Latest news with #LachlanMurdoch
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
JD Vance visited Murdoch ranch one month before Epstein revelations
JD Vance made a trip to Rupert Murdoch 's Montana ranch one month before his newspaper published that Donald Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a salacious birthday card. The vice president spoke with the 94-year-old media mogul, his son Lachlan Murdoch and a group of other Fox News executives at the $280 million estate on June 11, sources told the Associated Press around the time of the visit last month. The exact nature of the meeting and Vance's conversation with the group was not disclosed - but it appeared to be brief. Murdoch and other top executives are known for hosting powerful politicians across the summer at their sprawling estates. According to flight restrictions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, the vice presidential aircraft, Air Force Two, was only on the ground for a matter of hours. It landed in Butte – which is approximately 70 miles from the Murdoch ranch – around 2.30pm, according to NBC Montana. Murdoch bought the 340,000-acre Beaverhead cattle ranch from the billionaire Koch family, which had owned the property for 70 years, in 2021. The ranch, located near Yellowstone National Park, is one of the largest in the state, and has a nearly 28-mile long private trout fishing river and is populated by elk, antelope and mule deer. After the Murdoch meeting, the vice president and his wife, Usha, then took a hike, Montana State Auditor James Brown, who helped plan the trip, told Montana Talks. Air Force Two then departed shortly after nightfall, an airport source told Politico's West Wing Playbook. Murdoch and his media organization have long been friendly with Republicans and the Trump administration. He appeared at Trump's inauguration and was spotted earlier this year in the Oval Office. However, their relationship has appeared to have soured and Trump launched a blistering attack on Murdoch's newspaper the Wall Street Journal. One month after Vance's mysterious meeting, the Journal reported that Trump sent Epstein the card in 2003 as part of a collection collated by Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump has furiously denied the allegations and hit the newspaper and its owner with a $10 billion lawsuit. Trump's lawsuit, obtained by shows the libel suit filed in the Southern District of Florida against WSJ, Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch and the paper's reporters who published the story in what Trump called a 'powerhouse' suit on Truth Social. Trump is requesting a jury trial and is suing 'for damages, punitive damages, court costs, and such other relief as the Court deems just and proper, not to be less than $10 billion dollars.' A bombshell report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday claimed Trump wrote a 'bawdy' 50th birthday card to Epstein, which concluded: 'Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret.' The newspaper said it had reviewed a typewritten letter bearing Trump's signature, framed by the seemingly hand-drawn outline of a naked woman, that Ghislaine Maxwell included in a 2003 birthday album. In the text, the paper claimed Trump wrote: 'We have certain things in common, Jeffrey' and that both of them know that 'there must be more to life than having everything.' The message is said to have included an X-rated drawing of a naked woman, with Trump's famous signature squiggle written across her genitals to mimic pubic hair. According to the Journal, the naked woman appeared to have been hand-drawn with a marker, with a pair of arcs indicating the woman's breasts and a squiggly signature reading 'Donald' appearing in her pubic region, mimicking hair. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' Trump told the WSJ. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' Trump has denied writing the letter or drawing the picture, calling it 'false, malicious, and defamatory.' The Wall Street Journal bombshell, which Trump thoroughly denounced on social media, comes amid major MAGA outrage over a DOJ and FBI report published last week indicating no further Epstein-related files will be released. Since then, Republicans in Congress have faced pressure from their constituents to force the DOJ to release the files and conservative influencers have been pressuring lawmakers to act.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
House Democrats send letter to Fox News demanding answers on edits to Trump's 2024 Epstein comments
Source: CNN A top oversight Democrat sent a letter on Thursday to Fox Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott demanding answers about Fox's editing of a Donald Trump interview from June 2024 concerning Jeffrey Epstein — an edit they say both misled the public and distorted his position. The letter from the ranking Democratic member on the House Oversight Committee, obtained first by CNN, accuses Fox of omitting key qualifiers in Trump's response to a question about whether he would release Epstein-related documents. The letter requests Fox's internal records about the interview and any communications with then-candidate Trump's campaign about it — a request that Fox will surely refuse. In the televised version of a 'Fox & Friends Weekend' interview, Trump appeared to unequivocally support releasing the files. But in the unedited version — aired the next day on Fox's radio platform and 'Fox and Friends' — he hedged, expressing concern about 'phony stuff' and the potential to 'affect people's lives.' The edit attracted some attention at the time, but has gained more scrutiny in recent days, as Trump parries criticism from his own supporters over the administration's attempts to shut down further disclosures about Epstein's crimes. The letter, from Ranking Oversight Member Robert Garcia, calls on Murdoch and Scott to explain the decision-making behind the edit and whether political considerations influenced how the interview was presented. 'Considering President Trump's well-documented past social ties with Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News's selective omission raises serious concerns that the network may have deliberately sought to shield then-candidate Trump from any further association with Epstein,' the letter states, adding, 'it is legitimate to ask whether President Trump himself or those close to him may have actively encouraged' the edit. In a statement to CNN, a Fox News spokesperson said 'there was no selective or deceptive editing whatsoever.' The TV segment in question 'had standard editorial cuts for time and the full answer to the question aired on the following day's show,' the network said. In the interview, co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy asked whether Trump would declassify '9/11 files' and 'JFK files.' He said yes without hesitation. Then she asked, 'Would you declassify the Epstein files?' His answer, as it initially aired: 'Yeah, yeah, I would.' But in the full version that only aired later, Trump said, 'Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so because, you don't know, you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would, or at least—' Campos-Duffy interjected and said, 'Do you think that would restore trust? Help restore trust?' Trump hedged again: 'I don't know about Epstein, so much as I do the others. Certainly, about the way he died. It'd be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etc., etc. But yeah, I'd go a long way toward that one. The other stuff, I would.' Critics said the edited version that originally aired was egregious because it stripped away Trump's uncertainty, presenting his stance in a more definitive — and politically favorable — light. Trump took a keen interest in TV news editing last year when '60 Minutes' interviewed his then-rival Kamala Harris and aired two different parts of a controversial Harris answer on two different days. Trump ultimately alleged 'election interference' and sued CBS, resulting in a $16 million settlement with the network's parent company Paramount, much to the chagrin of '60 Minutes' employees. The FCC, chaired by Trump ally Brendan Carr, currently has an open probe into CBS stemming from that edit. Earlier this week, in a letter to Carr, Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey called out the Fox edit about Epstein. 'This selective editing appears to be far more misleading than the run-of-the-mill editorial decision-making in CBS's interview with Harris,' the senators said. Rather than arguing for an equivalent probe of Fox, the senators said, 'the FCC should stop its partisan investigations into the news media and cease interfering with independent journalism altogether.' See Full Web Article
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Democrats demand answers from Fox News on edits to Trump's Epstein comments
The ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the top executives at Fox News demanding answers about the right-wing network's editing of a 2024 interview with Donald Trump, claiming it misled the public about the then-candidate's stance on releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The letter from Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), first obtained by CNN, accuses Fox News of omitting key context from Trump's response when asked by Fox & Friends host Rachel Campos-Duffy whether he would commit to making the Epstein files public. Garcia is requesting that the network provide all internal records and communications related to the interview with Trump's campaign. 'Considering President Trump's well-documented past social ties with Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News's selective omission raises serious concerns that the network may have deliberately sought to shield then-candidate Trump from any further association with Epstein,' the letter to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch reads. 'It is legitimate to ask whether President Trump himself or those close to him may have actively encouraged' the edit, Garcia adds. The network, meanwhile, is denying any claims that it deceitfully edited the interview, noting that the entire conversation was later made available on its digital site. Donald Trump sits down for an interview with Fox & Friends Weekend hosts in June 2024. That interview is now under scrutiny over the way the network edited Trump's comments about his stance on releasing the Epstein files (Fox News) 'As previously stated, there was no selective or deceptive editing whatsoever. Portions of the initial interview that aired on Fox & Friends Weekend with then-candidate Trump on June 2, 2024 had standard editorial cuts for time and the full answer to the Epstein question aired on the following day's show,' Fox News said in a statement. 'The entire unedited interview was also run on multiple FOX News Media platforms with full transparency on June 3, 2024, including audio, digital and streaming, while the entire transcript was posted on the network added. During the televised portion of the interview that originally aired on Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump appeared to be fully in favor of releasing the Epstein case documents, unequivocally telling Campos-Duffy that he supported that decision. During the unedited version that was later made available online, however, Trump hedged and suggested that he would need to redact or fully withhold some documents and evidence because it could contain 'phony stuff' that could potentially 'affect people's lives.' 'Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so because, you don't know, you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world,' Trump told Campos-Duffy when asked if he'd declassify the Epstein files. 'Do you think that would restore trust? Help restore trust?' the Fox host wondered. 'I don't know about Epstein, so much as I do the others,' he deflected, referencing files related to the John F. Kennedy assassination and the 9/11 terror attacks. 'Certainly, about the way he died. It'd be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etc., etc. But yeah, I'd go a long way toward that one. The other stuff, I would.' While the edit for the television broadcast drew attention at the time, especially after Trump sued CBS News for 'election interference' over edits 60 Minutes made to an interview with Kamala Harris, the Fox News sit-down has gained further scrutiny and criticism in recent days amid the uproar over the Justice Department's conclusion that Epstein had no 'client list' and died by suicide. Amid the MAGA meltdown over the DOJ's memo and Trump now claiming the files are a Democrat-created 'hoax' while angrily demanding his 'stupid' supporters move on from Epstein, Democrats have looked to politically take advantage of the controversy by calling for the release of more documents and evidence. Following CBS News parent company Paramount's recent $16 million settlement with the president over the 'meritless' 60 Minutes lawsuit, which occurred as Paramount seeks an $8 billion merger that requires the Trump administration's approval, Democratic senators questioned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about the Fox News edit. Carr, who is currently investigating CBS regarding the editing of its Harris interview, was asked last week by Sens. Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey why he wasn't probing the conservative cable giant. 'This selective editing appears to be far more misleading than the run-of-the-mill editorial decision-making in CBS's interview with Harris,' the senators' letter stated, adding that rather than investigate Fox, Carr's FCC 'should stop its partisan investigations into the news media and cease interfering with independent journalism altogether.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
House Democrats demand answers from Fox News on edits to Trump's Epstein comments
The ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the top executives at Fox News demanding answers about the right-wing network's editing of a 2024 interview with Donald Trump, claiming it misled the public about the then-candidate's stance on releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The letter from Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), first obtained by CNN, accuses Fox News of omitting key context from Trump's response when asked by Fox & Friends host Rachel Campos-Duffy whether he would commit to making the Epstein files public. Garcia is requesting that the network provide all internal records and communications related to the interview with Trump's campaign. 'Considering President Trump's well-documented past social ties with Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News's selective omission raises serious concerns that the network may have deliberately sought to shield then-candidate Trump from any further association with Epstein,' the letter to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch reads. 'It is legitimate to ask whether President Trump himself or those close to him may have actively encouraged' the edit, Garcia adds. The network, meanwhile, is denying any claims that it deceitfully edited the interview, noting that the entire conversation was later made available on its digital site. 'As previously stated, there was no selective or deceptive editing whatsoever. Portions of the initial interview that aired on Fox & Friends Weekend with then-candidate Trump on June 2, 2024 had standard editorial cuts for time and the full answer to the Epstein question aired on the following day's show,' Fox News said in a statement. 'The entire unedited interview was also run on multiple FOX News Media platforms with full transparency on June 3, 2024, including audio, digital and streaming, while the entire transcript was posted on the network added. During the televised portion of the interview that originally aired on Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump appeared to be fully in favor of releasing the Epstein case documents, unequivocally telling Campos-Duffy that he supported that decision. During the unedited version that was later made available online, however, Trump hedged and suggested that he would need to redact or fully withhold some documents and evidence because it could contain 'phony stuff' that could potentially 'affect people's lives.' 'Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so because, you don't know, you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world,' Trump told Campos-Duffy when asked if he'd declassify the Epstein files. 'Do you think that would restore trust? Help restore trust?' the Fox host wondered. 'I don't know about Epstein, so much as I do the others,' he deflected, referencing files related to the John F. Kennedy assassination and the 9/11 terror attacks. 'Certainly, about the way he died. It'd be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etc., etc. But yeah, I'd go a long way toward that one. The other stuff, I would.' While the edit for the television broadcast drew attention at the time, especially after Trump sued CBS News for 'election interference' over edits 60 Minutes made to an interview with Kamala Harris, the Fox News sit-down has gained further scrutiny and criticism in recent days amid the uproar over the Justice Department's conclusion that Epstein had no 'client list' and died by suicide. Amid the MAGA meltdown over the DOJ's memo and Trump now claiming the files are a Democrat-created 'hoax' while angrily demanding his 'stupid' supporters move on from Epstein, Democrats have looked to politically take advantage of the controversy by calling for the release of more documents and evidence. Following CBS News parent company Paramount's recent $16 million settlement with the president over the 'meritless' 60 Minutes lawsuit, which occurred as Paramount seeks an $8 billion merger that requires the Trump administration's approval, Democratic senators questioned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr about the Fox News edit. Carr, who is currently investigating CBS regarding the editing of its Harris interview, was asked last week by Sens. Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey why he wasn't probing the conservative cable giant. 'This selective editing appears to be far more misleading than the run-of-the-mill editorial decision-making in CBS's interview with Harris,' the senators' letter stated, adding that rather than investigate Fox, Carr's FCC 'should stop its partisan investigations into the news media and cease interfering with independent journalism altogether.'
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
House Democrats send letter to Fox News demanding answers on edits to Trump's 2024 Epstein comments
A top oversight Democrat sent a letter on Thursday to Fox Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott demanding answers about Fox's editing of a Donald Trump interview from June 2024 concerning Jeffrey Epstein — an edit they say both misled the public and distorted his position. The letter from the ranking Democratic member on the House Oversight Committee, obtained first by CNN, accuses Fox of omitting key qualifiers in Trump's response to a question about whether he would release Epstein-related documents. The letter requests Fox's internal records about the interview and any communications with then-candidate Trump's campaign about it — a request that Fox will surely refuse. In the televised version of a 'Fox & Friends Weekend' interview, Trump appeared to unequivocally support releasing the files. But in the unedited version — aired the next day on Fox's radio platform and 'Fox and Friends' — he hedged, expressing concern about 'phony stuff' and the potential to 'affect people's lives.' The edit attracted some attention at the time, but has gained more scrutiny in recent days, as Trump parries criticism from his own supporters over the administration's attempts to shut down further disclosures about Epstein's crimes. The letter, from Ranking Oversight Member Robert Garcia, calls on Murdoch and Scott to explain the decision-making behind the edit and whether political considerations influenced how the interview was presented. 'Considering President Trump's well-documented past social ties with Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News's selective omission raises serious concerns that the network may have deliberately sought to shield then-candidate Trump from any further association with Epstein,' the letter states, adding, 'it is legitimate to ask whether President Trump himself or those close to him may have actively encouraged' the edit. In a statement to CNN before the letter was made public, a Fox News spokesperson denied that any 'selective editing' took place. The TV segment in question 'had standard editorial cuts for time and the full answer to the question aired on the following day's show,' the network said. In the interview, co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy asked whether Trump would declassify '9/11 files' and 'JFK files.' He said yes without hesitation. Then she asked, 'Would you declassify the Epstein files?' His answer, as it initially aired: 'Yeah, yeah, I would.' But in the full version that only aired later, Trump said, 'Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so because, you don't know, you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would, or at least—' Campos-Duffy interjected and said, 'Do you think that would restore trust? Help restore trust?' Trump hedged again: 'I don't know about Epstein, so much as I do the others. Certainly, about the way he died. It'd be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etc., etc. But yeah, I'd go a long way toward that one. The other stuff, I would.' Critics said the edited version that originally aired was egregious because it stripped away Trump's uncertainty, presenting his stance in a more definitive — and politically favorable — light. Trump took a keen interest in TV news editing last year when '60 Minutes' interviewed his then-rival Kamala Harris and aired two different parts of a controversial Harris answer on two different days. Trump ultimately alleged 'election interference' and sued CBS, resulting in a $16 million settlement with the network's parent company Paramount, much to the chagrin of '60 Minutes' employees. The FCC, chaired by Trump ally Brendan Carr, currently has an open probe into CBS stemming from that edit. Earlier this week, in a letter to Carr, Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey called out the Fox edit about Epstein. 'This selective editing appears to be far more misleading than the run-of-the-mill editorial decision-making in CBS's interview with Harris,' the senators said. Rather than arguing for an equivalent probe of Fox, the senators said, 'the FCC should stop its partisan investigations into the news media and cease interfering with independent journalism altogether.'
