Latest news with #MarjorieTaylorGreene
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump acknowledges release of Epstein grand jury records may not please everyone
President Donald Trump acknowledged Saturday morning that his administration's move to make public grand jury records from the prosecution of disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may not satisfy everyone. 'I have asked the Justice Department to release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval,' Trump wrote on TruthSocial. 'With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request. It will always be more, more, more. MAGA!' Trump's acknowledgment that the release may not satisfy everyone is a notable admission after the DOJ told courts Friday that it would not only make redactions of victim information, but 'other personal identifying information' as well. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who submitted the requests, did not elaborate on what 'other' information they would shield. The Justice Department's move came amid pressure not just from the left, but from some Republicans who in recent days have pushed for the release of the records. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) joined Democrats, signing on as co-sponsors to legislation to force a vote on releasing the records. It came after a Wall Street Journal report that described evidence that Trump, a then-real estate tycoon in New York, sent a racy letter to Epstein in 2003. It said the letter was part of a book of messages organized by Epstein's friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for his 50th birthday. POLITICO has not independently verified the authenticity of the letter, which Trump claims is fake. On Friday, Trump sued the newspaper, as well as its parent company, News Corp., for defamation, seeking at least $20 billion.
Roya News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
US progressive lawmaker AOC rejects cutting funding for 'Israel's' air defense system
US Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voted against an amendment proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday, that sought to cut USD 500 million in military aid for 'Israel's' air defense systems. By voting "no" on the amendment, Ocasio-Cortez effectively voted to maintain the funding. The amendment, to H.R.4016, aimed to eliminate $500 million allocated for "Israeli Cooperative Programs," which include systems like the Iron Dome. Rep. Greene argued that the US, facing a $37 trillion national debt, should cease providing foreign aid, stating that "nuclear-armed Israel" is capable of defending itself. She highlighted that the US already provides 'Israel' with $3.8 billion annually in foreign aid, with an additional $8.7 billion allocated in April 2024. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected Greene's amendment with a vote of 6 in favor and 422 against (Roll Call No. 207). The six members who voted to cut the funding were Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Al Green (D-TX), Summer Lee (D-PA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was not among those who voted to cut the funding. Previously in April 2024, she cast a "PRESENT" vote on a separate $1 billion supplemental military funding bill for 'Israel's' Iron Dome. She had a controversial emotional reaction after the vote, where she was seen crying on the floor before voting. In a letter explaining her decision, she cited the 'rushed' legislative process, which, she said, 'created very real spillover effects.' 'Yes, I wept. I wept at the complete lack of care for the human beings that are impacted by these decisions, I wept at an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience,' the New York representative said. US support for 'Israel's' security has been a long-standing foreign policy, with over $130 billion in bilateral assistance provided since 1948. This includes an annual provision of $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million for cooperative missile defense programs, formalized through a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers are trying to run home for the summer before they are forced to vote on Epstein controversy
GOP lawmakers are itching to leave Washington, D.C. for the summer as fears mount over a potential vote on the full release of the so-called 'Epstein files' – as the saga continues to embroil the Trump White House. House Republican leaders have faced internal pressure to send members home, POLITICO reported, amid suggestions of a bipartisan 'discharge petition' that would force a vote. The petition effort was launched Tuesday by Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, according to the outlet. It could be ready for signatures and a floor vote as soon as next week. Previous efforts by the Democrats to corner the GOP on a vote have been unsuccessful, despite discontent within Republican ranks about the Trump administration's handling of the information's release. Republicans Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene are two of the few Republicans in Congress calling for the full release of the Epstein documents, while other GOP lawmakers itch to go home for the summer break (Getty) The president himself has expressed his frustration on multiple occasions with his MAGA support base's obsession with the files, despite the Justice Department's release of a memo stating there was no evidence to support a so-called 'client list' belonging to the disgraced financier. The unsatisfying conclusion to the hyped-up saga has incited the wrath of right-wing influencers as well as House Republicans. Foreshadowing his petition, Massie promised to force a House vote on 'releasing the COMPLETE files,: while Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted: 'This is the most famous pedophile in modern-day history, and people are absolutely not going to accept just a memo that was written that says there is no client list.' However, according to POLITICO, the hope among GOP ranks is that Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise will cancel next week's scheduled House session and instead send members home for an extended summer recess once voting concludes Thursday or Friday. The president himself has expressed his own frustration on multiple occasions with his MAGA support base's obsession with the files, despite the Justice Department's release of a memo stating there was no evidence to support a so-called 'client list' belonging to the disgraced financier () If this happens, members will avoid a potential vote next week and the issue may be less of interest by the time they return to Washington in September. However, on Thursday, Punchbowl News reported that Johnson's leadership team was discussing an Epstein-related resolution to quell the unrest. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was pummelled with questions about the ongoing saga, saying that she did not know if Trump had knowledge of the files' contents, and blasting the Democrats for their fixation. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump called the ongoing interest in the Epstein files a 'scam' and a 'hoax' put on by 'Radical Left Democrats.' Asked about Trump's use of the word 'hoax' on Thursday, Leavitt replied: 'The president is referring to the fact that Democrats have now seized on this as if they ever wanted transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein.' 'The week was a big kick in the balls,' a senior administration official told Rolling Stone on Wednesday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greene knocks Republicans, Democrats after all her defense funding amendments fail
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) blasted her Republican and Democratic colleagues early Friday after all six of her amendments to the House's defense appropriations bill failed. The lower chamber advanced the legislation, which allocates about $832 billion in funding for Department of Defense programs for fiscal 2026 in a vote overnight. Greene's amendment to cut funding for the Israeli Cooperative Program — an agreement through which the U.S. provides Israel $500 million for programs for missile defense — was spiked in a 6-422 vote. The amendment garnered support from GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and a group of progressive Democrats: Reps. Al Green (Texas), Summer Lee (Pa.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). The Georgia Republican's amendment to bar funds in the bill from being used for assistance to Ukraine was also rejected in a 76-353 vote. All 76 lawmakers who backed the amendment were Republicans. 'Tonight all of my amendments to cut $1.6 billion of foreign aid out of our Defense budget failed because both Republicans and Democrats refuse to stop sending your hard earned tax dollars to foreign countries,' Greene wrote in a post on the social platform X. 'For example, $118 million to foreign countries for disaster relief like floods that haven't even happened yet,' the lawmaker added. 'And $15 million for AIDS education activities for soldiers in Africa. I mean can't they figure that out by now? And my amendment to stop sending money to Ukraine. Yep that one failed too.' She warned that the U.S. is '$37 TRILLION in debt and Congress will never ever fix it because they will never ever stop the insane out of control spending that drives inflation up and makes your life unaffordable.' The House passed the overall defense funding bill in a 221-209 vote. Three Republicans opposed it, while five Democrats joined the rest of the GOP lawmakers in getting the bill over the hump. The legislation bolsters funding for active, reserve, and National Guard service members by $6.6 billion over the current funding levels. If signed into law, basic pay for military personnel would increase by 3.8 percent starting next year. The bill also secured $174 billion for procurement and $283 billion for operation and maintenance, among other measures. It marks only the second appropriations bill Republicans have advanced for fiscal 2026, as efforts to pass the now-signed megabill of President Trump's spending and tax priorities took up much of the party's focus in recent months. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
211 House Republicans Vote to Block Release of Epstein Files
House Republicans on Tuesday blocked a Democratic attempt to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, with zero Republicans supporting the measure. The final vote was 211 to 210. One Republican with a spine would have tipped the scale and given the American people greater transparency on the Epstein saga. Democrats tried to force a vote on releasing the files, after Republicans struck down an amendment in the House Rules committee on Monday evening. The procedural maneuver, which would have triggered a vote on the amendment requiring Trump's Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days, was rejected yet again, with all 211 opposing votes coming from Republicans. Nine Republicans abstained from the vote. The nine Republicans who chose not to vote were: Andy Ogles (TN), Michael McCaul (TX), Thomas Massie (KY), Barry Loudermilk (GA), Wesley Hunt (TX), Morgan Lutrell (TX), Mark Green (TN), Monica De La Cruz (TX), and Buddy Carter (GA). Even Republicans who have been particularly vocal about the Epstein files, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, voted against allowing debate on the amendment. Democratic Representative Mary Gay Scanlon offered the motion to trigger the vote on the amendment, which was first introduced by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna. The Epstein files have become a major point of contention within the MAGA movement, as the base expresses anger and frustration towards the Trump administration for dismissing a case that has fueled their political actions for years now. Republicans have decided that protecting the president and his friends is more important than fulfilling promises they made to their most loyal voters, and the American people at large. The House GOP had a real chance to take a stand and demand that the Epstein files be released to the public. They chose not to. This story has been updated.
