Trump world searches for off-ramp on Epstein

Politico

6 days ago

Presented by
With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco
On this morning's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about President Donald Trump's frustrations over the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein saga, how seriously to take the special counsel rumors and what Dasha learned about Don Jr.'s latest business venture.
Good morning and happy Thursday. I'm Adam Wren. Get in touch.
STOCK AND BARREL: Playbook's Dasha Burns was on the scene to report as Donald Trump Jr. and his business partner Omeed Malik took online gun retailer GrabAGun public on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. Not long after going public, shares tanked, according to CNBC, falling by more than 20 percent after the opening bell rang.
Still, as they rang the bell, Trump and Malik reveled in what they felt was a vindication of the 'parallel economy' they decided to invest in four years ago when MAGA was thrust into the political and cultural wilderness after Trump's 2020 election loss and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. They wanted to create businesses that catered to conservatives, and built a platform called 1789 Capital to help fund and take those companies public.
How the younger Trump sees it: 'We didn't get into social media with Truth Social just to do it,' Trump told Dasha. 'We got into it out of necessity. … We were canceled, we were thrown off. We didn't get into crypto because … we fell in love with the concept in 2012. … We got into it because we were de-banked by every institution that we were doing business with for the prior four decades as a family business. … We did them out of necessity, because the conventional markets that were open to us in across every spectrum of business for the prior few decades, they closed overnight.'
On whether this is a pay-to-play scheme: 'There's no pay-to-play whatsoever. There are no conflicts, nothing. Anyone who would say that I think is an imbecile at worst, a hypocrite at best.'
On whether he's landing board seats because he's the president's son: 'Look at the boards that I'm doing. … If I'm on the board of a social media company, it's because it was a conservative-leaning social media company that would have no platform otherwise.'
Asked whether this was all some big troll, what with GrabAGun's stock symbol being the onomatopoetic PEW. 'Always be trolling,' Trump Jr. said. 'It's part of the game.'
In today's Playbook …
— Just how seriously should we take the push for a special counsel into the DOJ's handling of the Epstein case?
— Congress sets another busy day after another whirlwind of votes.
— Aspen attendees are feeling angsty after the Trump administration shunned the summit.
DRIVING THE DAY
STAYING POWER: The Jeffrey Epstein news cycle isn't going away. President Donald Trump has thus far been unable to do anything about it. At the moment, he is like a magician who has locked himself in a straightjacket, only to find that he's lost his ability to maneuver out of it, is unable to muster the misdirection and finds his audience turning on him.
He's lashing out at his base. Up until this week, Trump's grip on his base has been sui generis in American politics, and he's worn their support as armor through two impeachments, 88 criminal charges, two assassination attempts and one massive, improbable political comeback. Yesterday, though, Trump verbally nuked MAGA voters who are upset about the handling of the Epstein case. He called them 'weaklings,' and said that his 'PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker.' (Interestingly, this is one of the rare Trump Truth posts that the pugilistic Trump War Room account on X did not repost.)
The view from the right: 'This is not going to go away,' Laura Loomer, the influential MAGA world figure and far-right activist, tells Playbook. 'The more Truth Social posts that are posted about this are going to create a Streisand effect.'
He's seeing it boil over into the broader pop culture. This is no longer just a political world story; it's entered the pop cultural zeitgeist. Just witness right-coded comedian Shane Gillis' joke at the ESPY Awards last night: 'There was supposed to be an Epstein joke here but I guess it got deleted. Must have probably deleted itself right? Probably never existed, actually. Let's move on as a country and ignore that.' Or see the pointed question MAGA-friendly podcaster Theo Von aimed at repeat guest VP JD Vance on X yesterday. (A Vance spokesperson declined to respond to Playbook's request for comment.)
Delighting in it: 'Trump doesn't have to run again, but [Vance] does,' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a 2028 contender and avid brawler with the vice president, tells Playbook, adding that it must be 'emasculating' for Vance.
He's unable to change the story. Over the last 24 hours, Trump has used Truth Social to attack California Gov. Gavin Newsom and high-speed rail in California, hit out at Democrats over rural health care in the GOP megalaw, and announced that Coca-Cola will be using cane sugar instead of high fructose corny syrup in regular Coke. None of those stories, interesting as they are, have budged the Epstein saga from headlines.
Another shiny object will come this morning: KQED reports that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and AG Pam Bondi will visit Alcatraz today before the tourist destination opens to officially announce the administration's intent to remake it as a federal prison.
Meanwhile, his administration is contributing to an air of distrust on the issue.
Yesterday, Maurene Comey — who prosecuted both Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell — was fired from her job in the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, POLITICO's Erica Orden reports. (Yes, that Comey: She is former FBI Director James Comey's daughter.) She was 'given no explanation for her firing,' according to a person familiar with the matter. 'That person also said the decision to fire her didn't come from the office's interim U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton, meaning it was likely made by someone at the Justice Department's headquarters.'
WHAT THE RIGHT WANTS: Some MAGA figures — from Loomer to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to Just the News' John Solomon — insist that appointing a special counsel could solve all, or at least release some, of the pressure.
So, what does Trump think? Asked about it by CNN's DJ Judd, Trump dodged, saying, 'I have nothing to do with it.'
This answer is revealing for a few reasons. He delivered it quickly, disclaiming that he had the kind of conflict that would necessitate a special counsel. A reasonable observer might conclude that means this is something that's been on his mind.
In our conversations with people in Trump's orbit, we can report that this is an idea that is generating conversation in the White House. And we also can report that many of Trump's top allies are not sold on the idea.
Playbook's Dasha Burns checked in with an array of White House allies who confided in her that (1) they don't think the White House would actually consider a special counsel when it comes down to brass tacks, and (2) if they did appoint one, it would be a terrible idea. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
There is also the question of who would even take the job. One name we've heard is Ed Martin, the head of the weaponization working group for the Department of Justice. Could he make some kind of claim that he would be getting to the bottom of this, adding to his already robust portfolio? A spokesperson for Martin declined to comment.
Another hurdle: 'Appointing a special counsel would be an odd move for the Trump administration, considering most senior Justice Department leaders forcefully rejected the entire existence of special counsels — as established by internal DOJ regulations — as unconstitutional,' POLITICO's ace legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney writes in. 'So while Trump is disclaiming any role, the people he's leaving it to seem highly unlikely to tread that path. Additionally, appointing a special counsel would suggest a conflict of interest that DOJ leaders insist does not exist.'
And what if Trump doesn't appoint a special counsel? Is there anything short of a special counsel appointment that can quell the rebellion? 'I don't think so,' Loomer tells Playbook.
Buckle in: Meanwhile, Khanna just all but ensured we'll be talking about this through at least August, absent further disclosures from Trump's DOJ. The California Democrat introduced a bill with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would force the House to vote on the complete release of the government's files. Khanna tells us that in addition to seven Republican co-sponsors, he expects to have the backing of 212 Democrats.
'It's a terrible issue for Republicans, and they see that,' Khanna told Playbook late last night. 'People voted for Trump in part because they were so disgusted in the system — they thought that Washington protected the elite, protects the powerful, protects the wealthy. Epstein is a symbol of that.'
Can Trump pull a rabbit out of a hat? As for this particular one, that remains to be seen. 'He's been a survivor,' POLITICO's resident Trumpologist Michael Kruse tells Playbook. 'What that means, or has meant, again and again, is to do whatever is necessary in the moment, any moment, to survive … because more than anything else he knows the moment passes, because people move on, because people forget, because people are people.'
ON THE HILL
INTERESTING TIMES: It was a busy night on the Hill, but today could be even more packed. We had a new record-long House vote on a rule, and a baby vote-a-rama in the Senate that aged into a full on vote-a-thon past midnight. (Relatable: 'I will say again — I am tired of making history, I just want normal Congress,' Speaker Mike Johnson said, per Punchbowl's Laura Weiss.)
IN THE SENATE: Overnight, Senate Republicans greenlit Trump's rescissions package, cutting $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid in a 51-48 vote, POLITICO's Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus report. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted no alongside every Democrat, aside from Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who missed the vote after being hospitalized overnight. The package now goes back to the House. (Coming this weekend: Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, who spearheaded the package, sits down with Dasha for this week's 'The Conversation,' which drops on Sunday.)
Another funding battle: Ten Senate Republicans are calling on Trump to release billions of dollars in funds from a spending review, a move that would protect grants for after-school programs, teacher training initiatives, migrant student education and other initiatives. Notably, the 10 senators pull from a broad mix of perspectives within the GOP conference, suggesting that this isn't some moderates-versus-conservatives issue. More from POLITICO's Juan Perez Jr.
A big one: Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to advance Emil Bove's nomination for a lifetime judicial appointment on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Bove is chiefly known for his role as one of Trump's legal enforcers — both recently at the DOJ and before that, in private practice. The committee meeting (which is packed with business) begins at 9:15 a.m. … More than 900 former Justice Department lawyers sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee denouncing his appointment, NYT's Tim Balk reports.
IN THE HOUSE: Around 11 p.m. last night, GOP leaders muscled enough votes to pass a trio of cryptocurrency bills and a 2026 Defense spending measure following 'a closed-door standoff between House conservatives and the leaders of the Financial Services and Agriculture committees, which crafted the legislation,' POLITICO's Jasper Goodman and Meredith report. 'The vote was held open more than nine hours for the negotiations.'
How it went down: A group of hard-line conservative members wanted to tie the big crypto market structure CLARITY Act with a more controversial proposal to ban Central Bank Digital Currencies. Reps. French Hill (R-Ark.) and G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) didn't go for it. Then came a compromise to marry the CBDC ban with the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.
Pack your Celsius: The House meets again at 9 a.m. — and Majority Leader Steve Scalise said to prepare for votes on the crypto bills, the NDAA, the rule for the rescissions package and the vote to pass it. POLITICO's Inside Congress has more on Johnson's staggering to-do list
TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: 'It Was Supposed to Be 'Crypto Week' in Congress. Then It Unraveled,' by NYT's David Yaffe-Bellany and colleagues: 'The crypto industry was headed for a landmark moment in the House with three bills that it helped push going to a vote. But a coalition of ultraconservative House Republicans staged a mutiny.'
IMMIGRATION FILES
THE 'WORST OF THE WORST': Despite the administration's claims to be focusing on the 'worst of the worst' offenders in its deportation push, the latest ICE data paints a more complicated portrait, CBS' Margaret Brennan scooped. Less than 1 percent had murder convictions and less than 2 percent had convictions for sex crimes or sexual assault. Around 15 percent were convicted of assault. Just under 30 percent had no criminal convictions.
More legal battles ahead: A coalition of legal groups led by Democracy Forward filed a class action lawsuit yesterday arguing the Trump administration's arrests at immigration courts violated due process, NYT's Luis Ferré-Sadurní writes.
And the polls say: Trump's approval rating on his handling of immigration hit 41 percent, according to the latest Reuters-Ipsos poll released yesterday. That marks a new low during his second term.
What to watch for from Republicans: A growing number of Republicans are pushing the Trump administration to find solutions for migrant workers now that border crossings have dropped, WSJ's Olivia Beavers and Michelle Hackman report. … House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is talking to the White House about resurrecting his immigration bill from the last Congress — the same bill that sought rule changes for high-skilled immigrant visas, POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs writes.
What to watch for from the bench: Another federal judge seems inclined to block Trump's birthright citizenship order from taking effect, per AP. … A federal judge is weighing whether Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be released as his trial plays out, POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney write.
BEST OF THE REST
WHAT KEVIN HASSETT IS READING: 'Why Some Trump Allies Want to Protect the Fed's Independence,' by POLITICO's Victoria Guida
ANOTHER IRAN REPORT: A new U.S. intel assessment finds that one of the three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites recently struck by the U.S. was 'mostly destroyed, setting work there back significantly,' NBC's Gordon Lubold and colleagues report. But at the other two, enrichment could resume in a matter of months. Also noteworthy: Prior to the strike, CENTCOM developed a bigger plan of attack that would have lasted weeks, which Trump rejected 'because it was at odds with his foreign policy instincts,' per NBC.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Aspen dispatch: After the Trump administration pulled its top officials from the big national security summit, current and former NatSec officials have responded 'with eye-rolls and words such as 'moronic,'' POLITICO's Nahal Toosi writes from Aspen, which some on the right are keen to present as 'a den of evil globalism.' 'Still, attendees and organizers aren't completely dismissing the Trump attack,' seeing in it a worrying sign that 'government officials are increasingly sealing themselves off from outside opinions,' and in doing so, 'could hamper the administration's efforts to achieve its national security goals.'
MESSAGING WAR: Democrats are pushing full throttle on their criticism of Trump's mass government layoffs, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holding a news conference to support federal workers at 9:30 a.m. today. … Expect to hear stories about the most recently axed employees at the State Department, whose 'sloppy' and 'rushed' firings were the focus of yesterday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, NYT's Michael Crowley reports.
SPEAKING OF JOB CUTS: The Navy is considering cutting the positions of five high-level admirals who've been essential to the constructions of ships and fighter planes as Trump touts his desire to fix the Navy's shipbuilding crisis, POLITICO's Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch scooped. 'The evolving plan is part of a larger Pentagon effort to reduce the number of admirals and generals in the ranks … as the Trump administration takes aim at what it sees as a top-heavy military that has lost its focus.'
DATA DEMS WON'T LIKE: 'The median Republican targeted by House Democrats' campaign arm raised $860,000 last quarter — higher than the $689,000 median fundraising for incumbent Democrats targeted by the GOP,' POLITICO's Jessica Piper, Nicholas Wu and Andrew Howard report.
TALK OF THE TOWN
Scott Jennings signaled during an interview yesterday that he would run for Mitch McConnell's seat in the Senate if Donald Trump asked him to.
CULINARY CORNER — 'Is This Restaurant the Only Thing Democrats and Republicans Agree On?' by NYT's Jane Black: 'The House minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, has been spotted there on several occasions … So has President Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means … Ama's crossover appeal is a notable anomaly in a city where even the choice of a lunch or dinner spot has become highly politicized.'
IN MEMORIAM — 'Steve Benson, provocative Pulitzer-winning cartoonist, dies at 71,' by NYT's Harrison Smith: 'Steve Benson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who evolved from a conservative, high-profile member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into an outspoken atheist and liberal, all while using his pen to skewer presidents and the powerful, died July 8 at an assisted-living center in Gilbert, Arizona. He was 71.'
OUT AND ABOUT — OnMessage Public Strategies hosted the D.C. debut party for Salena Zito's new book, 'BUTLER' ($14.99). White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was the special guest. SPOTTED: Rep. John James (R-Mich.), Curt Anderson, Brad Todd, Wes Anderson, Kyle Plotkin, Tommy Binion, Guy Harrison, Graham Shafer, Brendan Dunn, Lanny Davis, Dane Strother, Matt Latimer, Alex Castellanos, Seth and Bethany Mandel, Chris Giblin, Adam Harris, Alison Lynn, David Lehman, Melissa Stone, Nicole Gustafson, Shannon Campagna, Chad Hawley, Paul Kong, Danielle Cutrona, Pamela Venzke and Zoe Jackman.
— Apple Original Films and Liberty Media hosted a screening of 'F1: The Movie,' last night at The Internet & Television Association. The event featured a discussion with the film's executive producer Tim Bampton, and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jensen Button. SPOTTED: Derek Chang, Tim Powderly, Alexis Marks Mosher, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Reps. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Hailey Borden, John Lin, Parul Desai, Johanna Thomas, Joe Zogby, Chris Hixon, Brianna Walker, Peter-Anthony Pappas, Morgan Cintron, Carlos Paz and Mary Huang.
— Solana Policy Institute hosted its first D.C. event last night, a summer social with special guests, the Out of Town Blues Band. SPOTTED: Miller Whitehouse-Levine, Kristin Smith, Lily Liu, Greg Xethalis, Michael Petricone, Cleve Mesidor, Alison Mangiero, Jordan Wood, Tara Burchmore, Neeraj Agrawal, Nilmini Rubin, Cody Carbone and Lee Brenner.
TRANSITIONS — Sara Schreiber is now SVP of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters. She most recently was chief of staff on the Harris campaign. … Giovanni Rocco has launched a consulting firm, Rocco Communications. He previously led comms for WorldPride DC 2025 and is an Interior Department alum. … Palmer Williams is now a partner at Holtzman Vogel. She previously was an associate professor at Lipscomb University's College of Leadership and Public Service.
… Len Costa is now chief marketing and comms officer at Conservation International. He previously was a partner at RooneyPartners. … Dan Meyers is now a managing director at Teneo. He previously has worked as principal and founder of Perspective Strategies.
WEDDING — Johnny Rubin, press secretary and speechwriter for the House Ways and Means Committee, and Lillie Russell, product owner for Black Airplane, tied the knot on June 21 in Marietta, Georgia. They had their first date at Ted's Bulletin in Barracks Row in the spring of 2023. Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) … special envoy Mark Burnett … Josh Barro … Kathy 'Coach' Kemper … Reuters' Mike Stone … Opal Vadhan … Morning Consult's Kyle Dropp … Katherine Scarlett … Education Week's Jessica Cuellar … Roz Leighton … Matthew McClellan of JMM Strategy Group … Kayla Tausche … Ben Shannon … WaPo's Katie Zezima … Chris Buki … Chris Berardi … Curt Mills … Morgan Routman Hill of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester's (D-Del.) office … Marnie Funk … DHS' Michael Presutti … Barbara Boland … former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios (6-0) … Seth Bringman … POLITICO's Carolina Garcia, David Hackney and Sean Connor … Amanda Waldron … Dani Simons … Matthew E. Berger
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Correction: Yesterday's Playbook misattributed a quote to Chuck Rocha.