Latest news with #GovernmentTransparency
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only One Republican Voted to Release Epstein Files
House Republicans on Monday struck down a Democratic-led effort to release the Epstein files in their entirety. The Republican-majority House Rules committee voted 6-5 to block an amendment that would force the Department of Justice to make all files publicly accessible. Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina was the only Republican to vote for their release. 'Whose side are you on? That's really what this Epstein file issue has become,' Representative Ro Khanna, who introduced the amendment, told MSNBC on Monday. 'It's not just about knowing who's being protected, the rich and the powerful, in terms of who had interaction with Jeffrey Epstein. It's the sense that people have that the government is too beholden to certain interests, who have their thumb on the scale. And that they're not working for ordinary people.... This is something that many Republicans believe should happen.' This is perhaps the most intense test of allegiance that the MAGA movement has faced so far. Trump didn't just break a major promise by closing the Epstein case; he did so with indignation, as if his supporters were crazy for still talking about it. And although many of his supporters are scapegoating Attorney General Pam Bondi rather than Trump, it doesn't seem like this issue will just go away. After Monday's vote, Khanna said he would try again to get the files released. The Epstein files are especially likely to keep festering because the stars of the MAGA movement—like Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, Laura Loomer, and Marjorie Taylor Greene—are still genuinely upset by it. Whether other Republicans will move with the same compass as Representative Norman remains to be seen.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
JD Vance's silence on Epstein after previous demand for 'list' drives MAGA mad in dire signs for 2028
Vice President JD Vance continues his silence on the ongoing controversy surrounding the administration's handling of the Jefferey Epstein case, despite a long history of advocating for more government transparency. Attorney General Pam Bondi released findings from the Justice Department last week claiming that Epstein did not have a 'client list' and there were no more files related to his death in prison or the sex trafficking investigation against him. Prior to taking office as vice president, Vance publicly expressed his belief that a client list existed - and that the public deserved to see it. 'What possible interest would the US government have in keeping Epstein's clients secret? Oh…,' he wrote on December 30, 2021 on X. At the time, Vance reposted prominent MAGA supporter Jack Posobiec's comments highlighting a report and wrote, 'The DOJ and Ghislaine Maxwell 's lawyers have made a deal that her 'little black book' of contacts will never be made public.' That prompted Vance to rant at the journalists failing to grill politicians hard enough about the Epstein files. 'If you're a journalist and you're not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself,' he said. 'What purpose do you even serve? I'm sure there's a middle class teenager somewhere who could use some harassing right now but maybe try to do your job once in a while.' Vice President JD Vance checks his phone before his interview with Bret Baier, right, on FOX News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier at the FOX News bureau in Washington. The Vice President also raised Epstein's case in September 2021. 'Remember when we learned that our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don't talk about it,' he wrote, sharing an article published by The Week titled: 'The Jeffrey Epstein case is why people believe in Pizzagate. A mysterious cabal of billionaires and politicians and Hollywood bigwigs running an international sex trafficking ring — ridiculous, right?' Vance said he thought about the contents of the article 'about once a month.' As early as 2021, posts made to X seen by prove Vance staunchly believed a client list existed - and that the public deserved to see it When he was running for vice president, Vance also spoke to comedian and podcaster Theo Von about the importance of releasing the Epstein list. 'Seriously, we need to release the Epstein list. That is an important thing,' he said in his interview with Von in November 2024 that now has over seven million views on YouTube. The vice president's office did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment. President Trump dismissed a reporter last week who asked him about the Epstein files. 'Are you still talking about Epstein? This guy has been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this creep? I can't believe you're asking a question about Epstein,' he said dismissively. Critics of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case raged against the vice president on social media. 'If you're the VP and you're not asking questions about this case you should be ashamed of yourself. What purpose do you even serve?' wrote one critic on social media. 'I firmly believe this just cost him any chance of the 2028 election, if he decided to run,' wrote another critic. Vance spent the weekend with his family at Disneyland, publicly distancing himself from the controversy that threatened to divide Trump's cabinet. He also shared social media photos of hiking with the Marines at Camp Pendleton. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino threatened to quit his position over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files, demanding that either Bondi lose her job. But the president revealed Sunday that he had spoken with Bongino and said he believed the former MAGA podcaster would remain in the administration. 'I spoke to him today,' Trump said. 'Dan Bongino, very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually.' A White House insider told the Daily Mail that behind the scenes, Vance also spoke to Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel urging them to stick around despite their disappointment with the handling of Bondi's review. Vance also plans to visit Pennsylvania on Wednesday to tout the benefits of President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' in an attempt to refocus the public conversation on the economy. Trump also lectured his supporters on social media for their focus on Epstein, dismissing it as a distraction. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?,' Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday afternoon. 'They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening.' On Monday, the White House indicated that any further comments on the Epstein case would be subject to Trump's approval.
