Epstein furor undermining public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say
Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who want the House of Representatives to vote on their bipartisan resolution requiring full release of the government's Epstein files, said the lack of transparency is reinforcing public perceptions that the rich and powerful live beyond the reach of the judicial system.
"This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms. The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable," Massie, a hardline conservative from Kentucky, told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
Republicans hope to add to their current 219-212 House majority -- with four seats currently vacant -- and 53-47 Senate majority in November 2026, although the U.S. political cycle traditionally punishes the party of the sitting president during midterm elections.
Khanna said Attorney General Pam Bondi triggered "a crisis of trust" by saying there was no list of Epstein clients after previously implying that one existed. The change in position unleashed a tsunami of calls for her resignation from Trump's MAGA base.
"This is about trust in government," the California Democrat told "Meet the Press." "This is about being a reform agent of transparency."
President Donald Trump, who is playing golf and holding bilateral trade talks in Scotland, has been frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and 2019 death by suicide in prison.
Massie and Khanna believe they can win enough support from fellow lawmakers to force a vote on their resolution when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. But they face opposition from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home a day early to stymie Democratic efforts to force a vote before the break.
Johnson, who also appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he favors a non-binding alternative resolution that calls for release of "credible" evidence, but which he said would better protect victims including minors.
"The Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented," Johnson said. "It does not adequately include those protections."
Massie dismissed Johnson's claim as "a straw man" excuse. "Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted," he said. "They're hiding behind that."
Trump, who weathered two impeachments and a federal probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia during his first presidential term, has tried and failed so far to distract attention from the Epstein controversy six months into his second term.
On Saturday, Trump repeated his claims without evidence that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats should be prosecuted over payment for endorsements from celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and the Reverend Al Sharpton.
"Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!" Trump said on social media.
Last week he accused former President Barack Obama of "treason" over how the Obama administration treated intelligence about Russian interference in U.S. elections nine years ago, drawing a rebuke from an Obama spokesperson.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said on Sunday that Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, had found new information that investigators initially discovered no evidence of Russian election interference but changed their position after Obama told them to keep looking.
"I'm not alleging he committed treason, but I am saying it bothers me," Graham told "Meet the Press."
"The best way to handle this is if there is evidence of a crime being committed, or suspected evidence of a crime being committed, create a special counsel to look at it," Graham added.
Democratic Representative Jason Crow dismissed Gabbard's claims, telling the "Fox News Sunday" program that the national intelligence director had turned herself into "a weapon of mass distraction."
The Department of Justice has said it is forming a strike force to assess Gabbard's claims.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
12 members of Congress sue Trump administration to ensure access to ICE detention centers
A dozen Democratic members of Congress who have been blocked from making oversight visits at immigration detention centers filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Trump administration that seeks to ensure they are granted entry into the facilities, even without prior notice. The lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia's federal court, said the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are obstructing Congressional oversight of the centers at a time when there's been an increase in ICE arrests, with reports of raids across the country and people taken into custody at immigration courts. By law, members of Congress are allowed to visit ICE facilities and don't have to give any notice, but increasingly, the members have been stopped at the door. ICE officials have said a new rule requires a seven-day waiting period and they prohibit entry to the ICE field offices. The lawsuit asks the court for full and immediate access to all ICE facilities. ICE Director Todd Lyons told a congressional committee in May that he recognized the right of members of Congress to visit detention facilities, even unannounced. But DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told a different committee that members of Congress should have requested a tour of an immigration detention facility in New Jersey where a skirmish broke out in May. As President Donald Trump's immigration agenda plays out, detention facilities have become overcrowded and there have been reports of mistreatment, food shortages, a lack of medical care and unsanitary conditions, the lawsuit said. Congress has a duty to make sure the administration is complying with the law while operating the facilities, the lawsuit said. The recently passed budget bill allocates $45 billion for ICE detention — more than 13 times ICE's current annual detention budget, the lawsuit said. Members of Congress must ensure those funds are spent efficiently and legally, the suit said. But recent attempts by House members to visit facilities were blocked, the lawsuit said. 'These members of Congress could have just scheduled a tour; instead, they're running to court to drive clicks and fundraising emails," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told the AP in an email. Requests for visits to detention centers should be made 'with sufficient time to prevent interference with the President's Article II authority to oversee executive department functions—a week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President's constitutional authority,' she said. Also, ICE has seen a surge in assaults, disruptions and obstructions to law enforcement so any requests for tours of ICE processing centers and field offices must be approved by Secretary Noem, McLaughlin said. When Rep. Veronica Escobar tried to visit the El Paso center on July 9, ICE told her that they could not accommodate her attendance and said it is 'now requiring requests to be made seven calendar days in advance,' the lawsuit said. When the Democrat arrived at the center, she was denied entry. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, met a similar fate when he tried to visit the ICE Aurora Facility on July 20. 'ICE is holding men, women, and children in overcrowded rooms without beds, showers, or medical care — sometimes for days on end," Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, which filed the lawsuit with Democracy Forward. 'ICE's stonewalling is not only illegal — it's a brazen attempt to shield abuse from scrutiny.' While ICE is demanding a week's notice for detention center visits, it said it's prohibiting members of Congress from inspecting ICE field offices, where some detainees are being held. When Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-New York, tried to tour the ICE New York Field Office in June, he was told his oversight authority doesn't apply there, because it's not a "detention facility." When Goldman went to the office, the deputy director barred his entry, but confirmed that people were being held overnight, sometimes for several days, but the facility did not have beds or showers. Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Colorado; Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi; and Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, made a similar attempt to enter the ICE Washington Field Office in Chantilly, Virgini,a on July 21 after learning that people were being detained there. But they also were turned away without being able to view the conditions at the site. The other House members who are fighting for ICE access include: California Democratic Representatives Norma Torres, Raul Ruiz, Jimmy Gomez, Jose Luis Correa and Robert Garcia. Also suing is Adriano Espaillat, D-New York. 'No child should be sleeping on concrete, and no sick person should be denied care, yet that's exactly what we keep hearing is happening inside Trump's detention centers," Gomez said in a statement. "This lawsuit is our message: We as Members of Congress will do our job, and we will not let these agencies operate in the shadows.'
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by Trump braces to defend them against deportation
An Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by President Donald Trump last year as he pitched voters on his plans for an immigration crackdown is now bracing to defend the community against possible deportation. A group of about 100 community members, clergy and Haitian leaders in Springfield, Ohio, gathered this week for several days of training sessions as they prepare to defend potential deportees and provide them refuge. 'We feel that this is something that our faith requires, that people of faith are typically law-abiding people — that's who we want to be — but if there are laws that are unjust, if there are laws that don't respect human dignity, we feel that our commitment to Christ requires that we put ourselves in places where we may face some of the same threats,' said Carl Ruby, senior pastor of Central Christian Church. Ruby said the ultimate goal of the group is to persuade the Trump administration to reverse its decision to terminate legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the U.S. under temporary protected status, or TPS. 'One way of standing with the Haitians is getting out the message of how much value they bring to the city of Springfield,' he said. 'It would be an absolute disaster if we lost 10,000 of our best workers overnight because their TPS ends and they can no longer work.' In lieu of that, Ruby said participants in the effort are learning how to help Haitians in other ways. That includes by building relationships, accompanying migrants to appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and providing their families with physical shelter. Springfield in crosshairs of immigration debate Springfield found itself in an unwelcome spotlight last year after Trump amplified false rumors during a presidential debate that members of the mid-sized city's burgeoning Haitian population were abducting and eating cats and dogs. It was the type of inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric he promoted throughout his campaign. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in June that it would terminate TPS as soon as Sept. 2 for about 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States, some of whom have lived here for more than a decade. The department said conditions in the island nation have improved adequately to allow their safe return. The announcement came three months after the Trump administration revoked legal protections for thousands of Haitians who arrived legally in the country under a humanitarian parole program as part of a series of measures implemented to curb immigration. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal judge's order preventing the administration from revoking the parole program. Earlier this month, a federal judge in New York blocked the administration from accelerating an end to Haitians' TPS protections, which the Biden administration had extended through at least Feb. 3, 2026, due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021 and several other factors. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said at the time that the Trump administration would eventually prevail and that its predecessors treated TPS like a 'de facto asylum program.' In the meantime, the government has set the expiration date back to early February. TPS allows people already in the United States to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe. Immigrants from 17 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan and Lebanon, were receiving those protections before Trump took office for his second term in January. Residents ponder what actions to take Charla Weiss, a founding member of Undivided, the group that hosted the Springfield workshop, said participants were asked the question of how far they would go to help Haitian residents avoid deportation. 'The question that I know was before me is how far am I willing to go to support my passion about the unlawful detainment and deportation of Haitians, in particular here in Springfield,' she said. It was something Weiss said she continued to contemplate 'as an organizer, as a mother, as an African-American who was brought to these states that my ancestors in 1619' throughout the training. 'So it is an unanswered question. But I'm willing to continue to look at that question. What will I do? How can I do it? And the other question is, for me, is like, who else will I bring with me?' Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a longtime supporter of the Haitian community, was briefed by Springfield leaders during a visit to the city Friday. He told reporters that the state is bracing for the potential of mass layoffs in the region as a result of the TPS policy change, a negative for both the workers and the companies that employ them. 'It's not going to be good,' he said. ___ Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Senate committee passes bill that aims to stop sharks stealing fish from anglers
A Senate committee voted Wednesday to pass a bill that aims to stop sharks from biting fish on fishing lines. The so-called SHARKED Act will create a task force to study shark behavior and make recommendations accordingly. The vote before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation was passed by voice Wednesday morning. The task force will have to report back within two years on improving coordination and communication across the fisheries management and shark research communities, and develop strategies to address shark depredation, which is defined as the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish by a shark directly from a fishing line. However, wildlife advocacy groups say the bill 'falls short by not explicitly forbidding the task force from proposing shark culls or population reductions as a solution,' which would leave the door open to killing sharks. 'While it can be frustrating to have a shark bite your catch while fishing, shark populations are in trouble. Globally, sharks have declined by 71 percent since 1970, primarily due to overfishing,' the group said in a statement. Earth Justice highlights that factors including overfishing of sharks by industrial as well as human-caused climate change and pollution has proved devastating to populations. 'While certain shark populations are beginning to recover, it's crucial to remember the principle of shifting baselines,' said Jasmin Graham, President and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences. 'Even though there may be more sharks than in recent history, we're still far below historic levels.' According to an online summary of the bill, the duties of the task force are to develop ways to improve coordination and communication across the fisheries management and shark research communities, as well as identifying research priorities and funding opportunities. It will also develop recommended management strategies to address shark depredation and coordinate the development and distribution of educational materials. The bill specifies that the task force must include representatives of each Regional Fishery Management Council, each Marine Fisheries Commission, the fish and wildlife agencies of coastal states, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The task force must also include 'researchers and others with relevant expertise,' but does not specify who such others may be. Earth Justice says that this 'fails to include representation from Indigenous, tribal and native people, even though sharks are considered sacred to some, according to Earth Justice. The task force must report its findings to Congress within two years after the bill's enactment and every two years thereafter until the task force is terminated. 'Depredation is a complex issue, one that reflects the health of our ocean ecosystems as a whole,' adds Graham. 'As fish populations decline, both sharks and fishers are competing for the same limited resources. 'Sharks are becoming habituated to areas with fishing boats, chum, and bait, while increasingly effective fishing gear is putting pressure on the system and increasing the possibility of interactions. As we address this issue, we must tread carefully. 'We must ensure that our efforts to address shark depredation don't undo the progress we've made or ignore the deeper, underlying causes of these challenges.'
