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Politico
4 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
House GOP sends warning shot to Bondi for fumbling Epstein saga ‘so badly'
Another noted that GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, the most vocal advocate for release of the files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is on the Judiciary Committee, which is expected to hear Bondi's testimony in a few weeks. Massie is working to force a floor vote on his bipartisan bill that would compel DOJ to release all of its Epstein documents. 'She is in for a rough September at the very least,' said a second House Republican. Speaker Mike Johnson has in recent interviews demanded 'transparency' around the Epstein files and said in a CBS interview aired Thursday that there are 'good questions' about how Bondi's Justice Department has handled the matter. The ongoing saga — now in its third week — is a crisis of Trump allies' own making: They've spent years stoking an unyielding belief that the federal government had obtained Epstein's 'client list,' allegedly proving that elite power brokers in Washington trafficked young girls. They also fomented conspiracy theories that Epstein — who died in prison in 2019 of an apparent suicide — was murdered ahead of his trial on a sex trafficking conspiracy. Trump, they believed, would release evidence proving their theories as soon as he took office, and many in the president's orbit endorsed that conviction. Yet, earlier this month, the Trump Justice Department concluded both theories were meritless and said they could not release any additional information because it largely consisted of vulgar and disturbing footage of Epstein's alleged victims. Epstein killed himself, the FBI and Justice Department concluded, and there was no evidence to support a chargeable crime by anyone other than Epstein himself. The fury from Trump's MAGA allies was swift, most of it trained on Bondi herself, who told them in February that she was sitting on a mountain of evidence connected to the Epstein case. It has exposed fractures within the president's base, creating an existential crisis that has dwarfed any others Trump has faced this term. Scrutiny of the attorney general intensified even further on Wednesday when the Wall Street Journal and other outlets reported that Bondi told Trump in May that his name appears in some of the unreleased Epstein documents. Bondi has not addressed the controversy in a public setting but has operated at a frenetic pace to shift focus to Trump's other causes. On Wednesday, she announced a strike force to investigate potential crimes related to the 2016 investigation of Trump's links to Russia. And on Tuesday, she said she was firing the judicially appointed replacement for interim U.S. attorney Alina Habba in New Jersey, escalating a fight with the courts that has frequently fired up Trump's base. Bondi had planned to speak at an anti-trafficking panel during the MAGA-dominated CPAC conference but sent a deputy, Matthew Galeotti, in her place after her cornea tear. Those who know Bondi say despite the public furor, she's unlikely to be cowed by the criticism. 'Pam is one of the most graceful and calm under pressure people I have ever dealt with. She doesn't rattle and she's not one of those people that when stress happens she lashes out. She is very calm, deliberate and stays the course,' said Brian Ballard, who runs the lobbying firm where Bondi worked before becoming attorney general. The White House has continued to voice support for Bondi. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Bondi is 'working tirelessly to end the weaponization that has rotted our justice system, remove violent criminals from our streets, and help President Trump in making America safe again. The President is appreciative of her efforts.' And Justice Department officials emphasize Bondi has released what she responsibly could without making public explicit sexual material involving minors. But Bondi is, in some ways, now at the mercy of forces beyond her control. Rising fury among House Republicans has guaranteed that the saga will outlast a sleepy August recess, with committees approving two bipartisan subpoenas: one for the entire Epstein case file, the other for a deposition with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's co-conspirator who is serving a 20-year-prison sentence for the sex trafficking conspiracy. The proceedings stemming from those demands will play out for weeks. 'I think she, from pillar to post, handled this thing so badly and bizarrely,' said one senior House GOP aide. 'It was tough to watch the whole thing. We were just like 'What the fuck are they doing over there,'' the aide added. On Friday, the Justice Department turned to the courts to help release some of the pressure, asking three judges for permission to publicly disclose grand jury transcripts stemming from Epstein and Maxwell's criminal cases. But so far the department has slammed into roadblocks: the extremely inflexible rules governing grand jury secrecy. A judge in Florida has already denied DOJ's request to unseal the materials, and two other requests in New York may remain pending for weeks after judges there asked for additional materials before ruling. On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went a step further, interviewing Maxwell in Tallahassee. Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, called the meeting 'productive,' and told reporters that his client 'answered every single question.' 'She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer,' he said. 'She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.' He declined to say whether Maxwell would be interviewed for a second day. But the Justice Department has long housed deep doubts about her credibility, and Johnson echoed those doubts, too, in Wednesday remarks to reporters. 'Could she be counted on to tell the truth? Is she a credible witness? I mean, this is a person who's been sentenced to many, many years in prison for terrible, unspeakable, conspiratorial acts and acts against innocent young people,' Johnson said. 'I mean, can we trust what she's going to say? … I don't know, but we'll have to see.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's under-fire AG Pam Bondi skips human trafficking summit over medical issue
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ducked out of a summit on human trafficking on Wednesday, citing a medical issue, as new reporting emerged to intensify the pressure on President Donald Trump over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appears multiple times in the Justice Department's files on the late sex offender, her absence from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)'s Summit Against Human Trafficking was announced. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti notified the audience at the event in Washington, D.C., by reading aloud a statement that read: 'I'm sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today… Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you. 'I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue.' Trump is already suing the Journal after it alleged last week that he sent a 'bawdy' hand-drawn birthday card to Epstein. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung moved quickly to deny the newspaper's latest bombshell, calling it 'nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.' Also on Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee moved to subpoena both the files and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's jailed accomplice, while federal judges in New York and Florida rejected requests to unseal grand jury transcripts related to investigations into the duo. The scandal erupted on July 7 when the FBI and Justice Department abruptly announced that no Epstein 'client list' existed and that the financier died by his own hand in a New York jail cell in August 2019, infuriating Trump's supporters who long believed they would finally see the sex trafficker's allies and enablers held to account. The result has been weeks of infighting among the president's MAGA coalition, with Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino bearing the brunt of the criticism and accused of orchestrating a 'cover-up.' Critics of the AG include podcaster Liz Wheeler, who was one of several right-wing influencers invited to the White House in February to receive binders of documents on Epstein that were already publicly available. 'I was one of the 'new media' figures… who have been put through the ringer for Attorney General Pam Bondi's gross incompetence and her severe lack of judgement in the way that she rolled that out,' she said. 'It's time to rectify this issue, which is why I said [the president] should not tolerate Pam Bondi's behaviour anymore.' Wheeler continued: 'The base feels stung because we have not been told the truth and we associate the Epstein files now with the question of, are we going to get the justice we voted for? 'The American people feel that this is injustice. They feel that they are being played. They feel there is dishonesty afoot. And of course that triggers us because we have been harmed by politicians doing this before. 'What we do as President Trump's base is, a true friend tells you the truth, even when that truth is uncomfortable, even when that truth might have consequences.' Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh has also attacked Bondi on social media, writing: 'We don't have an Attorney General. We haven't had one for the past six months. Pam Bondi is Donald Trump's personal lawyer. Nothing more. 'We've normalized his corruption. And America will pay such a steep price for doing so. Shame on us.' On Capitol Hill last night, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters: 'Time and again, Pam Bondi and President Trump have lied to the American people. They are destroying Americans' trust in our justice system.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pam Bondi Backs Out of Anti-Trafficking Summit over Medical Issue as Epstein Scandal Heats Up
Pam Bondi missed an anti-trafficking summit for an apparent medical issue on Wednesday, July 23, as she navigates blowback for withholding evidence in Jeffrey Epstein's child sex trafficking case. The attorney general, 59, suddenly canceled her appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Summit Against Human Trafficking on Wednesday, citing a torn cornea, per Fox News. At the summit, acting assistant attorney general Matthew Galeotti read a statement to attendees from Bondi. "I'm sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today. Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you," the statement read. "I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue." A Justice Department spokesperson told PEOPLE that "her eye will take time to heal," but that she "remains extremely active and available" in the meantime. The DOJ did not elaborate on the circumstances or timing of her injury. Bondi's absence at the event comes as Republicans reckon with the Trump administration's hesitance to release all files about Epstein, a convicted sex offender and once-close friend of President Donald Trump. The GOP has made human trafficking a top point of concern for the party in recent years, and many MAGA loyalists have been waiting a long time to know what investigators uncovered in Epstein's trafficking case before his sudden 2019 death while he was awaiting trial. Trump promised during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would look into releasing more information about Epstein and the people close to him. Bondi herself has taken much of the heat from Trump's splintering base, after she and the FBI released a joint memo in early July that said there was "no incriminating 'client list' ... no credible evidence ... that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals," and no "evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties." Months before releasing the joint memo that sought to put Epstein rumors to bed, Bondi told Fox News that Epstein's reputed client list was "sitting on my desk," awaiting review. Bondi's skipped appearance at the CPAC summit fell on the same day as a bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Bondi informed the president back in May that he was in the Epstein files "multiple times," then told him that she would not disclose any further details about the case to the public. Bondi allegedly cited sensitive victim details and presence of child pornography as her reasoning for withholding the remaining evidence, according to the Journal. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer. Last week, when asked by a journalist if he was told by his DOJ that he was in the Epstein files, Trump said "no," per PBS. The White House issued a statement in response, calling the Journal's report "another fake news story." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has medical issue amid Epstein files scrutiny
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing a medical issue, abruptly canceled her appearance at an anti-trafficking event amid public outcry over her handling of the Epstein files and renewed scrutiny over President Donald Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier. Bondi was expected to speak at CPAC's Summit Against Human Trafficking on Wednesday before acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti took to the stage to reveal she could no longer attend. 'I do have a note from the attorney general, from Attorney General Pam Bondi, that I wanted to share,' he told attendees before reading her statement. 'I'm sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today,' Bondi's statement said. 'Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you. I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue.' The announcement came some 90 minutes before The Wall Street Journal published a report, alleging Bondi informed Trump during a sit-down in back May that his name repeatedly appeared in the Epstein files. That means their meeting occurred just weeks before the Justice Department released a memo declaring that, after a lengthy review of all evidence available, there is 'no incriminating client list' or proof Epstein blackmailed prominent people as part of his alleged actions. It further noted that no more files related to the case — other than a video meant to prove that Epstein died by suicide — would be made public. The subsequent backlash was fierce, with critics calling for Bondi's head. Trump has, meanwhile, repeatedly come to his attorney general's defense while trying to quell his angry base. Many of them have pointed out the president's past vows to make public the Epstein files, and his recent hesitation to do so, has sparked questions about his involvement with the financier. Further fueling the fire, The Wall Street Journal also recently published a report on a collection of letters gifted to Epstein, one of them allegedly penned by Trump. The note, contained in a bound collection given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, apparently included a drawing of a naked woman with his signature written across her pelvis in a way that appeared to mimic pubic hair. 'A pal is a wonderful thing,' Trump wrote to Epstein, per the WSJ. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump denied writing the birthday note and has since sued the Journal over its report. White House communications director Steven Cheung on Wednesday also denied the Journal's latest bombshell in a statement to Newsweek. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his (Mar-a-Lago) club for being a creep,' Cheung said in the statement. 'This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about.' _____
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Pam Bondi Ditches Speaking Event After Report Reveals She Gave Trump Heads Up on Epstein Files
Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to attend a speaking event at an anti-human trafficking summit hours after a bombshell report revealed she allegedly gave President Donald Trump a heads up that his name is in the files on Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi was slated to speak at CPAC's Summit Against Human Trafficking on Wednesday, when Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti delivered a statement on her behalf, citing a medical reason as to why she would not be in attendance, Fox News reported. "Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you," she said in her statement. "I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue." The attorney general's cancellation came hours after the Wall Street Journal published a report alleging that Bondi told Trump that his name was in the files, as well as several other prominent figures. Though his name allegedly appearing in the files is not an implication that he committed a crime, the report comes as the Trump administration faces an intense effort to release the files. The Department of Justice and FBI were met with backlash earlier this month after releasing a memo declaring that Epstein killed himself and that there was no client list. Since the report regarding Bondi and Trump, the attorney general and FBI Director Kash Patel have been targeted in demands from Democrats to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for more transparency on the files. "We need to bring Bondi and Patel into the Judiciary Committee to testify about this. Now," California Sen. Adam Schiff said in a video posted on X. Meanwhile, White House communications director Steven Cheung called the Journal's report "another fake news story, just like the previous story," referring to a previous report by the outlet alleging that Trump included a drawing of a naked woman in a birthday note to Epstein. Trump has denied these claims and filed a lawsuit against the publication. Epstein was found dead in his cell in August 2019 after being arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking the month prior. He previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution, and was registered as a sex offender. Trump and Epstein were friends prior to Epstein's first arrest. The two previously stated that they had a falling out, and Trump has since repeatedly bashed Epstein in various statements. Originally published on Latin Times
