Latest news with #birthdaycard
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Epstein birthday card news rocks $9B PBS clawback vote in House: ‘I don't know anything'
The story from The Wall Street Journal that President Donald Trump reportedly sent a birthday card with a picture of a naked woman to Jeffrey Epstein rocked the House of Representatives late on Thursday evening. The House had gone into overdrive to pass a bill that would claw back appropriated money for foreign aid and public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, that the president demanded from Congress. The House passed the bill by a vote of 216-213. It now goes to Trump for his signature. 'We need to get back to fiscal sanity and this is an important step,' said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. No Democrats supported the measure when it passed the Senate, 51-48, in the early morning hours Thursday. Final passage in the House was delayed for several hours as Republicans wrestled with their response to Democrats' push for a vote on the release of Jeffrey Epstein files. But the news that Trump had reportedly sent a bawdy birthday card to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Epstein created another headache for Republicans, many of whom have pushed for the declassification of files related to Epstein's trafficking of underage girls. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he did not know anything about the potential communication between Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. (Getty Images) 'I don't know anything about it,' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told The Independent as he headed onto the floor before the vote. Trump vehemently denied the story, saying on Truth Social that he would sue The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorps, and Rupert Murdoch 'shortly.' In addition, Trump said that he would instruct Attorney General Pam Bondi to release certain files related to Epstein and grand jury testimony 'subject to court approval.' Prior to the vote on the floor, the House Rules Committee held a markup to prepare the legislation for final passage. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) asked for The Wall Street Journal report to be added to the record of the markup. However, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), a member of the hardline Freedom Caucus, pushed back. 'The president is saying it's artificial intelligence,' he said. 'That will be proven in due time.' The news is just the latest wrinkle in the saga surrounding Republican fixation about Epstein's trafficking and death in custody. Earlier this month, the Justice Department released a two-page memo saying that Epstein had no 'client list' and that he died by suicide. This came despite the fact that Bondi had pledged on Fox News that she had files related to Epstein 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' The Republican majority on the committee voted down an amendment by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the top Democrat on Rules, to declassify memos related to Epstein. Instead, the committee's Republicans passed a non-binding resolution calling on the Department of Justice to release information related to Epstein. McGovern dismissed the efforts as 'such a pathetic attempt at ass-covering.' 'I mean, they don't even have a date to bring it up,' he told The Independent. 'They're gonna find out that voters are paying attention, and they're not easily bulls***ted.' When asked why Republicans voted down the amendment in committee, Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) pushed back. 'Because we had our own,' she told The Independent. 'We had our own need... we didn't need that.' When asked about The Wall Street Journal's report, Foxx remained silent. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who represents a district Kamala Harris won, was initially silent and threw up a hand when The Independent asked him about the story, and then said 'no' when asked again. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), another member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, said he did not know if House leadership would put the bill up to a vote. 'Go talk to those guys,' he told The Independent. When asked about why the House GOP voted against the amendment in committee about Epstein, Roy said, 'Because we had a resolution.' Other Republicans attempted to strike a balance. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who leads a task force that focuses on declassification of federal secrets, referred to a tweet where she drew a stick figure and said, 'I hope you guys don't show this to The Wall Street Journal. They might think I'm a sex trafficker.' 'I think that President Trump announced that he's going to be suing The Wall Street Journal because it was not his artwork,' she told The Independent. She also said she trusted Bondi. Ahead of the recissions Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) attempted to force a vote on his amendment to disclose information on Epstein, but Republicans blocked the effort. 'Isn't it striking that they aren't even putting that for a vote,' Khanna told The Independent about the non-binding resolution put forth by Republicans. 'I would have thought at least put that for a vote, but they're so afraid of offending the president.' Republicans might not be able to avoid voting on Epstein matters. Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a sharp critic of Trump, co-sponsored a discharge petition. If a majority of members sign a discharge petition, it can go to the floor for a vote without going through the committee process. So far, conservative members like Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Tim Burchett (R-TN) all support it. Earlier in the day, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said he would also sign onto it. 'The stakes are high, but I'm betting, 'yes,'' Raskin told The Independent. But a discharge petition must ripen for seven legislative days before it goes to the floor. Khanna accused House Republican leadership of bolting early to lengthen amount of time for the petition to 'ripen.' 'They're trying to avoid that and then they're hoping that the momentum is lost during the August recess, but this issue is not going away,' he said. After the vote, Johnson, the pious Christian conservative who once said he and his son monitor use an app to monitor whether the other watched pornography, spoke to reporters in a gaggle. He received only a few questions about the recissions package, while almost every other reporter asked him about Trump and Epstein.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
WSJ report marks latest twist in Trump-Epstein saga: Recent developments, explained
President Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Wall Street Journal over a report that a birthday card bearing his name was sent to Jeffrey Epstein more than two decades ago, marking the latest twist in the saga over supposed files on the sex offender. According to the Journal, a letter addressed from Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 was part of a leather-bound book including dozens of other cards. The Trump letter ends with 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' the Journal reported July 17. Trump denied writing the letter and said in a social media post the story is "false, malicious, and defamatory." The report comes amid political tensions over Epstein's supposed client list, which the Department of Justice and FBI said on July 7 never existed, despite past comments from Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to the contrary. Here's what to know about recent developments in the saga. July 7: DOJ denies Epstein 'list' exists In a memo released July 7, the Justice Department and FBI said they found no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list." The review also found no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent people as part of his actions or that he was murdered while in custody, according to the memo. The announcement came after Bondi had seemingly confirmed a client list existed when she was asked about it during a February Fox News interview: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review," she said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said July 7 that Bondi's past remarks referred to "the entirety of all of the paperwork" in the Epstein case, not a list of clients. Trump supporters, others question handling of Epstein case After the July 7 memo, some politicians and Trump supporters alike have called into question the administration's handling of the Epstein case and the assertion that a client list doesn't exist. Epstein fallout Mike Pence urges Trump to 'release all the files' on Jeffrey Epstein 'What changed?' Popular podcaster criticizes JD Vance over past Epstein comments "No one believes there is not a client list," U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted on X July 8. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a July 15 interview, "We should put everything out there and let the people decide." "I'm going to go throw up, actually," right-wing radio show host Alex Jones said in a July 7 video in response to the memo. On the other side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on July 15, "If you're not hiding anything, prove that to the American people." Trump has lashed out at supporters who have questioned the handling of the case. 'Jeffrey Epstein hoax': Trump lashes out at supporters July 17: Did Trump write a birthday card to Epstein? What WSJ report says The Wall Street Journal on July 17 published a report detailing a lewd letter bearing Trump's name that was sent to Epstein for a 2003 birthday album. The letter contained text inside a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman, with Trump's signature displayed as "a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair," the Journal wrote. Trump denied writing the card in a series of social media posts, calling it "FAKE" and saying, "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures." He also said he plans to sue the newspaper over the publication of the story, adding that its editors were "warned directly" by him. July 17: Bondi says she will release Epstein grand jury docs After the Journal report, Trump said in another social media post he is directing Bondi to reveal more Epstein documents. "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval," he said. "This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!" Bondi responded on July 17 that "we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts." Contributing: Zac Anderson, Joey Garrison & Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WSJ's birthday card report marks latest in Trump-Epstein saga
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says he'll sue over report of his bawdy birthday card to Epstein: ‘the letter was a FAKE'
President Donald Trump has announced plans to sue the Wall Street Journal after the paper published a bombshell report detailing a bawdy birthday card Trump allegedly gave to Jeffrey Epstein. The Journal described a card that appeared to be signed by Trump for the disgraced financier's 50th birthday. Inside the outline of a sketch of a naked woman, typed text reportedly reads: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump denied having anything to do with the card. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the outlet. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' He also threatened to sue the Journal if the story was published — a threat he has now vowed to act upon. In a Truth Social Post Thursday night, the president said he plans to sue The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Rupert Murdoch 'shortly.' 'The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,' the president wrote. Trump denied having anything to do with the card. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the outlet. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' (NBC News) 'Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so,' the president wrote. 'The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn't want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway,' Trump's post continued. He then described several lawsuits he has filed against the press, including ABC and CBS, which were settled. President Donald Trump has announced his plans to sue the Wall Street Journal after the paper published a story detailing his alleged birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP/) 'President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal,' he wrote. 'It has truly turned out to be a 'Disgusting and Filthy Rag' and, writing defamatory lies like this, shows their desperation to remain relevant.' The report comes as the White House grapples with the explosive response to the Justice Department's handling over the Epstein case. Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked what about the Epstein case was a 'hoax,' as the president has called it. He's also accused Democrats, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, of having 'made up' the Epstein files. By 'hoax,' Trump was referring to the fact that Democrats are now joining his supporters' demands to release the files, Leavitt said: '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, which is an asinine suggestion for any Democrat to make.' Many prominent figures in politics have weighed in on the story. Vice President JD Vance joined several prominent conservative activists in labelling the Wall Street Journal story as 'bullshit.' 'Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?' the vice president remarked. Some Democrats have been poking fun at the alleged contents of the letter. California Governor Gavin Newsom quoted Trump in a social media post: 'I never wrote a picture in my life.' He then posted a screenshot of a 2019 Washington Post article about a sketch Trump doodled in 2004 of the Manhattan skyline. In a nod to Trump's reported letter to Epstein, New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted on X: 'What other 'wonderful secrets' are Republicans hiding? Release the files.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ominous warning to Rupert Murdoch and ‘his pile of garbage' WSJ over Epstein birthday card report
President Donald Trump ramped up his threats of a lawsuit against his on-and-off ally, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, following The Wall Street Journal's report about his alleged birthday card to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — saying he can't wait to compel the right-wing news titan to testify. His threats to Murdoch — whose massive News Corp media conglomerate owns the Journal as well as Fox News and the The New York Post, among other titles — follow the newspaper's publication Thursday of a 50th birthday greeting that the president reportedly sent Epstein in 2003, which was described as including a sexually suggestive drawing and a birthday wish that says 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' 'I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social on Friday. 'That will be an interesting experience!!!' The president has denied ever writing such a greeting to Epstein or even drawing 'pictures of women,' though the allegations arrive in the middle of his administration's attempts to dismiss the so-called Epstein files as a Democratic 'hoax' after his Department of Justice announced it found no evidence to support conspiracy theories about the sex trafficking case. The Justice Department's attempt to draw the investigation to a close has renewed scrutiny into the president's relationship with Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of minors before he was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to sue Rupert Murdoch over The Wall Street Journal's report about birthday card it claims the president wrote to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 (Getty/Reuters) 'The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday night. 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.' Roughly one hour earlier, in a lengthier post, Trump said he 'personally' warned Murdoch against publishing the story, 'and, if they print it, they will be sued.' 'Mr Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so,' Trump said. Trump also said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt 'directly' told The Journal's editor Emma Tucker that the letter was a 'FAKE.' 'Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr Murdoch, shortly,' he wrote. Following The Journal's report, the president — under growing pressure from his allies in Congress and in right-wing media — directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to 'produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,' in a social media post. The president cited 'the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein' for his directive, which falls far short of demands to make all case files public, not just limited testimony presented in federal court. Bondi, accused by far-right allies and conspiracy theorists of participating in a cover-up, immediately responded to Trump's order. 'President Trump — we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,' she wrote. It was not immediately clear what evidence she could produce, given that grand jury transcripts are highly protected. Trump threatened lawsuits against several media outlets throughout his campaign, but Rupert Murdoch now finds himself in the firing line (AFP via Getty) Trump routinely threatens media outlets, publishers and journalists with legal action over antagonistic coverage, and his allies in Congress and in his administration have promoted legislation and policy measures to kneecap public media, press access, and protections for confidential sources. During his 2024 campaign, Trump sued ABC News and CBS News for monumental sums, and both networks recently agreed to settle, sparking fears among press freedom advocates that publishers are only emboldening the president's chilling message to the media. Now Murdoch has found himself in the line of fire. His Fox News empire was accused of promoting bogus conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election to promote Trump's campaign. The network ultimately settled that defamation lawsuit, which was brought by voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems, for a record-breaking $787 million. The Independent has requested comment from News Corp. 'These kinds of threats are not normal in a free society,' Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Bob Corn-Revere said in a statement to The Independent. 'And let's be clear: Trump has won no rulings from any court in his previous clashes with other news organizations. Instead, he has been able to use the levers of government to coerce settlements from regulated media companies. This abuse of power doesn't convert frivolous claims into valid actions.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk leaps to Donald Trump's defense following WSJ ‘hit piece'
Elon Musk rushed to Donald Trump's defense after a damning Wall Street Journal report detailed a lewd birthday letter the president allegedly presented to Jeffrey Epstein. The tech billionaire has repeatedly demanded the release of the unredacted documents related to the disgraced financier's sex-trafficking case since dropping the 'really big bomb' last month, a baseless claim that Trump was withholding the files because they implicated him. After the Journal described on Thursday a birthday card that appeared to be signed by Trump for Epstein's 50th birthday, Musk abruptly shifted gears, coming to the former president's defense. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' the message read, according to the newspaper. The report states text is surrounded by a drawing of a naked woman, punctuated by a squiggly 'Donald' mimicking pubic hair. Hours after the report's release, the president's former first buddy said: 'It really doesn't sound like something Trump would say tbh.' Elon Musk has said that the alleged Epstein birthday card 'doesn't really sound like' Trump (Getty) Musk retweeted a summary from his AI tool, Grok, casting doubt over the authenticity of the birthday card. In another similar Grok summary, he replied with a fire emoji. Trump denied having anything to do with the card, claiming, 'I never wrote a picture in my life.' 'I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the Journal. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' He also threatened to sue the Journal if the story was published – a threat he has now vowed to act upon. In a Truth Social post on Thursday night, the president stated that he plans to sue the newspaper, its parent company, News Corp, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, soon. 'The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,' Trump wrote, referring to himself in the third person. The president lashed out at the Wall Street Journal's report, threatening to sue the paper, Newscorp and Rupert Murdoch () 'Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so,' he continued. 'The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn't want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway.' The president also described several lawsuits he has filed against the press, including ABC and CBS, which were settled. The report comes as the Trump administration continues to face backlash after a Department of Justice and FBI memo released last week stated that there was no evidence that Epstein had a 'client list.' Trump has since dismissed Epstein's case as a 'hoax,' a 'scam,' and 'bull****.' He has accused his Democratic predecessors and former officials of fabricating documents related to the case, while chastising some of his MAGA base calling for the files' release, branding them as 'weaklings.' As constituents apply pressure on the GOP to provide more transparency around the Epstein files, House Republicans voted down a Democratic amendment Thursday night. Lawmakers attempted to advance a bipartisan bill calling for the full release of documents related to the convicted sex offender's case. Early Friday morning, Musk admitted on X that it would be 'hard to accept a clean bill not going to a vote.'
