Latest news with #Justicedepartment
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
US justice department asks court to unseal Epstein grand jury records
WASHINGTON: The Justice Department asked a federal court on Friday to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein's case amid a firestorm over the Trump administration's handling of records related to the wealthy financier. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed motions urging the court to release the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the case against convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell a day after President Donald Trump directed the Justice department to do so. The Trump administration has been embroiled in controversy since the Justice Department last week announced that it would not be releasing any more evidence in its possession from Epstein's investigation. Trump's demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after The Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling it "false, malicious, and defamatory." The Justice Department said it will work with with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are released. Grand jury transcripts which could show the testimony of witnesses and other evidence presented by prosecutors are rarely released by courts, unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial proceeding. Even with the Justice Department endorsement, it could take weeks or months of legal wrangling to decide what can be released and how to protect witnesses and other sensitive victim information.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 5 unhinged Donald Trump moments as Epstein row takes unexpected twist
Last night there was a twist in the Epstein row that nobody expected - and it's really unclear how it'll shake out What's going on with my 'guys', and in some cases, 'gals'? Last night there was a twist in the Epstein row that nobody expected - and it's really unclear how it'll shake out. Meanwhile, Trump continued to call his most active supporters "stupid". And he's so determined to reduce the trade deficit with Mexico that he's convinced Coca-Cola to use real sugar - despite howls of protest from farmers. Here's all that, plus more things that happened in Trump world overnight. 1. The Epstein row took an unexpected turn last night The Justice department last night fired a federal prosecutor who worked on the Jeffrey Epstein case - and signed the order to seal FBI documents relating to the case. No explanation was given, but the prosecutor has a very familiar name. Maurene Comey is the daughter of James Comey, the former director of the FBI who Trump infamously fired in his first term - and has pursued a furious vendetta against since. As well as successfully prosecuting Epstein, she was involved in the cases against Diddy and Ghislaine Maxwell. 2. Make Coke Great Again Clearly keen for the American people to see him concentrating on the important stuff, Trump declared he'd convinced the Coca-Cola company to start using real sugar in the beverage again. While cane sugar - as is used in Coke in the UK - is undeniably superior to the corn syrup used to sweeten the drink in the United States, the farming industry had something to say about the announcement. "Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn't make sense," said Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode. "Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit." A huge amount of America's farming infrastructure is built around subsidising the cultivation of corn, which is used to make the high-fructose corn syrup used in hundreds of processed foods. This is likely to have come not from Trump's desire to make American Coke taste better - he famously drinks Diet Coke anyway - but from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's obsession with removing processed foods from the American diet. 3. Trump was 'surprised' that Jerome Powell was made Fed Chair. This is odd for a very important reason During an event with the Crown Prince of Bahrain last night, Trump was playing a bit of Hokey Cokey about whether he'll try and fire the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. First of all, he's not allowed to do that. The Supreme Court ruled on that a couple of weeks ago. Yet he reportedly asked a group of Republican congressmen whether he should do it - even brandishing the letter he'd use to commit the putsch, it's claimed. Then, about 15 minutes after reports of the planned ouster were began to circulate, he went on camera with the boss of Bahrain and said, actually, nah. He had no plans to fire Powell, unless it was for something like fraud. And he went on a long rant about how Powell is supposedly overseeing the refurb of the Federal Reserve, and claiming there are cost overruns and huge spending planned. It didn't stop him having a lengthy pop at Powell, whom he's mad at for not lowering interest rates. And then he made a startling comment, that if it'd been Biden would have been used as evidence of mental decline. "I was surprised he was appointed," Trump said. Which is he appointed him, during his first term in office. He was re-appointed by Joe Biden for a second term, but he was a Trump pick in the first place. 4. He called his own supporters 'stupid' Trump had already had a pop at a chunk of his fans on Truth Social, saying they'd fallen for a "hoax" in believing another shoe was yet to drop in the Epstein investigation, and adding: "I don't want their support anymore!" To recap, Attorney General Pam Bondi is under mounting pressure from MAGA supporters to release more documents relating to the dead paedophile, which they believe include a "client list" of prominent associates. But Bondi has denied any such list exists - despite having said in an interview that it was "on my desk waiting for review". And in the last few days, Trump has pivoted from "we've already shown you everything, stop talking about it" to "it's all a hoax. Biden and Comey made it up." Last night in the Oval he doubled down - branding some of his most ardent supporters "stupid." "It's all been a big hoax, it's perpetrated by the Democrats, and some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net. That's how they do the Democrats' work." Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 5. Elmo got defunded Trump's Republicans in the Senate passed a bill slashing $9 billion from public spending - including deep cuts to foreign aid, NPR and PBS. NPR, for those who don't know, basically invented good podcasts. And PBS? Well. PBS has been the home of Sesame Street since 1969 (Kind of. Netflix gets the episodes first these days). And it's where people in the US of A can watch Downton Abbey and Doctor Who. Anyway, Trump hates both of them because they report the news factually. The legislation, which now moves to the House, would have a tiny impact on the nation's rising debt but could have major ramifications for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and US food aid internationally. It also could complicate efforts to pass additional spending bills this year, as Democrats and even some Republicans voice objections to broadly ceding congressional spending power with little idea of how the White House Office of Management and Budget would apply the cuts. (Don't panic, after the Netflix deal, Elmo will probably be fine. Dr Who fans probably less so)
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Pretty boring stuff': Donald Trump downplays 'fascination' surrounding Epstein files; blames ‘bad people' for keeping it alive
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed renewed interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case, calling it 'pretty boring stuff' and saying he didn't understand why many of his own supporters were so focused on it. Speaking to reporters in Pennsylvania after an event, Trump reacted to questions about ongoing uproar within his base following the release of a Justice department and FBI memo last week. The memo said Epstein had no client list and confirmed he died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019. 'I don't understand it, why they would be so interested. He's been dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest and what the fascination is. I really don't. And the credible information has been given,' Trump said. He added, 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring. And I don't understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 이 게임은 대부분의 TV 프로그램보다 더 재미있어요 – 게다가 무료예요. Raid: Shadow Legends 플레이하기 Undo Despite Trump's remarks, many within the MAGA movement remain unsatisfied with the government's findings. The absence of a "client list" in the memo has fuelled speculation among conspiracy theorists, who have long believed that high-profile Democrats and celebrities were connected to pedophile Epstein's alleged sex trafficking network. Anger has also been directed at US attorney general Pam Bondi, with people for her removal over what they claim is a lack of transparency around the Epstein files. Bondi had previously said in a February interview that an Epstein client list was 'sitting on' her 'desk' for review. She has since clarified that she was referring more broadly to files connected to the case. On Tuesday, Trump defended Bondi but said she should move forward with any disclosures that can be verified. 'But she's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her whatever she thinks is credible, she should release,' Trump said. In early June, tech billionaire Elon Musk and Trump's former right-hand man reignited controversy by suggesting that the MAGA chief's name appears in the unreleased Epstein files, claiming this was the real reason they had not been made public. Musk first made the allegation on X, saying ,'Time to drop the really big bomb… @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,' before later deleting the post. He has since called on the White House to release all related documents, demanding full transparency. Epstein had faced multiple accusations of trafficking underage girls and was known to associate with powerful figures such as Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Britain, and several wealthy elites. His long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in facilitating the abuse. His death is still debated by many, with conspiracy theories claiming he was murdered to protect high-profile individuals. Despite official rulings that he died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019, questions around security failures and missing footage have fuelled public suspicion and kept the controversy alive.
