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Plus: Trump officials review Fed ‘mission creep’
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A HOUSE COMMITTEE voted Tuesday to subpoena convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as the groundswell from Republicans demanding transparency derailed the chamber’s business for a second consecutive week.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to authorize the subpoena following a motion put forward by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), even as President Trump urges his party to drop the topic and move on.
Republicans on the House Rules Committeeadjourned Monday nightwithout completing their work in order to dodge Democratic threats to stage additional votes to compel the release of new Epstein documents.
So far, Trump’s move to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case has failed to quell demands from Republicans on Capitol Hill for more transparency.
Two federal judges on Tuesday asked the DOJ for more information before deciding whether to unseal the transcripts.
Meanwhile, the DOJ said it planned to meet with Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blancheposted on X. “Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.”
Trump on Tuesday said he wasn’t following the new developments but that the DOJ’s move “sounds appropriate.”
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are caught between Trump’s insistence that there’s nothing more to uncover and demands from the rank-and-file to release all government files on the case.
The turmoil stems from a DOJ report released earlier this month that determined Epstein did not keep a “client list,” which many on the right believed would include the names of powerful people implicated in Epstein’s crimes.
To date, Maxwell is the only person to have been convicted in the case. Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell in 2019 as he was awaiting trial.
Tensions are running hot on Capitol Hill, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) swiping at Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who cosponsored a measure with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would force a vote on releasing more Epstein documents.
“Bless his heart,”Johnson said when asked if he’d support Massie’s reelection bid.
Massie has repeatedly broken with Trump over spending and been a thorn in the side of GOP leaders.
Trump has threatened to back a primary challenge against Massie. In an interview with NBC News, Massie said that move would “backfire tremendously.”
“They’re trying to beat up on me in order to keep everybody else in line here,” he said.
But Johnson is also dealing with a revolt from other members.
“I led Republicans in a serious resolution — that protects victims — to expose the truth about the Epstein files, just like President Trump promised. But leadership is stalling,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) posted on X. “The American people deserve action, not excuses. Let’s vote on it before August recess and get it DONE!!”
Johnson said this week the House would not vote on a resolution calling for the release of some Epstein documents, saying he wanted to give the DOJ “space” as it seeks to unseal grand jury testimony.
The Speaker on Tuesday said he supports “maximum transparency” but is concerned about releasing information about Epstein’s victims.
“Some of them were minors, some of them were not,” Johnson said. “When the Epstein records are turned over to the public, which we must do as quickly as possible, we have to also be very judicious and careful about protecting innocent.”
The House will adjourn a day earlier than scheduled this week, with lawmakers leaving town Wednesday. They’ll return in September.
TRUMP PIVOTS TO OBAMA
Trump lashed out Tuesday when asked about the Epstein drama, calling it a “witch hunt” concocted by Democrats.
Instead, Trump called on the DOJ and news media to focus on new allegations from Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard, who released a report claiming that senior officials in the Obama administration “manufactured intelligence” related to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Gabbard says the Intelligence Community originally concluded that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election, but changed their assessment after a National Security Council meeting led by former President Obama.
“Barack Hussein Obama, have you heard of him?” Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office. “He gets shielded by the press his entire life. He’s guilty…it’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason, every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election, obfuscate the election…and we have all of the documents.”
Gabbard said her office turned over evidence of a “treasonous conspiracy” to the DOJ for possible criminal referrals for senior Obama administration officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey.
“There should be very severe consequences for that,” Trump added.
Gabbard’s findings are are at odds with a three-year bipartisan Senate investigation, which found that Russia used social media to interfere with the election on Trump’s behalf. Gabbard says that investigation was tainted by “manipulated” intelligence.
Obama’s spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush responded in a rare statement, calling the claims “outrageous” and “bizarre” and a “weak attempt at distraction.”
“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Rodenbush said. “These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”
Judges with the U.S. District Court in New Jersey declined to retain President Trump’s pick for the state’s top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba, as the clock on her interim status runs out.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) says the city will begin complying with the Trump administration’s 48-hour immigration detainer requests and, in exchange, the federal government will drop Louisville from its “sanctuary city” list.
Here arefive things to know about the Texas special session on redistricting.
These three major fights are brewing on the right that could impact President Trump’s next six months in office.
Trump officials seek review of Fed ‘mission creep’
Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent on Tuesday called for a “review” of the Federal Reserve‘s activities, saying the central bank has experienced “mission creep” and pushed into areas that extend outside of its reach.
“The Fed’s conduct of monetary policy is a jewel box that should be walled off to preserve its independence. This independence is a cornerstone of continued U.S. economic growth and stability,” Bessent posted on X. “However, this autonomy is threatened by persistent mandate creep into areas beyond its core mission, provoking justifiable criticism that unnecessarily casts a cloud over the Fed’s valuable independence on monetary policy.”
President Trump and his advisers have honed in on the Fed’s refurbishments of two buildings in Washington, D.C.
The $2.5 billion in renovations were approved under former President Biden, but Trump administration officials say they’ve suffered cost overruns of more than $700 million.
Some in the administration claim Powell lied about the cost in testimony to Congress.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) referred Powell to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal charges, accusing him of lying under oath.
“He’s building a building that’s severely overrun, what does he need it for?” Trump asked Tuesday during a press conference in the Oval Office.
Trump administration officials will visit the Fed on Thursday, as Trump continues to hit Powell for his refusal to lower interest rates.
Powell has kept interest rates steady, arguing that Trump’s tariffs will lead to inflation.
The president reiterated Tuesday he doesn’t plan to fire Powell, whose term ends early next year.
“I think he’s done a bad job, but he’s gonna be out pretty soon anyway,” Trump said.
MORE TRADE NEWS…
•The Philippines has agreed to a trade deal with the U.S. that will lower U.S. tariffs on its experts to 19 percent, Trump announced after a meeting with that country’s president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
• Trump announced that British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca would invest $50 billion to build manufacturing plants in the New York.
•GM says Trump’s tariffs cost them $1 billion in the second quarter.
• Trump says he plans to visit China in the “not too distant future” amid the ongoing trade war.
President Trump plans to withdraw the U.S. from UNESCO, the White House said Tuesday.
In making the announcement, the White House said UNESCO, whose mission is to use culture and history as a bridge-building mechanism between nations, had instead been using its influence to “support woke, divisive cultural and social causes.”
“The President will always put America First,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly posted on X.
Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from UNESCO during his first term in 2019. The U.S. rejoined in 2023 under former President Biden.
In February, Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. to review its participation once again. In that order, Trump also withdrew the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council and from participating in UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
MEANWHILE…
The Trump administration suffered several setbacks in the courts…
• The Justice Department on Monday appealed a federal judge’s order blocking Trump’s executive order against the law firm Jenner & Block.
• A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking a Mississippi law prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools and colleges, citing First Amendment grounds.
ELSEWHERE…
• Russian and Ukrainian officials will begin a third round of peace talks on Wednesday in Turkey, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This comes as Trump seeks to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war.
The U.S. has begun selling munitions to NATO for Ukraine’s defense. Trump says he’ll slap new tariffs on Russia’s trade partners if the war has not ended in 50 days, a deadline that ends on Sept. 2.
💡Perspectives:
•The Hill: Yet another Trump ultimatum falls flat in Moscow.
• The Free Press: America won’t exist if we can’t build things.
