Trump's DOJ Sidesteps Norms to Boost Ally Alina Habba as US Attorney
The actions of the Justice Department to shield interim US Attorney Alina Habba, Trump's former personal attorney, could foreshadow other fights over chief federal prosecutors holding temporary posts in blue states like California, New York and Nevada.
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‘The whole thing was a fake': Trump says Democrats could have ‘put things in' the Epstein file
President Donald Trump baselessly suggested that any mentions of his name in criminal case files related to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein would be there as a result of Democratic efforts to ensnare him in a 'hoax.' Sitting next to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during an hour-long media availability in Scotland, Trump called the continuing furor over the case of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, 'a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion' and accused his predecessor of having tampered with the infamous case files. 'Those files were run by the worst scum on Earth. They were run by Comey, they were run by Garland, they were run by Biden, and all of the people that actually ran the government, including the auto pen. Those files were run for four years by those people. If they had anything, I assume they would have released it,' Trump said Monday. The president made his claims about a week after a Wall Street Journal report stated that officials told him his name was in the files. Being mentioned does not mean wrongdoing and hundreds of names are reportedly included. Trump's administration has created uproar among its base after a July memo from the Department of Justice that stated that Epstein had no so-called 'client list' and that no more information would be released. That was after Attorney General Pam Bondi had claimed for months that officials were reviewing documents. The decision not to release more information was met with anger and Democrats and Republicans have called on Trump to release more from the investigation. On Monday, Trump also suggested that his adversaries could have 'easily put something in the files that's a phony' and compared the hypothetical result of such tampering to the infamous, salacious and unverified dossier on his alleged links to Russia that was compiled by ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele during the 2016 presidential election. 'Christopher Steele, as an example, wrote a book a dossier. We call it the fake news dossier. And the whole thing was a fake. The whole thing was a fake. They could put things in the file that are fake, but those files were run by bad, sick people,' he said. Continuing, the president mused aloud about why the previous Democratic administration didn't release any damaging information in the case files about him during last year's election, when revelations about his relationship with the infamous sex trafficker might have cut into the lead he held over his opponents, then-president Joe Biden and later then-vice president Kamala Harris. 'The whole thing was a fake. They could put things in the file that are fake, but those files were run by bad, sick people. If they had anything, why didn't they use it when I was killing Joe?' Trump asked the media in attendance. For years, the president's supporters have pushed for release of what they believe was a list of powerful people to whom Epstein is alleged to have trafficked young girls, as well as other information they believe would reflect negatively on members of the Democratic Party, various Hollywood celebrities and other purported elites who they believe to be part of a sinister cabal controlling world events. Trump indicated during his 2024 campaign that his administration would release the documents in question if he were victorious in last year's presidential election. But after the DOJ and FBI issued a memo stating that there was no such client list and announcing that no additional files relating to the case would be made public, many of Trump's most fervent boosters have cried foul, leading to a rare split between the president and a significant segment of his political base. Trump is said to be 'exasperated' by the scandal and is growing 'increasingly frustrated' with how his administration has handled the Epstein files saga and media attention on the president's ties to the sex offender. During a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, Trump groused about the way the burgeoning scandal has gained traction with Democrats in Congress, some of whom have joined with members of his own party to push for the Justice Department to release more information from the case files. 'All they know how to do is talk and think about conspiracy theories and nonsense,' he said. 'If they'd waste their time talking about America being great again, it would be so much nicer.'
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
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Attorneys: 'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees held without charges, barred from legal access
Lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades say that 'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees have been barred from meeting attorneys, are being held without any charges and that a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. A virtual hearing in federal court in Miami was being held Monday on a lawsuit that was filed July 16. A new motion on the case was filed Friday. Lawyers who have shown up for bond hearings for 'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees have been told that the immigration court doesn't have jurisdiction over their clients, the attorneys wrote in court papers. The immigration attorneys demanded that federal and state officials identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detainees and start accepting petitions for bond, claiming the detainees constitutional rights to due process are being violated. 'This is an unprecedented situation where hundreds of detainees are held incommunicado, with no ability to access the courts, under legal authority that has never been explained and may not exist,' the immigration attorneys wrote. 'This is an unprecedented and disturbing situation.' The lawsuit is the second one challenging 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Environmental groups last month sued federal and state officials asking that the project built on an airstrip in the heart of the Florida Everglades be halted because the process didn't follow state and federal environmental laws. Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to the ecologically sensitive wetlands, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican state officials have defended it as part of the state's aggressive push to support President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has praised Florida for coming forward with the idea, as the department looks to significantly expand its immigration detention capacity. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @ Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump says he's heard ‘great things' about John Swinney
Donald Trump says he has heard 'great things' about John Swinney, but does not want to 'get involved' in Britain's domestic politics when asked about the First Minister's push for another independence referendum. The US President suggested a country 'can't go through that too much' when asked about the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence – mentioning a wait of more than 50 years between votes. Mr Trump spoke to journalists at his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire on Monday, alongside Sir Keir Starmer. Later on Monday he is expected to meet First Minister and SNP leader Mr Swinney, with the pair holding more formal talks on Tuesday as Mr Trump prepares to open a new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Mr Swinney had earlier been emphasising his party's desire for a second vote on Scotland's place in the UK, saying an SNP majority at next year's elections should trigger another referendum. At the press conference, Mr Trump said he had correctly predicted the result of the referendum in 2014, where 55% voted No to independence – but said 'I don't want to get involved in politics, we got enough politics of our own'. The US President also referred to the suggestion that such a referendum could only take place once in a generation. He told journalists: 'When they made that deal, somebody that it was… 'I remember this very distinctly, I said 'do they do this all the time?' 'There was a little bit of a restriction, like 50 or 75 years, before you could take another vote because, you know, a country can't go through that too much.' Mr Trump said he did not know Scottish First Minister John Swinney, but added: 'I heard great things about him, and I'm meeting him today, so maybe I'll have a better opinion.' Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer insisted Scotland was better-off within the UK. The Prime Minister said: 'I think that at a time like this when it's quite clear that there's uncertainty and volatility around the world, the strength of the United Kingdom together is very important for all four nations, very important for Scotland, and that should be our priority.' Mr Swinney 'should probably focus more' on delivery in Scotland than constitutional issues, Sir Keir added. Earlier, Mr Swinney said the precedent set by the SNP's 2011 election victory would break the 'logjam' towards a second independence referendum. The First Minister said there should be a 'legal referendum recognised by all' on Scottish independence if the SNP secures a majority at the Holyrood elections. Previously, he has said a 'democratic majority' of pro-independence MSPs after next year's Scottish Parliament elections should pave the way to a new vote on the constitutional question. He spoke to journalists further at the Kelpies statues near Falkirk, saying: 'The necessity of independence is absolutely paramount and we've got to make that case in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. 'But there's a logjam and we've got to break that logjam. 'We demonstrated how we break the logjam in the past, by electing a majority of SNP MSPs in 2011, and that led to an independence referendum in 2014.' Since the Brexit vote in 2016, repeated prime ministers have rebuffed the SNP's calls for another Scottish independence referendum. Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'John Swinney is like a broken record. In a bid to silence internal critics of his weak leadership, he has thrown diehard nationalists some more red meat on the one issue they all agree on: independence. 'Ordinary Scots are sick and tired of the SNP's obsession with breaking up the UK. 'The public want John Swinney to focus on fixing the damage his Government has done in decimating essential services such as schools and the NHS at the same time as making Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This SNP Government has lost its way and ran out of ideas – while one in six Scots suffer on an NHS waiting list. 'Despite that, John Swinney can't end his own obsession with division and today has confirmed he'll put Scots second to appease his own party. 'From the crisis in our NHS to the violence in our schools, the SNP has left every institution in Scotland weaker. 'This is not as good as it gets and in 2026 Scotland will have a chance to put a stop to SNP decline and vote for a fresh start.' Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: 'At last year's election the SNP took an almighty beating because people were tired of them obsessing over one issue. It seems like John Swinney is a glutton for punishment. 'Perhaps rather than focusing on what the SNP membership cares about, he should focus on what the country needs.'
