DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Allow NIH Diversity-Related Cuts
In an emergency application filed with the court, the DOJ asked the justices to block a June ruling by Boston-based District Court Judge William Young, which found the cancellation was unlawful and ordered the government to restore the funding.
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UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
2nd whistleblower speaks out on Emil Bove appellate court appointment
Emil Bove, attorney for former President Donald Trump, sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York in 2024. Bove's nomination to a lifetime appeals court judgeship is challenged by a second whistleblower alleging misconduct. File photo by Jeenah Moon/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- A second whistleblower has come forward in the appointment of Emil Bove to a lifetime appellate court judgeship, saying Bove directed attorneys to give false information and defy court orders. Bove, a former member of President Donald Trump's criminal defense team in his fraud case in New York, is the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Trump nominated him for Third Circuit Court of Appeals judge in Philadelphia. The second whistleblower, who is not named, is a career Department of Justice attorney and is represented by Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit legal organization that helps public- and private-sector workers report and expose wrongdoing. They disclosed evidence to the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General that corroborates the first whistleblower's claims that Bove and other senior DOJ officials were "actively and deliberately undermining the rule of law," Whistleblower Aid said. "What we're seeing here is something I never thought would be possible on such a wide scale: federal prosecutors appointed by the Trump Administration intentionally presenting dubious if not outright false evidence to a court of jurisdiction in cases that impact a person's fundamental rights not only under our Constitution, but their natural rights as humans," Whistleblower Aid Chief Legal Counsel Andrew Bakaj said in a statement. "What this means is that federal career attorneys who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution are now being pressured to abdicate that promise in favor of fealty to a single person, specifically Donald Trump. Loyalty to one individual must never outweigh supporting and protecting the fundamental rights of those living in the United States," he said. The DOJ defended Bove. "Emil Bove is a highly qualified judicial nominee who has done incredible work at the Department of Justice to help protect civil rights, dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Make America Safe Again," spokesperson Gates McGavick told CNN. "He will make an excellent judge -- the Department's loss will be the Third Circuit's gain." Bove has contradicted the complaints. "I don't think there's any validity to the suggestion that that whistleblower complaint filed ... calls into question my qualifications to serve as a circuit judge," Bove told the Senate the committee during his confirmation hearing. "I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order," Bove said. As Trump's personal attorney, Bove defended him in his federal criminal cases, which were dismissed after his reelection. He also represented Trump in his New York hush-money case. In that case, he was found guilty of all 34 charges. The previous whistleblower Erez Reuveni provided documents earlier this month saying that Bove is the person who gave the Trump administration the directive to ignore a court order to stop flights taking migrants to a Salvadoran prison. Bove allegedly said to prepare to tell the courts "f- you." Bove told Congress he doesn't remember using the F-word and sidestepped other questions about the incident. Reuveni was fired from his job as the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation after he disclosed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported in error. He worked for the DOJ for 15 years. The Senate gave its preliminary approval for Bove's appointment. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said "Even if you accept most of the claims as true, there's no scandal here. Government lawyers aggressively litigating and interpreting court orders isn't misconduct - it's what lawyers do."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ghislaine Handed DOJ 100 Names in Shameless Pardon Quid Pro Quo
Ghislaine Maxwell, the partner of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, completed a second day of questioning Friday, sharing information on about 100 different people with the Department of Justice. Maxwell, who was convicted of child sex trafficking in connection with the disgraced financier in 2021, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for about three hours on Friday at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. She also sat down with Blanche to answer questions for about six hours on Thursday as the DOJ tries to control the fallout from its handling of the Epstein files. Maxwell's lawyer David Oscar Markus said after the meetings that his client was asked about maybe '100 different people' in connection with Epstein. He said she did not hold anything back. Markus also said that she was asked about 'every possible thing you could imagine—everything." The meeting between the top Trump official and Maxwell was announced by the Justice Department amid mounting pressure for the administration to release more information on the case after it said there was no Epstein client list and indicated there would be no further prosecutions in a recent memo. President Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from Epstein amid outrage from his MAGA base over the DOJ's backtracking on releasing files, a promise the president made on the campaign trail. A bombshell report this week by the Wall Street Journal alleged that Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed Trump in May that his name was in the files multiple times, as were other names. On Friday, the president would not rule out pardoning Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for facilitating and participating in the sex trafficking of teenage girls. When asked by a reporter about the possibility of a pardon while he was departing the White House, Trump said simply that he had not thought about it. 'It's something I haven't thought about,' Trump said. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.' Maxwell's lawyer said in Florida on Friday that his team has not spoken to Trump about a potential pardon but indicated they will push for one. 'We hope he exercises that power in a right and just way,' Markus said. Her lawyer said that the sit-downs this week were Maxwell's first opportunity to answer questions about what happened. 'The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein, and she's the person who's answering those questions,' he said. Critics have argued that Maxwell, who has a lot riding on how she responds, is an unreliable witness. She was charged with two counts of perjury for allegedly making false statements under oath during a 2016 civil case, but those charges were dropped after she was convicted. Blanche has also been criticized for meeting with Maxwell alone, as he previously served as Trump's personal defense attorney before being tapped for a top position in the DOJ. On Friday, Trump not only acknowledged that he is 'allowed' to pardon Maxwell as president, but he also tried to scapegoat others as he denies he ever had a close relationship with Epstein.
3 hours ago
'This Week' Transcript 7-27-25: Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Thomas Massie, Save the Children Gaza Humanitarian Director Rachael Cummings & Stephen A. Smith
A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, July 27, 2025 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive. KARL: And I'm joined now by the bipartisan duo pushing the Trump administration to release the Epstein files, Republican Congressman Tom Massie of Kentucky, and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California. Congressman Massie, let me start with you. You are co-sponsoring this bill to force a release of these files. Why -- what does -- what does your bill do exactly, and why now? REP. THOMAS MASSIE, (R) KENTUCKY & JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBER: It would force a full release of the files. It has the force of law. It's not a subpoena. It's not a pretty please would you release the files. It's the force of law. And it's got protections to redact victims' names and to prevent, you know, release of child pornography. Why are we doing it now? Because it wasn't until now that I realized how insincere the people working on this were. I mean, they've told us all along that we were going to get these files, and then only recently did we find out they're not going to release the files. KARL: So, Congressman Khanna, let me ask you a really basic question on this. Why are Democrats suddenly interested in the Epstein case? I mean, did -- did you or -- I mean,n did you ask the Biden Justice Department to release these files? REP. RO KHANNA, (D) CALIFORNIA & OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBER: It's not a sudden interest. Actually, the former chair, Elijah Cummings, had an investigation starting in 2019. And I have tweeted out supporting that back in 2019. We have been pushing for transparency. During the Biden administration, both in 2021 and 2024, the court ordered release of documents. But Donald Trump raised the stakes. And he did it in a way in the campaign that was justified. He said, look, when I get there, I'm going to release the files. Pam Bondi says there's a client list. Then she says, no, it's just a file. She's going to release them. I didn't criticize them at all those first few months. But when they refused to release the files, when they said there's nothing more to see, that's when we said transparency demands the full release of the files. KARL: Yes, and -- and what is going on in the administration on this, Congressman Massie? I mean, they -- they devoted -- we talked earlier -- about 1,000 FBI, DOJ personnel, DOJ personnel working on this, all this talk of releasing it and then suddenly the president's out referring to it as a hoax and saying nobody cares. MASSIE: Well, I don't think it's a hoax at all. It's emblematic of the promise that President Trump brought with him to the White House, how he energized so many people who had checked out of the political system. He was going to be the guy who holds all the rich and powerful and politically connected people accountable, and that's why there's so much disappointment right now. I don't think the president himself is particularly implicated in these files. You know, there have been some theories that that's the case. But I do think he has friend who may be embarrassed by the release of these files. And the release of these files may not implicate them. It may just be embarrassment. But for some reason he's decided to do a 180 on this. KARL: Now, there was this story in "The Wall Street Journal" about a -- a birthday message that -- that "The Journal" reports that Trump wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday. And it's part of a book of -- of messages. Obviously, the president denies that he did this. He's suing "The Wall Street Journal" over it. But would you support something that Congressman Khanna has been calling for, which is a -- pressing the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, subpoenaing the estate to turn that book over? MASSIE: Well, I think we should get a lot more than just the book. Let's get the financial records of the estate. We're -- follow the money, as they say up here. KARL: Yes. MASSIE: We should look at the plea-bargain, open that up, see what was the deal -- what was the deal that was cut. I think there's a lot more than just that letter. But that letter is also sort of representative of something that's embarrassing, but not illegal. That, you know, another reason why these files may be sealed and -- and stay sealed. But we're going to -- we're going to force a vote on this when we get back from the August recess. Ro Khanna and I are using a procedure in the House called a discharge petition, whereby if we get 218 votes, and we're well on our way to that, 218 signatures, then we can force the vote. KARL: Yes. So you're just going to need a couple more Republicans to sign that if Democrats go along. Are -- you can get that? MASSIE: If every -- if every Democrat signs this, I've already got 12 Republican co-sponsors, and I only need six to sign it. KARL: But will they sign? I mean, will they -- because that -- because that's taking control of the House schedule away from the speaker. MASSIE: Yes. I think the pressure is going to build over August recess. I don't think it's going to dissipate like the speaker hopes that it will. And if merely just half the people who've co-sponsored this legislation follow through and sign it, then it's going to come to the floor for a vote. KARL: So, Congressman Khanna, we had this rather extraordinary visit to Florida of Todd Blanche to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell. Do you agree with those who say that she should testify, wanting her to testify before Congress? KHANNA: I do. I have skepticism given she was indicted of perjury, given she has a motive for getting a pardon. Again, love that Todd Blanche was meeting with her, allegedly, one-on-one. But I'm for all the evidence coming out. It's important, though, that this is not something that is anti-President Trump. This is for transparency. I'm less concerned about his mentions. I'm much more concerned about the hundreds of people who were powerful and rich, who had impunity, and I'm concerned about restoring justice for the victims. He promised to expose this. I think the American people don't think he's a perfect person. They thought he was going to expose a system that wasn't working for them, and that's really what this is about. KARL: What would be the reaction if he actually went through and did some form of clemency, granted some form of clemency to Ghislaine Maxwell, Congressman Khanna? KHANNA: Well, I think people would say, why is he doing that? And is -- can we really believe Maxwell's testimony? I mean, I don't love the broad pardon power in the first place. I think it has been abused. I think at this point, though, what the American people desperately need is for all of the evidence in the files to come out so they can decide for themselves, so they're not relying on Maxwell, so they're not relying on even congressional committees. Let the American people decide. KARL: And how would you react to a pardon or a clemency? MASSIE: I don't think she deserves that or needs that. I mean, she's guilty of crimes. But it's hard to believe that she herself and Epstein did these crimes by themselves, right? KARL: Yes. MASSIE: So it's time to find out who else was involved. And I agree with Ro here. The bank records don't lie. The documents don't lie. They don't change. The plea bargains that have been sealed don't lie. Let's release those. KARL: Before you go, I want -- I want to look at how Speaker Johnson has reacted to what you are doing on this, trying to force a vote to release the records. Here's just some of what Johnson said this week about you. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I say Thomas Massie is the one trying to bite Republicans. OK. I'm not certain what his strategy is. I don't understand Thomas Massie's motivation. I really don't. I don't know how his mind works. I don't know what he's -- what he's thinking. Thomas Massie could have brought his discharge petition anytime over the last four and a half years, over the last four years of the Biden administration. (END VIDEO CLIP) KARL: And he also said bless your heart. MASSIE: Yes. KARL: So, how do you respond to that? And he's making -- yes, he's asking a variation of the question I asked Congressman Khanna. He's like, you know, why didn't you try to do this four years ago? MASSIE: Well, like Khanna said, you know, I've got evidence of tweets where I've been asking for these things before. The question is, why isn't Mike Johnson having this vote? Why did he send us home early? And he talks about political pain for Republicans, as if by invoking transparency and inflicting pain, that should be very telling. What is painful about having this vote? I'll tell you what's politically going to be a liability is if we don't vote on this and we go into the midterms and everybody becomes, you know, they just check out because Republicans didn't keep their promise, and Donald Trump. We'll lose the majority. By the way, they're also running $1.8 million of ads against me, Republicans are. KARL: Republicans. Yes. MASSIE: For bringing measures like this to the floor. KARL: All right. Congressman Massie, Congressman Khanna, bipartisanship here on THIS WEEK. Thank you both very much. KARL: I'm joined now by Rachael Cummings, the Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children, who is right now coming to us on the ground in Gaza. So thank you, Rachael. Thank you for the work you are doing. Thank you for taking time to speak with us. Just give me a sense, how is it looking right now on the ground? RACHAEL CUMMINGS, SAVE THE CHILDREN GAZA HUMANITARIAN DIRECTOR: The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving, and we run health connects in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis through a nutrition center in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and we are seeing an exponential lines in the number of children attending our clinic. In the first two weeks of July, we've seen exactly the same number of children we saw in the whole of June, and we're expecting that trajectory, sadly, to increase. The number of children who are malnourished, very concerningly, pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding are also malnourished. But this morning, I went to our clinic in Deir Al-Balah, about 10 minutes from where I am right now. And it was absolutely packed, and it was a scene I had never witnessed before. And I've been working in this sector for over 20 years in the whole (ph) of Africa, in various places around the world. And every child in the health center today was malnourished, but also every adult was extremely thin, gaunt-looking, exhausted. The situation is absolutely terrible here. KARL: And you've been there since early last year, so you've seen a desperate situation getting exponentially more desperate. CUMMINGS: Yeah. And for months I've said, how can it get worse for children? It cannot get any worse for children, but apparently, yes, it can get worse for children. And now, we are seeing all of the coping mechanisms that families have deployed within -- with mothers eating less than three meals a day to two meals a day, to one meal a day. Now, they're not having a meal a day. And this is very, very concerning. And this is at scale. KARL: So overnight, we saw the Israelis do these humanitarian air aid drops. I know that you and other aid workers say this is not the effective way to get support in. But you also have this pause in the military operations. Is it -- are you seeing any signs that this is going to make a difference? CUMMINGS: We welcome the humanitarian supplies entering Garza, of course. And we need to do that in a controlled manner. Airdrops are not in a controlled manner and one airdrop is equal to around one truck. So we need to bring in humanitarian supplies, supplies over land through the recognized routes. We need the U.N. system be enabled to manage the distributions. We know as Save the Children, as humanitarian agencies, how to do safe and dignified distributions. So yes, we welcome the fact that now the U.N. is allowed to bring in humanitarian supplies, including food, including medicines, including nutrition commodities, and including hygiene supplies. KARL: All right. Rachael Cummings with Save the Children, again, thank you for the work you're doing. I can hear your commitment. I can hear the emotion in your voice. Thank you for sharing your observations with us, and we hope this situation turns around and turns around soon. Thank you very much.
