Latest news with #MegynKelly
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Megyn Kelly Slams Right-Wing Media for Letting Trump Loyalty Outweigh ‘Journalistic Obligation' in Epstein Case
Megyn Kelly went after her fellow right-wing media colleagues for blindly trusting the Trump administration regarding Jeffrey Epstein and the claims his client list does not exist. On Tuesday's episode of 'The Megyn Kelly Show,' the host called out a number of right-wing media personalities for pulling back from investigating the Trump administration's about-face on the Epstein Files, as they claimed last week that a list of clients from the alleged sex trafficker does not exist after years of saying otherwise. Kelly said more people in her position should be kicking the tires around the situation. More from TheWrap Megyn Kelly Slams Right-Wing Media for Letting Trump Loyalty Outweigh 'Journalistic Obligation' in Epstein Case | Video NYT Shuffles Culture Department, Reassigns 4 Critics as It Looks to Hire New Reporters Rachel Maddow Slams Trump for Making 'Exact Same Mistakes' With Texas Flood as Bush With Hurricane Katrina | Video Fox News Expands Role for President of Digital Porter Berry to Oversee New Media 'Let's not pretend that some of the president's most loyal advocates aren't very, very interested in Epstein,' she said. 'They are. All right? However, some in the media let their loyalty to the president trump their journalistic obligation.' Kelly added: 'I am in the journalism business. And my position is, you can trust but you must verify. And I refuse to be the CNN of Trump 2.0 where they just trusted the administration on Biden's mental acuity and willingly, by doing so, ignored the biggest crisis and controversy scandal in modern presidential history. That's not what's happening under Trump, but I'm just saying journalists, people like me who do consider themselves a journalist, you have an obligation not to just trust. You kick the tires. That's your job.' News that the DOJ and FBI were halting their investigation into the existence of Epstein's fabled list sent shockwaves through the MAGA base last week. Trump's core supporters split down the middle as arguments and infighting arose over whether or not the administration could be trusted. Infighting was seen at the highest levels of the party, with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino reportedly threatening to step down over Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the situation. 'Dan Bongino has told people he is considering resigning as the deputy director of the FBI over the fallout that has continued ever since this memo was released,' CNN's Kaitlan Collins said last week. 'The anger inside the MAGA base has only continued to grow instead of going away as some officials inside hoped it would.' Much of the confusion about the lack of an Epstein list likely comes from the fact that Bondi told Fox News back in February that she was in possession of a list of that very nature. 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review,' Bondi said. 'That's been a directive by President Trump.' The post Megyn Kelly Slams Right-Wing Media for Letting Trump Loyalty Outweigh 'Journalistic Obligation' in Epstein Case | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Fox News falls in line with Trump's Epstein plea — but will the rest of MAGA media comply?
Fall in line, or keep fighting for answers? That's the rift in right-wing media now. Fox News has taken President Trump's plea for his allies to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein almost literally. But many other conservative media influencers and outlets are still heavily scrutinizing the Trump administration's decision not to release further information related to the late convicted sex offender. 'The Jeffrey Epstein story isn't going anywhere,' Megyn Kelly told listeners on Tuesday, agreeing with her Monday guest Ben Shapiro's view that attorney general Pam Bondi should hold a press conference on the matter. Even Charlie Kirk, who raised eyebrows Monday by saying 'I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being,' said Tuesday on his radio show that 'we're not moving on.' Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. Sounding defensive and practically shouting at times, Kirk repeatedly acknowledged the grassroots MAGA energy about Epstein. 'You are not letting this story go,' he said. 'I know that.' Kirk reiterated his belief that his 'friends' in the administration, like FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino, had digested the outrage over last week's joint Justice Department and FBI memo saying there was no evidence Epstein kept a 'client list' or was murdered in federal custody — both key claims of conspiracy theories that have long proliferated on the right. The administration's 'just trust us' approach has offended many on the right. As a caller to Glenn Beck's radio show said Monday, 'I feel really betrayed and I feel really, really angry.' Those emotions are also evident across right-wing social media sites, leading some of Trump's most loyal media figures to keep talking about the controversy. It's an 'obvious giant fiasco,' InfoWars host Alex Jones said Tuesday as he expressed optimism that Trump will do a '180' and have the government release additional information. Jones' guest, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, proceeded to speculate about Epstein's past ties to a foreign government. 'I really encourage everyone that continues to ask questions,' she said, adding, 'This has been the first fracture in MAGA, and we don't want this to happen anymore.' Trump sought to quell the Epstein speculation with a Truth Social post on Saturday, sternly defending Bondi against criticism from his base and demanding his allies move on. Don't 'waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,' he wrote. Fox News hosts seemed to care last week; they were among those fanning the flames of the MAGA revolt. But on Monday, there was a noticeable shift, with just one segment about the Epstein fallout all day long, during Bret Baier's 6 p.m. hour. The 7 p.m. host, Laura Ingraham, did make one brief mention of the topic — in a snarky aside about 'conservative influencers eating their own.' Ingraham, however, played a part in the turmoil last week. On Thursday, she critiqued the administration's lack of transparency, and on Friday, she goaded a Turning Point USA event crowd by asking whether they're 'satisfied' with the Epstein probe results. The room filled with boos. According to SnapStream transcript searches, Fox has aired zero segments about the Epstein fallout on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Newsmax, which often jockeys with Fox for Trump's approval, mentioned the Epstein fallout at least 60 times on Monday, according to the transcript search, mostly to defend Trump while continuing to chide Bondi for not releasing the alleged files. 'The MAGA base either needs the full story or a damn good reason why they can't have it,' Newsmax host Rob Schmitt said in a lengthy monologue dedicated to the topic.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Fox News falls in line with Trump's Epstein plea — but will the rest of MAGA media comply?
Fall in line, or keep fighting for answers? That's the rift in right-wing media now. Fox News has taken President Trump's plea for his allies to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein almost literally. But many other conservative media influencers and outlets are still heavily scrutinizing the Trump administration's decision not to release further information related to the late convicted sex offender. 'The Jeffrey Epstein story isn't going anywhere,' Megyn Kelly told listeners on Tuesday, agreeing with her Monday guest Ben Shapiro's view that attorney general Pam Bondi should hold a press conference on the matter. Even Charlie Kirk, who raised eyebrows Monday by saying 'I'm done talking about Epstein for the time being,' said Tuesday on his radio show that 'we're not moving on.' Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. Sounding defensive and practically shouting at times, Kirk repeatedly acknowledged the grassroots MAGA energy about Epstein. 'You are not letting this story go,' he said. 'I know that.' Kirk reiterated his belief that his 'friends' in the administration, like FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino, had digested the outrage over last week's joint Justice Department and FBI memo saying there was no evidence Epstein kept a 'client list' or was murdered in federal custody — both key claims of conspiracy theories that have long proliferated on the right. The administration's 'just trust us' approach has offended many on the right. As a caller to Glenn Beck's radio show said Monday, 'I feel really betrayed and I feel really, really angry.' Those emotions are also evident across right-wing social media sites, leading some of Trump's most loyal media figures to keep talking about the controversy. It's an 'obvious giant fiasco,' InfoWars host Alex Jones said Tuesday as he expressed optimism that Trump will do a '180' and have the government release additional information. Jones' guest, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, proceeded to speculate about Epstein's past ties to a foreign government. 'I really encourage everyone that continues to ask questions,' she said, adding, 'This has been the first fracture in MAGA, and we don't want this to happen anymore.' Trump sought to quell the Epstein speculation with a Truth Social post on Saturday, sternly defending Bondi against criticism from his base and demanding his allies move on. Don't 'waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,' he wrote. Fox News hosts seemed to care last week; they were among those fanning the flames of the MAGA revolt. But on Monday, there was a noticeable shift, with just one segment about the Epstein fallout all day long, during Bret Baier's 6 p.m. hour. The 7 p.m. host, Laura Ingraham, did make one brief mention of the topic — in a snarky aside about 'conservative influencers eating their own.' Ingraham, however, played a part in the turmoil last week. On Thursday, she critiqued the administration's lack of transparency, and on Friday, she goaded a Turning Point USA event crowd by asking whether they're 'satisfied' with the Epstein probe results. The room filled with boos. According to SnapStream transcript searches, Fox has aired zero segments about the Epstein fallout on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Newsmax, which often jockeys with Fox for Trump's approval, mentioned the Epstein fallout at least 60 times on Monday, according to the transcript search, mostly to defend Trump while continuing to chide Bondi for not releasing the alleged files. 'The MAGA base either needs the full story or a damn good reason why they can't have it,' Newsmax host Rob Schmitt said in a lengthy monologue dedicated to the topic.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Megyn Kelly stuns guest with astonishing claim on Trump's secret role in Epstein 'cover-up'
Megyn Kelly has suggested that Donald Trump may have 'blessed' a cover-up of the Jeffrey Epstein files. While the podcaster stopped short of directly accusing Trump of wrongdoing, she openly questioned his defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel - both of whom had previously pledged that explosive names and evidence tied to Epstein would be released. Kelly said: 'There is something there, and it's being covered up, and the president blessed it,' she suggested during Monday's episode of The Megyn Kelly Show. 'I didn't say, "There's a child sex ring that he's actively covering up"… but I think there's some middle ground.' In a pivot from her previous public defenses of the president, her declaration stunned her guest, conservative commentator and host Ben Shapiro, whose eyebrows visibly rose in surprise. Her statement comes amid a widening rift within the pro-Trump conservative movement, which has been roiled by unfulfilled promises of explosive revelations relating to Epstein's notorious sex trafficking network. Many of Trump's loyalists including high-profile voices like Laura Loomer, Steve Bannon and Elon Musk have accused the administration of hiding critical information. Many of Trump's loyalists including high-profile voices like Laura Loomer, Steve Bannon and Elon Musk have accused the administration of hiding critical information Epstein's death was ruled a suicide – and a new memo from the Justice Department and FBI confirms that their findings are in line with that finding Over the weekend Trump took to his Truth Social platform to plead with his followers to 'move on' - but Kelly is refusing to let it go. 'Many people, including me, do not believe that they've released everything that's releasable in Epstein,' she said. 'I think this is another piece of the problem, that we're left asking, why.' She referenced Mike Davis, a conservative legal analyst and frequent administration ally, who floated the idea that grand jury materials or sealed victim testimony might be legally withheld. 'That's all possible,' Kelly said, 'but Pam Bondi hasn't answered any of those questions. No one has. No one's explained that. Mike Davis, much as we love him, is not a spokesperson for the administration.' 'So we're still left in a position where at least I don't believe that everything that can be released has been released.' Last week the Justice Department issued a memo insisting there was no Epstein 'client list,' no evidence of murder, and attempt to end curiosity by concluding there's nothing more to release. The agency, helmed by Bondi and the FBI headed by Patel, two longtime Trump loyalists, declared the case closed. But the closing of the case has not quelled the outrage with Trump supporters responding with disbelief, calling the administration's handling of the files a betrayal. Reports emerged both FBI Director Kash Patel (right) and Dan Bongino (left) were considering stepping down over the review of the files – but it appears the weekend has cooled things off Trump-appointed FBI deputy Dan Bongino reportedly threatened to resign over the matter. Kelly leaned into that tension on Monday's show, alleging internal divisions while citing her own sources. 'Over the weekend, I will say, my own sources said there had been a softening, because the president got involved in some way,' she told Shapiro. 'And as of today… Bongino has not resigned, but we don't know exactly where it stands.' She accused Bondi of orchestrating press leaks to discredit Bongino. 'She's clearly fighting back too,' Kelly said. 'She's dropped – obviously this is my supposition – some hit pieces on him in various places, including Axios saying he's just having a hissy fit because he was behind the minute before midnight.' The 'minute before midnight' refers to a redacted moment missing from prison surveillance tapes near Epstein's cell - a key detail that has further fueled conspiracy theories. 'That's missing in the Epstein tapes from that cell block, which don't show his cell, but show an area near his cell,' Kelly explained. 'And that he was caught embarrassed because he didn't highlight that minute before midnight that was missing, but it soon came out, and now he's scrambling to sort of look like he's been tougher on this issue than he actually has been.' She also implied that Bondi, once hailed as the MAGA movement's truth-teller on Epstein, may have overpromised - or worse. 'Either Pam Bondi [has] royally screwed up… and the president is just forgiving her because she's a loyal soldier and he likes her, and he doesn't want to go through the messy confirmation process of getting somebody else in there,' Kelly speculated, 'or there is something there, and it's being covered up, and the president blessed it. 'Or there is something there… and it's something short of there's a massive pedophile ring that they're covering up, but it would have some names, those men would have to defend themselves. Maybe the administration doesn't think it's a fair position to put them in. 'Maybe there are questions about the accusers,' Kelly pondered. 'Maybe they're like half-hearted allegations… that a DOJ would not put out, but feels like it kind of might have to given all the promises Pam and prior to taking office, Kash and Dan, rattling about this. 'So I think there could be a middle ground.' Kelly emphasized that she wasn't suggesting Trump was involved in Epstein's crimes, but rather that the administration may be concealing information to protect reputations including its own. 'Maybe the administration doesn't think it's a fair position to put [these men] in,' she said. 'It would have some names, those men would have to defend themselves.' In another explosive aside, Kelly floated a conspiratorial twist, not implicating Trump, but rather suggesting that the Biden administration had deliberately left the files in a way that might politically damage him. 'This may be complete bulls***, but I've heard it from a few different people, so just big asterisks on it,' she cautioned. 'But some have speculated that the Biden DOJ may have left the Epstein files in such a manner that it like leads directly with an arrow toward Donald Trump, just as a middle finger toward Trump. Trump is standing by his AG and asking his base to accept the outcome of the Epstein files 'Not that he did anything whatsoever… just that they're b*****s, and they knew he was coming in, and they knew his people were interested in this story.' Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, despite appearing in at least one video with the disgraced financier and attending social events with him in the past. Trump, in a post over the weekend, lashed out at his critics within the movement. 'We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Selfish people are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein … Let's not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
It's either that or Pam Bondi 'royally screwed up,' the MAGA podcaster declared.
Donald Trump-loyalist Megyn Kelly said he may have 'blessed' a cover-up of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, in a shocking admission that stands against her previous comments about the president. Maybe 'there is something there and it's being covered up and the president blessed it,' Kelly said on her daily podcast, making guest Ben Shapiro's eyes widen and eyebrows raise. Though she was quick to immediately note, 'I didn't say there's a child sex ring that he's actively covering up.' Perhaps he 'blessed' a cover-up out of the goodness of his heart, Kelly posited. 'It would have some names. Those men would have to defend themselves,' Kelly continued. 'Maybe the administration doesn't think it's a fair position to put them in. Maybe there are questions about the accusers. Maybe there are half-hearted allegations in there that, you know, normally a DOJ would not put out.' She added, 'There could be a middle ground' that doesn't suggest Trump himself is linked to Epstein's crimes.
