
House panel votes to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell over Epstein files
Lawmakers voted to compel Maxwell's testimony before the committee as the issue of whether a so-called 'client list' of Epstein's co-conspirators exists continues to consume Washington and much of American political discourse across X, Truth Social and other social platforms.
In the House of Representatives, the investigation provoked a rare moment of unity between some of Donald Trump's closest supporters in the GOP, some of his strongest critics on the left, and even a Republican representative who has become one of the biggest thorns in the president's side.
While the committee's vote to compel Maxwell to testify is clearly significant, a bipartisan cohort of lawmakers is threatening to take it a step further by forcing a vote on a resolution directing the Justice Department to release the entirety of its evidence on the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
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The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Inside the Republican revolt in the House over the Epstein files that led to the early summer recess for Congress
House Republicans revolted against GOP leadership over the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files in the days before Speaker Mike Johnson ushered in the chamber's early summer recess to avoid dealing with the crisis, according to a report. As controversy over the administration's refusal to release all government files related to the sex offender continues, Johnson faced a 'growing crisis' of his own among key GOP allies as leadership refused to bring any action on Epstein to the House floor, Politico reports. Behind the scenes, GOP leaders faced a 'standoff' with rank-and-file members who were 'incensed' when they were forced to vote against a Democratic-led effort to release the Epstein files a week before, according to the outlet. Some lawmakers reportedly 'begged' for action on Epstein in closed-door meetings as they warned Republican leadership that the problem wasn't going away. The new reported details illustrate the chaos of what was happening behind the scenes as President Donald Trump continues to be plagued by the case of the convicted pedophile. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of Virginia, chair of the House Rules Committee that serves as a final gatekeeper to legislation where a simple majority vote is required, threatened to bring activity on the House floor to a halt unless a better solution to the Epstein issue was put forward, two people with knowledge of the conversation told Politico. The rebellion prompted Trump to meet with GOP members of the House Rules Committee in the Oval Office Tuesday, according to the outlet. Johnson moved to shut down the committee, which meant that the House will not be able to tee up votes to pass many of the spending bills that Congress hoped to pass before the August recess, when members break to go back to their districts. But Johnson likely faces further rebellion in September. 'I think the administration will put more stuff out in August … if they don't, then I promise you, there's going to be some more looking at this in the first week of September,' warned Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. Republican lawmakers have expressed anger over the Epstein fallout, and said they are under intense pressure from constituents on the issue. The rebellion of House Republicans who favored releasing more documents in the Epstein case came as a 'surprise' to White House officials, according to Politico. One anonymous GOP member told CNN that members wanted a chance to vote on the issue. 'To be accused of trying to cover up for a pedophile, it's detestable,' they told the network. Word had got out that Democrats were planning to force an Epstein-related vote Monday. At a meeting with GOP Rules Committee members that evening, Johnson reportedly presented three options on how to proceed. Ultimately, leadership opted to halt the action of the House Rules Committee. 'The rule was going down anyway,' a source with knowledge of the meeting told Politico. 'So the choice was clear.' Johnson defended effectively shutting down the House while speaking with reporters Wednesday. 'No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents,' he said. The rebellion follows recent revelations that the Department of Justice told Trump that his name appears multiple times in the Epstein files, according to multiple senior administration sources. The sources told The Wall Street Journal that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, informed the president during a May meeting at the White House that the president's name emerged after they sifted through a 'truckload' of documents related to Epstein. Following the Journal's report, sources familiar with the exchange confirmed the account to both The New York Times and CNN. Appearing in the files does not indicate that an individual has committed any wrongdoing, nor has Trump ever been accused of misconduct in connection with the Epstein case. 'This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal,' White House communications director Steven Cheung said about the claims Trump was named.


The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Air Force pauses M18 pistol use after airman's death at Wyoming base
The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command has paused the use of a handgun following the death of a Security Forces airman at a base in Wyoming. The use of the M18 pistol, a variant of another gun that has been the target of lawsuits over unintentional discharge allegations, was paused Monday 'until further notice' following the 'tragic incident' on Sunday at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, the command said in a statement. Security Forces combat arms airmen at all command bases 'will conduct 100% inspections of the M18 handguns to identify any immediate safety concerns,' it said. The name of the active-duty airman, who was assigned to the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing at the base, and details of what happened have not been released. The missile wing said it was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the base or community. Security Forces specialists protect Air Force bases. The gun is made by New Hampshire-based manufacturer Sig Sauer, which is defending itself against multiple lawsuits alleging that its popular related gun, the P320 pistol, can go off without the trigger being pulled. Sig Sauer denies the claims, saying the P320 is safe and the problem is user error. It has prevailed in some cases. The P320 was adopted by the U.S. military as M17 and M18 pistols, and the M18 is now the official sidearm of all branches of the U.S. military, Sig Sauer says on its website. In 2019, Sig Sauer announced it had delivered its 100,000th M17 and M18s to the U.S. military. The pause is so far limited to the Global Strike Command, which includes more than 33,700 Airmen and civilians. The rest of the Air Force and the other armed services have not announced any orders to avoid using the pistols. 'Our hearts are with the service members and families impacted by the recent reported event at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base,' Sig Sauer said Wednesday in a statement posted on Facebook. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is in charge of the investigation. The command's statement says it collaborating with the Air Force Security Forces Center and Headquarters Air Force Security Forces 'to conduct a thorough review of the M18 and develop appropriate corrective measures.' Sig Sauer said it has offered to assist. The P320 was introduced in 2014. Sig Sauer offered a 'voluntary upgrade' in 2017 to reduce the weight of the trigger, among other features. Lawyers for people who have sued the gunmaker, many of them law enforcement officers, say the upgrade did not stop unintentional discharges. Earlier this year, Sig Sauer appealed a ban of the P320, M17 and M18 pistols by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, arguing that it appears to be based on inaccurate and incomplete information. The commission banned the weapons after a recruit said his P320 discharged while he was drawing it, even though his finger was not on the trigger. And just this month, Sig Sauer announced that the Michigan State Police is adopting the M18 as its primary sidearm. Several large multi-plaintiff cases have been filed since 2022 in New Hampshire's federal court, representing nearly 80 people who accuse Sig Sauer of negligence and defective product design and marketing. That's in addition to lawsuits filed in other states, including one in Pennsylvania last year alleging a wrongful death. They say the P320 design requires an external mechanical safety, a feature that is optional. The most recent New Hampshire case, representing 22 plaintiffs in 16 states, was filed in March. A judge heard arguments Monday on Sig Sauer's motions to dismiss the lawsuit or break it up and transfer it to districts where the plaintiffs live. There also was discussion of a 2-month-old law in New Hampshire, created in response to the lawsuits, that prohibits product liability claims against Sig Sauer and other gun makers based on the 'absence or presence' of the external safety and several other optional features. Claims can still be filed over manufacturing defects. The law hasn't yet been incorporated into the case.


Reuters
28 minutes ago
- Reuters
FEMA chief would report directly to US president under new bill
WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency would report directly to the U.S. president instead of the Homeland Security secretary, under a bipartisan bill announced in the House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill would also allow FEMA to reimburse states for the cost to shelter emergency personnel after natural disasters. The measure is backed by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, a Republican from Missouri, and ranking member Rick Larsen, a Democrat from Washington state. The bill adds to the debate over the agency's future. President Donald Trump has said he wants to shutter FEMA. He tasked a committee of governors, mayors and emergency managers from disaster-prone states to recommend changes by the fall.