Boebert on call for Epstein special counsel: 'People are frustrated'
Boebert, one of the first people to call for an independent probe, said it's important to devote the necessary time and resources to the investigation without losing sight of the president's victories.
'People are frustrated. We want to know if there's more information,' Boebert said in an interview Wednesday on NewsNation's "On Balance."
'I don't know exactly what [Attorney General] Pam Bondi has seen or what she hasn't seen,' she continued. 'I've seen just as much that has been released from her as you have. And so I'm saying maybe someone else needs to take a look at this.'
'But also, we can walk and chew gum at the same time,' the Colorado Republican told host Leland Vittert. 'We can also celebrate our secure border. We can celebrate that we are putting America first, that we are putting American energy dominance ahead as a priority.'
Boebert warned against letting the Epstein files distract from what she views as more important priorities coming from the White House.
'People want information on this. This is a big deal. And like you mentioned, President Trump, this wasn't the main thing that he ran on,' Boebert said. 'I would much rather have a secure border than a list from a dead pedophile at this time.'
'Do I think this is something that should be ignored? Absolutely not,' she added.
A number of prominent Republicans have also called for greater transparency since the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo last week concluding Epstein died by suicide — refuting theories of foul play involved — and that the convicted sex offender did not keep a 'client list' to blackmail high-profile individuals implicated in his alleged crimes.
Trump's backers, including some now serving in his administration, have for years espoused conspiracy theories around Epstein's death and suggested the government was covering up information that connected prominent Democrats to the case.
Trump has resisted calls for more information and, in recent days, has appeared exasperated by the fascination with Epstein. The president said Attorney General Pam Bondi can release 'credible' evidence related to the case but has otherwise questioned why some of his followers are fixated on the issue.
Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain on Wednesday, repeated his claim that the documents connected to Epstein were a 'hoax' started by Democrats. Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in 2019, during Trump's first term.
'Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats' work,' the president said.
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Democratic socialist in Maryland legislature ready to ‘fight like hell,' says party moving in his direction
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CNN
20 minutes ago
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Mamdani names a new campaign manager as part of staff expansion
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But the no-frills approach that appealed to Trump in his first term has since become yet another strike against the Fed chair. The president has repeatedly bristled at Powell's unwillingness to engage with his calls to cut rates. And Powell's generally stoic personality has done little to win Trump over. 'I think he's terrible,' Trump said earlier this month. 'It's like talking to a chair. No personality.' Trump has ratcheted up his criticism in recent weeks, openly saying he hopes Powell resigns, accusing him of trying to damage his presidency and insulting him on a near-daily basis as 'stupid,' a 'numbskull' and 'truly one of my worst appointments.' Those attacks have been regularly amplified by Trump aides and close allies, who at some points have spread unfounded rumors that the Fed chair's resignation was imminent. The White House in recent weeks has spent significant time spotlighting the price tag of a renovation project at the Fed, launching investigations into the cost overruns for the $2.5 billion project and suggesting it could be a fireable offense. On Thursday, Trump sought to press the issue by traveling to the Fed to tour the construction, where Powell personally escorted him around. The Fed chair stood by as Trump advocated for rate cuts, at one point laughing awkwardly as the president slapped him on the back and said he'd 'love him to lower interest rates.' 'I just want to see one thing happen,' Trump said later. 'Interest rates have to come down.' Despite the criticism, Trump reiterated that he has no plans to fire Powell — his advisers have warned that doing so would tank the financial markets and spark an economic crisis. But Trump and his aides have instead sought to make Powell's tenure as painful as possible to undermine his credibility and potentially even drive him to quit. Trump allies have homed in on the Fed's pricey renovation, viewing it as a particularly potent weapon. (Trump has pushed his own renovations at the White House, albeit on a much smaller scale.) Still, his allies argue that they can use the Fed project to increase public pressure on Powell by contrasting the hefty spending on the Fed headquarters with everyday Americans' struggles to afford homes — something they point out could be alleviated if the central banker would cut interest rates. 'Every day that Jerome Powell is in Washington is a gift to the president,' said one Trump adviser, who likened the pressure campaign to boiling a frog. 'Either Jerome Powell leaps or he boils.' A Federal Reserve spokesman declined to comment for this article, pointing instead to Powell's prior public pledges to serve the entirety of his term. Yet for all the furor coming from the White House, Powell has indicated to associates that he's keeping his head down. Publicly, he's remained solely focused on carrying out the Fed's work setting monetary policy without consideration of the political reverberations. That approach appeared to pay off at least temporarily on Thursday, with Trump backing off his harshest rhetoric following a conversation with Powell during the Fed construction tour that he described as a 'very productive talk.' 'There's always Monday morning quarterbacks, I don't want to be that,' Trump said afterward, declining to criticize the renovations that he and his aides had previously described as a scandal. 'It got out of control, and that happens.' The détente may not hold much longer, with the Fed widely expected to hold rates steady next week and delay any shift in policy until the fall. That decision is likely to infuriate Trump, who has fixated on cutting rates as a way to further juice the economy ahead of next year's midterm elections. But in both private and public, Powell has shrugged off the political implications, emphasizing the need to stick solely to the economic considerations that have long guided the Fed. 'The best defense for the Fed is to get the policy right,' said Bill English, a Yale professor and former director of the Fed's division of monetary affairs. 'I feel sorry for the guy, but the best he can do at this point is hang tough and do the best job he can on monetary policy.' Outside of Trump's orbit, Powell's resolve to finish his term has won praise from Democrats — including many who had previously criticized him during the Biden era when the Fed kept raising rates to try to combat a surge of inflation. At the time, Powell's insistence on keeping rates higher for longer in pursuit of a so-called economic soft landing prompted consternation among some in the Biden White House and the broader Democratic Party who worried the approach would tip the country into a recession. But former officials have since rallied around him, anxious over the potential fallout should Powell decide to leave. 'He's putting the integrity of the institution above himself,' said Jared Bernstein, who chaired the Biden-era Council of Economic Advisers. 'If I were a 72-year-old guy who's getting verbally abused by the president on a daily basis, retirement would look pretty good. But I really believe that Powell is engaged in protecting the institution.' As for Republicans, some lawmakers wary of damaging the Fed's credibility have encouraged the White House to back off its criticisms, arguing that it'll benefit Trump more when Powell does begin lowering interest rates if it doesn't come amid a cloud of political pressure. Yet until that message breaks through, they're putting their faith in Powell — and hoping he stays true to his word. 'The vast majority of the members of the Senate are smart enough to have been in contact with the markets, they've observed the markets, they know what an impact it would be on the markets should there be any inkling that the Fed was being coerced,' said Rounds, the Republican senator. '[Powell's] in the right position. He's got a very tough position, but I respect him for the position he's taken.'
