're ready. We're excited. 'We're just waiting on them [Premier Boxing Champions] to get it done.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Makeup artist is one of the US deportees sent from El Salvador to Venezuela, congressman says
Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist from Venezuela who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and held in a notorious mega-prison, was among the scores of migrants sent back to Venezuela in a three-nation exchange Friday, a California congressman said. Rep. Robert Garcia posted on social media Friday night: 'We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero's legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.' Romero, a gay man, fled Venezuela last summer and sought asylum in the U.S. He used a U.S. Customs and Border Protection phone app to arrange an appointment at a U.S. border crossing in San Diego. That's where he was asked about his tattoos. U.S. immigration authorities use a series of 'gang identifiers' to help them spot members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Romero, who is in his early 20s, has a crown tattooed on each wrist. One is next to the word 'Mom.' The other next to 'Dad.' The crowns, according to his lawyer, also pay homage to his hometown's Christmastime 'Three Kings' festival, and to his work in beauty pageants, where crowns are common. Romero, who insisted he has no ties to Tren, was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and transferred to a California detention center. He was eventually flown to the Salvadoran mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Makeup artist is one of the US deportees sent from El Salvador to Venezuela, congressman says
WASHINGTON — Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist from Venezuela who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and held in a notorious mega-prison, was among the scores of migrants sent back to Venezuela in a three-nation exchange Friday, a California congressman said. Rep. Robert Garcia posted on social media Friday night: 'We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero's legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.'
