Latest news with #grandJuryTestimony
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speaker Mike Johnson Won't Allow House Vote On Jeffrey Epstein Files
WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said a vote on releasing more information about Jeffrey Epstein isn't necessary as President Donald Trump continues to struggle with the controversy surrounding the convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. 'My belief is we need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing. If further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we'll look at that. But I don't think we're at that point right now,' Johnson told reporters on Monday. After intense public pressure, including from many of his MAGA supporters, Trump called for a federal judge to release grand jury testimony related to the disgraced late financier. The move has appeased some but not all of those calling into question the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death. Trump and many in his orbit previously suggested that Epstein was murdered in prison to cover up his ties to prominent Democrats. Last week, a group of conservative House members derailed passage of a bill cutting $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds for hours over the so-called Epstein files. They forced Johnson to ultimately agree to advance a nonbinding resolution, prepared by Republicans, that calls for the release of some materials from the Epstein case. But while the recissions package clawing back spending made it to Trump's desk, the nonbinding resolution did not. With Johnson making clear the House won't take it up this week, the earliest the chamber could vote on it would be after Labor Day, following the annual August recess ― if at all. Comedian and podcaster Theo Von, who is popular in the MAGA world, did not appear to take Johnson's decision kindly. He called on the House speaker to allow a vote on a separate bipartisan bill requiring the Department of Justice to release more information about Epstein. Democrats also criticized Johnson for seeking to bury information about Epstein. 'Speaker Johnson and Republicans wrote a toothless resolution on the Epstein files and now won't even bring *that* up for a vote so that they can give Donald Trump more time to distract the American people from his broken promises and secrets,' Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) wrote in a post online. The White House, meanwhile, is continuing to rage about The Wall Street Journal's reporting that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a 'bawdy' letter for his birthday in 2003. Trump and Epstein were longtime friends who partied in New York. Republicans have slammed the report, and Trump sued the outlet. 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump bows to Epstein critics clamoring for more records. Will it calm MAGA's fury?
Facing a growing backlash to his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, President Donald Trump offered a concession to critics who want him to disclose more documents. Trump on July 17 asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony from Epstein's legal proceedings. For a president who is known for relentlessly punching back at critics, it was a notable instance of bowing to their demands. Whether it calms the furor around the case remains to be seen. Some Trump allies who have been calling for more Epstein records were quick to share the president's announcement online, but it didn't satisfy others on the right and left who have pushed for the full release of documents. More: 'I don't draw pictures': Trump denies report he wrote Epstein lewd 50th birthday letter Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who filed legislation to release all the government's Epstein records, wrote in social media post that Trump's move indicates the pressure campaign is 'working.' 'But we want all the files,' Massie added. More: Which MAGA supporters is Trump calling 'weaklings' over Epstein files? See the list The Epstein controversy has consumed Trump's presidency in recent days. The administration's attempt to close the book on Epstein - a wealthy convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges - has enflamed parts of the MAGA base, who have speculated about a potential Epstein "client list" that the government is shielding from public view. The Justice Department released a memo July 7 stating that a "systematic review" of documents "revealed no incriminating 'client list,'" and "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." The DOJ memo led to a wave of MAGA backlash, as Trump allies called for the release of more documents. More: How do voters feel about Trump team's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case? Trump initially responded angrily, slamming his own supporters in a social media post as 'weaklings' who had bought into what he described as the 'Jeffrey Epstein hoax.' The president finally budged on July 17 after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump wrote a lewd letter to Epstein, who was a social acquaintance of Trump's in the 1990s and early 2000s, for a leather-bound 50th birthday book. The Journal reported that the book was among the materials reviewed by Justice Department officials investigating Epstein. Trump denied writing the letter in a social media post that was followed shortly afterward by a post announcing he'd seek to release more records. 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,' Trump wrote. Trump's announcement also came as bipartisan pressure builds in Congress to compel the release of more records. Massie's bill, filed with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, has four Democratic and 10 GOP co-sponsors, including progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia. More: Musk fans Epstein controversy with stream of social media posts Ro Khanna: Courts will deny Trump's request Khanna responded to Trump's move to release grand jury testimony during a floor speech July 17. He said the testimony is largely about Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein associate found guilty of aiding his abuse. The testimony is 'not about all the rich and powerful men who abused, assaulted and abandoned young women, those people are still being protected,' Khanna said, adding that 'the courts usually don't release grand jury testimony.' More: Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered. It could take time for the courts to release any records, and the grand jury documents are just a portion of the unreleased files. 'What about videos, photographs and other recordings?' Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman, a former prosecutor, wrote on social media in response to Bondi saying she'd seek the release of grand jury testimony. 'What about FBI… (witness interviews)? What about texts and emails?' Meanwhile, Congress also is considering another, non-binding, resolution calling for the release of Epstein records. The House Rules Committee advanced the resolution July 17 on a party-line vote. Democrats opposed the measure because it is non-binding. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Trump calm MAGA's fury by releasing more Epstein records?
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
First Thing: Trump requests release of Epstein grand jury transcripts amid report of ‘bawdy' birthday note
Good morning. Donald Trump said he has requested the release of grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking case, as controversy grows over reports alleging he contributed a sketch of a naked woman to Epstein's 50th birthday album. The president said on Truth Social that he had authorized the justice department to seek the public release of the materials, with the attorney general, Pam Bondi, saying she would comply with the directive. It comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had contributed a 'bawdy' letter that featured a drawing of a naked woman, with a typewritten personal message to Epstein, to an album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003. What has Trump said about the story? He has decried it as a hoax and vowed to sue the Journal. What was the relationship between the pair? They fell out over a Florida property bidding war in 2004 and Trump further distanced himself from Epstein following the financier's conviction for child sex offences in 2008. But before that, they were friends for 15 years. Here is a detailed view of their relationship over the years. Donald Trump has given a New York prosecutor a new job title to keep him in post despite federal judges rejecting his appointment. After a judicial panel refused to make John Sarcone III a permanent US attorney for New York's northern district, the justice department named him 'special attorney to the attorney general' – a title that grants him the same powers and no time limit. It is just the latest example of Trump's maneuvers to get around traditional oversight mechanisms: his administration has formally nominated only around a quarter of its attorney generals, instead using interim appointments to bypass Senate confirmation. What issues has Sarcone's appointment faced? A key problem has been that an address he listed as his legal residence turned out to be a boarded-up building. US attorneys must live within their district. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill to slash funding for foreign aid and public media early on Friday, with just two House Republicans voting against the cut. The legislation will now go to the White House to be signed into law. The House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, argued against the Republican view that the bill cuts back wasteful spending, saying it undermines the US's soft power and ability to keep its people safe, as well as threatening rural Americans' access to emergency information via public radio. Who voted against it? The Democrats were joined by Republican representatives Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania and Mike Turner from Ohio in voting against. Hundreds were killed over four days in southern Syria, with witnesses saying it was impossible to distinguish between state security forces and rogue militias as sectarian divisions remain rife in the country. Tens of thousands of people at 1,500 sites across the US joined anti-Trump protests on Thursday, on the fifth anniversary of the death of congressman and voting rights advocate John Lewis. A farmer who helped carry medical supplies to treat demonstrators injured in Iran's 2022 protests is on death row, his family and campaigners said. Colleagues have voiced their support for a California professor who was charged with assaulting a federal officer during an immigration raid at a cannabis farm that led to a worker's death. Medicaid has reportedly struck a deal with immigration authorities to give agents access to a wide range of Americans' personal data, from addresses and social security numbers to information on ethnicity, in what critics have condemned as a major privacy violation. This is despite undocumented migrants generally being ineligible for Medicaid – and only 6% of recipients being noncitizens, according to the healthcare research non-profit the Kaiser Family Foundation. Almost 25 years after Linkin Park released their debut album, this month the band played their biggest headline gig to date, at Wembley stadium in London. They told Rachel Aroesti about moving forward as a band given the backlash faced by their new frontwoman, Emily Armstrong, who replaced Chester Bennington after he died by suicide in 2017. Tackling the climate emergency has a democracy problem: authoritarian countries produce the majority of the world's emissions, while many of the major suppliers of oil and gas are also undemocratic. Fiona Harvey looks at why this matters, as the a small number of autocratic states wield more power over the planet's future than ever before, and what can be done. Denis Kwan Hong-Wang is a world champion in spacing out – and he's got the trophy to prove it. The Hong Konger entered the Space‑Out competition last year, a contest in which participants sit still in silence for 90 minutes, staring blankly ahead. Their ability to do nothing is judged by an audience, and their heart rate is measured. The space-out champion noted that winning the quirky competition reminded him that in today's non-stop society we all need to take some time out 'to do the things that nourish us, or just to have the space to do nothing'. First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. 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Sky News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump latest: US president says there is no Epstein 'smoking gun' in attack on Democrats
Donald Trump has ordered the release of grand jury testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, following a Wall Street Journal report about a 2003 birthday letter bearing Trump's name. But how did we get here? It comes during a week in which pressure is growing on Trump. Let's take a look at how this issue unravelled for the US president - from a conspiracy he used as a strength, to a potential area of weakness with his own supporters. February: 'It's sitting on my desk right now' At the heart of the anger is the supposed existence of a client list of well-known figures that Epstein allegedly blackmailed. Shortly after Donald Trump came to power, attorney general Pam Bondi was asked whether the US department of justice (DOJ) would release the alleged client list of Jeffrey Epstein. She responded: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review. That's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that." And then in the same month, a group of 15 right-wing influencers visited the White House and emerged with binders labelled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" that they obtained from Bondi. But it was soon realised that there was little new information in the files - most of it was already in the public domain. 5 June: Musk's 'big bomb' After Trump and Elon Musk's bromance came to a bitter end, the Tesla CEO tweeted: "Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures. "Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." 7 July: Nothing to see here? The DOJ and FBI concluded Epstein did not have a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did kill himself. The DOJ said that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted". According to a two-page memo, investigators found no "incriminating list" of clients. A day later, Trump shut down a reporter's question about the case. "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years," Trump said. "You're asking - we have Texas [where there were deadly floods], we have this, we have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable." And Bondi tried to clarify her past comments on the case, saying: "In February, I did an interview on Fox, and it's been getting a lot of attention because I said I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, it's sitting on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That's what I meant by that." 12 July: FBI v DOJ row Sources reported there was a heated argument between FBI deputy director Dan Bongino and Pam Bondi at the White House. Bongino was said to be frustrated with how the DOJ has handled the Jeffrey Epstein files, a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions told our US partner network NBC News. Right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X that she was told that Bongino was "seriously thinking about resigning". July 15: 'She can release the files' Trump said Bondi should release "whatever she thinks is credible" on Epstein. "If a document's there that's credible, she can release. I think it's good," he said. It came as Bondi faced growing criticism from some of Trump's political base after her department said there was no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list". They have criticised Bondi for failing to fully publish the Epstein files, including a list of clients they believe exists but which the government review found, as we saw earlier this month, does not. 16 July: Trump hits out at 'past supporters' Trump took a swipe at "past supporters" who had bought into this "bullshit" and who have been critical of his administration's handling of the Epstein case in a post on Truth Social. He later told reporters: "It's all been a big hoax. "It's perpetrated by the Democrats, and some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net." 17 July: Special prosecutor not recommended White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will not recommend appointing a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Leavitt said Trump had already directed the DOJ and attorney general Pam Bondi to conduct an "exhaustive review of all files," dismissing the renewed interest in Epstein as politically motivated and accusing Democrats of ignoring the issue during their time in power.
