logo
Klobuchar defends Democrats for inaction on Epstein under Biden

Klobuchar defends Democrats for inaction on Epstein under Biden

The Hill3 days ago
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) defended Democrats for jumping on Republican calls for the federal government to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even though her party largely remained mum on the issue while former President Biden was in office.
In an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union' with Jake Tapper, the Minnesota Democrat rejected President Trump's efforts to blame Democrats for inaction.
'The president blaming Democrats for this disaster, Jake, is like that CEO that got caught on camera blaming Coldplay,' Klobuchar said, referring to the latest so-called 'kiss cam' scandal.
'This is his making. He was president when Epstein got indicted for these charges and went to prison. He was president when Epstein committed suicide. And then there was another case, as you know, that continued during the Biden administration, but he was president back then, so all of us would believe they know what's in these documents. They know what's there. They've been claiming forever that they should be released,' she continued.
'It is a Trump administration that has made this promise that they're going to release it,' Klobuchar added, noting Attorney General Pam Bondi released binders described as the 'first phase' of the declassification of Epstein documents.
Klobuchar emphasized that Democrats have not been as focused on the issue as Republicans have been.
'Blaming Democrats for this, to me, I'm sorry. This is- the people that have been fomenting this are right-wing influencers, members of Congress,' she said.
'People have a reason that they want to know what's in there. They believe the President when he said there's stuff in there that people should see. Wall Street Journal. These are not bastions of liberalism or wild progressives that have come out and said the public has a right to know what is in these documents,' she continued.
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Friday, asked why the Democrats did not release the files linked to the disgraced financier when they controlled the Senate and White House.
'If there was a 'smoking gun' on Epstein, why didn't the Dems, who controlled the 'files' for four years, and had [former Attorney General Merrick] Garland and [ex-prosecutor Maureen] Comey in charge, use it,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added, 'BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!'
Trump earlier directed Bondi to release relevant grand jury testimony in Epstein's case. The directive, which has garnered mixed reactions, followed pressure from some of Trump's supporters and Democrats alike for the White House to disclose more information about its probe of the case.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs
Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rallied on Wednesday, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index up more than 3% after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on President Donald Trump's tariffs. The agreement as announced calls for a 15% import duty on goods imported from Japan, apart from certain products such as steel and aluminum that are subject to much higher tariffs. That's down from the 25% Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1 if a deal was not reached. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Japan was also investing 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. He said Japan would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.1% to 25,397.81, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.8% to 3,608.58. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.6% to 8,731.90 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.1% higher to 3,172.10. 'President Trump has signed two trade deals this week with the Philippines and Japan which is likely to keep market sentiment propped up despite deals with the likes of the EU and South Korea remaining elusive, for now at least,' Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at Kohle Capital Markets, said in a report. There was a chorus of no comments from the Japanese automakers, despite the latest announcement, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Corp. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association also said it had no comment, noting there was no official statement yet. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the agreement as beneficial to both sides. Wall Street inched to another record on Tuesday following some mixed profit reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies gave updates on how much Trump's tariffs are hurting or helping them. The S&P 500 added 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 44,502.44. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. General Motors dropped 8.1% despite reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected. The automaker said it's still expecting a $4 billion to $5 billion hit to its results in 2025 from higher tariffs and that it hopes to mitigate 30% of that. GM also said it will feel more pain because of tariffs in the current quarter than it did during the spring. That helped to offset big gains for some homebuilders after they reported stronger profits for the spring than Wall Street had forecast. D.R. Horton rallied 17%, and PulteGroup jumped 11.5%. That was even as both companies said homebuyers are continuing to deal with challenging conditions, including higher mortgage rates and an uncertain economy. So far, the U.S. economy seems to be powering through the uncertainty created by Trump's on-and-off tariffs. Many of Trump's proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and the next big deadline is Aug. 1. Talks are underway on possible trade deals with other countries that could lower the stiff proposals before they kick in. Trump said he reached a trade agreement with the Philippines following a meeting Tuesday at the White House, that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. In the bond market, Treasury yields sank as traders continue to expect the Federal Reserve to wait until September at the earliest to resume cutting interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.34% from 4.38% late Monday. In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 14 cents to $65.45 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard added 18 cents to $68.77 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched up to 146.80 Japanese yen from 146.64 yen. The euro cost $1.1745, down from $1.1754. ___ AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed. Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio

Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135
Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers on Wednesday were set to begin reviewing the July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people, a disaster that put local officials under scrutiny over why residents along the Guadalupe River did not receive more warnings. The catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country and a partisan redrawing of U.S. House maps, aimed at giving Republicans more winnable seats in the 2026 elections, are two major issues in a 30-day special session that is already off to a combative start. Democrats want to address flood relief and new flood warning systems before taking votes on new congressional maps sought by President Donald Trump. They have not ruled out a walkout in a bid to derail the redistricting, which they have slammed as a partisan power grab. State and county emergency response officials are scheduled to testify on Wednesday, but no officials from Kerr County, the area most hard-hit by the floods, are expected to appear. Lawmakers have filed bills to improve early warning systems and emergency communications and to provide relief funding. Kerr County, where 27 campers and counselors, most of them children, were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, does not have a warning system along the river after several missed opportunities by state and local agencies to finance one. Three people remain missing. At one point, county officials said more than 170 people were unaccounted for. Lawmakers are scheduled to visit Kerrville on July 31 to hear from residents. Democrats have left open the possibility of filibusters or walking out in the coming weeks to block the proposed congressional map redraw. On Monday, most of the party's members in the House signed a letter to the speaker stating that they would not engage in any work before addressing flood relief. But Democrats have few paths to resistance as the minority party in both chambers. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the $500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum. ___ Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Solve the daily Crossword

Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs
Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs

The Hill

time12 minutes ago

  • The Hill

Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up more than 3%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rallied on Wednesday, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index up more than 3% after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on President Donald Trump's tariffs. The agreement as announced calls for a 15% import duty on goods imported from Japan, apart from certain products such as steel and aluminum that are subject to much higher tariffs. That's down from the 25% Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1 if a deal was not reached. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Japan was also investing 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. He said Japan would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.1% to 25,397.81, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.8% to 3,608.58. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.6% to 8,731.90 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.1% higher to 3,172.10. 'President Trump has signed two trade deals this week with the Philippines and Japan which is likely to keep market sentiment propped up despite deals with the likes of the EU and South Korea remaining elusive, for now at least,' Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at Kohle Capital Markets, said in a report. There was a chorus of no comments from the Japanese automakers, despite the latest announcement, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Corp. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association also said it had no comment, noting there was no official statement yet. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the agreement as beneficial to both sides. Wall Street inched to another record on Tuesday following some mixed profit reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies gave updates on how much Trump's tariffs are hurting or helping them. The S&P 500 added 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 44,502.44. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. General Motors dropped 8.1% despite reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected. The automaker said it's still expecting a $4 billion to $5 billion hit to its results in 2025 from higher tariffs and that it hopes to mitigate 30% of that. GM also said it will feel more pain because of tariffs in the current quarter than it did during the spring. That helped to offset big gains for some homebuilders after they reported stronger profits for the spring than Wall Street had forecast. D.R. Horton rallied 17%, and PulteGroup jumped 11.5%. That was even as both companies said homebuyers are continuing to deal with challenging conditions, including higher mortgage rates and an uncertain economy. So far, the U.S. economy seems to be powering through the uncertainty created by Trump's on-and-off tariffs. Many of Trump's proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and the next big deadline is Aug. 1. Talks are underway on possible trade deals with other countries that could lower the stiff proposals before they kick in. Trump said he reached a trade agreement with the Philippines following a meeting Tuesday at the White House, that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. In the bond market, Treasury yields sank as traders continue to expect the Federal Reserve to wait until September at the earliest to resume cutting interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.34% from 4.38% late Monday. In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 14 cents to $65.45 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard added 18 cents to $68.77 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched up to 146.80 Japanese yen from 146.64 yen. The euro cost $1.1745, down from $1.1754. ___

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store