Epstein fallout looms large amid reports top FBI official may resign
The developments come after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo July 7 stating that a "systematic review" of evidence failed to reveal any incriminating client list associated with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges.
"Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither" to combat child exploitation nor bring justice to victims, the memo said. "No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
Many loyalists of President Donald Trump have been incensed by the memo, which followed years of suggestions by Trump associates that the government was hiding a list of Epstein clients who may have been involved in sex trafficking and that Epstein may have been murdered to prevent those names from becoming public.
New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, and the Justice Department's memo backs up that finding.
More: Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered.
The memo threw a range of conservative commentators into an uproar.
"I'm going to go throw up, actually," right-wing radio show host Alex Jones said in a July 7 video post on X, as his eyes teared up. "I just really need the Trump administration to succeed ... and then for them to do something like this - tears my guts out."
Bongino in 2023: 'Washington swamp' not telling truth on Epstein
Bongino himself sounded alarm bells well before he took on a top role in Trump's FBI.
"There are a lot of people who are knee-deep in the Washington swamp who are not telling you the truth about serious allegations out there that Epstein may have had video and audio of people out there doing things they shouldn't have been doing," Bongino said on his "The Dan Bongino Show" on May 1, 2023.
"Jeffrey Epstein isn't with us anymore, and nobody seems to want to talk about it outside of a few entrepreneurial media outlets saying, 'Hey, this is a big deal,'" Bongino added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi recently fanned the flames of those espousing a government cover-up about the Epstein evidence. Bondi characterized the Biden administration's effort on the case as lackluster, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity on March 3 that she had instructed the FBI to review a "truckload" of Epstein files that were delivered as a result of an order she issued in February.
"It's infuriating that these people (the Biden administration) thought that they could sit on this information, but they can't. It's a new day, and we believe in transparency, and it's going to come out," Bondi said.
However, Bondi largely seemed to close the door on future revelations at a July 8 cabinet meeting following the memo's release. She said various videos within the review turned out to be child sexual abuse materials, but said her department was looking for some further videos it hoped to release in connection with Epstein's jail facility.
"And that's it on Epstein," Bondi said.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the second-highest official at the Justice Department after Bondi, said in a July 11 post on X that he'd worked closely with Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel on the polarizing memo and they'd mutually signed off on its contents and conclusions.
"The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo's composition and release is patently false," Blanche said.
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Sydney Sweeney has become the unlikely symbol of the war against woke after she was confirmed to be a Republican voter following backlash to her American Eagle campaign. Up until now, the Euphoria star has remained tight-lipped on her voting preferences, but the reveal she votes Republican came as less of a surprise to some eagle-eyed fans. They spotted clues about her political affiliations since 2022 - including mentions of her 'conservative' relatives', her mother's 'make 60 great again' birthday party and handling a gun in an old video at a shooting range - after the jeans campaign became the subject of intense online discourse. After starring in the famously liberal HBO show Euphoria - with its open depictions of sexuality and drug use - Sydney, 27, seemed a surprising MAGA supporter, especially surrounded by her left-leaning co-stars Zendaya and Hunter Schafer. 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Sydney grew up in a small, Catholic, Trump-supporting town in Washington with her father, Steven, mother, Lisa, and younger brother Trent and said she had a 'religious' upbringing. Much of the 27-year-old's family has remained in the red state, which voted for Trump by clear margins in each of his runs for president, except her dad, who lives 'off-grid' in Mexico. Despite Sydney's various anti-conservative acting roles, many became suspicious that Sydney might not align with her character's liberal views when internet sleuths found pro-MAGA content on her family's social media. Sydney came under fire when she threw a surprise party for her mum's 60th, where guests were wearing MAGA-style hats and 'Blue Lives Matter' shirts. The starlet shared a carousel of snaps from the bash on Instagram, and fans were quick to point out the political garb worn by some of the attendees. 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The clip has now gone viral as it presented how well she can handle a gun; her choice was a Glock, a semi‑automatic pistols designed and manufactured by the Austrian company Glock GmbH. In this old video of Sweeney shooting a gun, it's clear she is comfortable with the assault weapon as she is quick to load, aim and fire, even doing impressive 'double taps.' The siren then beams with pride after being told by other women that she nailed the shots. It was clear this was not the first time she handled a gun and fans were quick to comment on her skills. 'Sydney Sweeney has insane handgun skills,' said one while another added, 'She doesn't just have great jeans; she's also a total pro at the firing range, unloading 17 rounds in just 9 seconds.' Later in 2022, when Sydney spoke to GQ about the accusations that she and her family are republicans, stating there was 'nothing' she could say to 'help the conversation'. 'It's been turning into a wildfire, and nothing I can say will take it back to the correct track,' she said. She spoke about the incident again with Variety in 2023, claiming the controversy caused 'so many misinterpretations'. 'The people in the pictures weren't even my family. The people who brought the things that people were upset about were actually my mom's friends from L.A. who have kids that are walking outside in the Pride parade, and they thought it would be funny to wear because they were coming to Idaho,' she explained. 'People are so fast to build someone up, and then they love tearing them down, and it's so fascinating to see. Three years ago, I was going to college just like everybody else. And all of a sudden, I'm not a human anymore.' Sydney's acting pursuits started when she presented her parents with a five-year business plan outlining how she planned to succeed in the cut-throat industry. 'My mom is a lawyer, and my dad is in the medical field, so school has always been really important. I've always known how to communicate to them through that way,' she told Coveteur in 2019. She and her immediate family uprooted their lives to move to LA when Sydney was 13 to support her dream. Trent tried his hand at acting briefly before enlisting in the military, and he is now part of the United States Air Force. Her parents later divorced in the mid-2010s as her fame was rising before filing for bankruptcy, which Sydney admitted to feeling partially responsible for. 'My parents sacrificed so much to support my dream, and they lost so much during it,' she told Variety in 2023. 'I just felt a responsibility to show them that it was worth it.' She told British GQ in 2022 that since achieving fame, her family 'doesn't understand' her or 'the world (she's) in anymore'. After his split, Sydney's dad moved to Mexico, where he prefers to be disconnected from the world. 'He lives on a ranch in Mexico, and doesn't have internet or cell service,' she shared with Varity. 'I know he's proud of me, and I know he's like, 'Wow, this is a crazy world!'' The isolation made him completely unprepared for the nature of Sydney's role in the hit TV show Euphoria, where she plays the highly-sexualised character, Cassie, who, during the course of the program, was the victim of revenge porn and had an abortion. 'My mum visited me on set quite a few times, so she knew the story,' she said in an interview with NBC's Sunday Today. 'I didn't prepare my dad at all. I mean, how do you bring it up in conversation? And when I talk to my dad, it's usually not about work. It's just, 'Hey, dad'.' Unbeknownst to Sydney at the time, her dad held a viewing party with family and friends for the show's release in support of his daughter, but had no idea about the program's sexual and liberal themes. 'My dad and my grandpa turned it off and walked out,' she said. 'My grandma... she's a fan. She's a big supporter. I bring her all over the world to my different sets and I make her an extra.' The actress even brought her grandmothers to the premiere of her movie Immaculate in which she plays a Catholic nun. Sydney 's political party affiliation has now been revealed as she continues to be embroiled in backlash from her recent American Eagle denim campaign. She is a member of the Republican Party of Florida, according to public voter records viewed by Daily Mail. She registered in Monroe County, Florida in June 2024. Daily Mail has reached out to Sydney's rep for comment but did not immediately hear back. Buzzfeed was first to report the news not long after one social media user on X uploaded a now-viral post on Friday. They wrote, 'was about to make a whole youtube video exploring sydney sweeney's choices not defending her but going through her career context and i just found out this lady is an actual registered member of the republican party as of 2024.' It came after the star modeled items for the clothing brand under the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.' The ad blew up on social media, with some labeling the campaign as 'Nazi propaganda' and others calling the backlash 'ridiculous.' American Eagle has since defended the star in a statement released earlier this week. In one clip for the denim brand, the Anyone But You actress could be seen buttoning a pair of denim blue jeans while saying: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My genes are blue.' Another clip filmed the star wearing a denim jumpsuit with a plunging neckline on the front as the camera panned down towards her chest. 'My body's composition is determined by my genes,' she said, and then stopped to add, 'Hey, eyes up here.' The camera then jumped back up to her face. The ad also triggered the discovery that Sydney votes Red, as fans offered differing viewpoints on the actress's political party registration by jumping to X, with one penning, 'are we really surprised? lol.' 'I would like to say im im not,' another typed, and one added, 'Her playing a character who supports women's rights while being registered Republican in Florida is something!' An X user shared, 'oh so she's part of the maga family, that's disappointing,' while others came to her defense. 'Its okay for people to have different views than you,' one commented, while a fan also said, 'Y'all need to stop harassing her. She's a human being and is allowed to vote for whoever she wants. There's a thing called free will people.' Another added, 'If every celeb's voter registration became public, we'd probably cancel 80% of Hollywood,' and one wrote, 'Why is this anyone's business? She's an actress, not your elected official.' Sydney's American Eagle campaign has been hugely divisive online, with one critic writing: 'So Sydney (& American Eagle) somehow expect audiences to not interpret this visual as a euphemism for eugenics and white supremacy?' Another said, 'The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern day Nazi propaganda. Like it's wild how blatant it is. Things are weird right now, man.' The words 'great genes' have been 'historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,' per a Salon report. The outlet added that using the phrase also made the ads 'seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move.' Earlier this week on Friday, Sydney was defended by American Eagle as the company released a statement amid the backlash. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the brand wrote. 'Her jeans. her story. 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.' Buzzfeed was first to report the news not long after one social media user on X uploaded a now-viral post on Friday The Euphoria actress also broke her silence on Saturday by making a return to social media with a cryptic post. She uploaded a photo of a bouquet of pink roses and added a white heart emoji over the image. Insiders have also revealed the impact that the ad starring Sydney has had on the brand - and have claimed that 70% of the reaction to the campaign has been positive. 'This is yet another example of how social media is just not reflective of real life. The absurd response from some corners of the internet is absolutely not reflective of how American Eagle's customers feel,' sources told TMZ. 'The bottom line is that this was about creating a great pair of jeans and supporting a very worthy cause through some of the proceeds going to domestic violence prevention.' They continued, 'Anything beyond that is noise that is not registering with the average person. 'Regardless of how people feel about the ad, we hope they can agree we should be doing more to support and empower those who are experiencing domestic violence.' Late last month on July 23, Sydney opened up about her involvement in the denim campaign in a news release. Earlier this week on Friday, Sydney was defended by American Eagle as the company released a statement amid the backlash 'There is something so effortless about American Eagle,' she expressed. 'It's the perfect balance of being put-together but still feeling like yourself. 'Their commitment to creating pieces that make you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin is something that resonates with me.' The star added, 'It's rare to find a brand that grows with you, the way American Eagle has for generations. They have literally been there with me through every version of myself.' The president of the company Jennifer Foyle also said of campaign, which is set to raise money for domestic violence charities: 'This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic – trendsetting denim that leads, never follows. 'Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in.' Jennifer continued, 'With Sydney Sweeney front and center, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.'
