FILE - House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
COVER-UP IN SMOKE
Donald Trump and House Republicans are launching a phony investigation into the Epstein files. Here’s why it’s bullshit.
- Don’t be fooled: Republicans say they’re trying to get information on the Epstein files. The reality is that they’re taking enormous pains to make it look like they are searching for answers, when in fact they’re avoiding the obvious steps they could take to shed light on the situation. Add up all the data points, and the conclusion is clear: There’s a cover-up afoot. Let’s count the ways, shall we?
- Today, Rep. James Comer (R-KY), a MAGA firebreather who chairs the House Oversight Committee, formally subpoenaed the Department of Justice for documents relating to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. But this wasn’t actually his choice: Two weeks ago, Democrats and some Republicans on the committee voted for the subpoena — forcing Comer to follow through.
- President Donald Trump, whose name is reportedly mentioned in the files multiple times, has adamantly resisted releasing these files. So… what does Comer do to muddy the waters? He subpoenas a slate of Trump’s perceived enemies! The list includes Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton; former Attorneys General Bill Barr, Merrick Garland and Jeff Sessions; and former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller “for testimony related to horrific crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein.”
- Some of these names make sense. Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, and the others worked for the DOJ at some point. But one extremely important name is missing: Alex Acosta, the former Trump official and one-time prosecutor who gave Epstein a sweetheart deal to avoid real accountability. Any real search for answers would include Acosta — but he’s nowhere in sight. Smells fishy! Instead, he’s sitting on the board of directors for the far-right Newsmax outlet, which has recently given airtime to speculation that Epstein’s closest confidante, the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, might really be innocent.
Trump’s team is scrambling to make it look like they’re investigating the Epstein files. They’re not.
- After the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Maxwell for testimony, Trump dispatched Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — his former personal lawyer — to meet privately with her for several hours. The secretive meeting was widely believed to be an effort to gauge what she knows (and might tell lawmakers) about Trump’s involvement with Epstein.
- Today, Trump tried to explain Blanche’s communication with Maxwell: “He probably wants to make sure that people who should not be involved … are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair to a lot of people.” Gee, who could he be talking about!
- Days after that meeting, federal officials moved Maxwell to one of the nicest, most lenient federal detention facilities in the country, without explanation. The move raised howls of protest from current and former federal prison staffers, who noted that it’s unheard of for an inmate serving a lengthy sentence for sex crimes to be moved there. “Since when are sex offenders allowed at the camp?” one person wrote in a Facebook page dedicated to staffers. “I don’t care who she snitched on, she’s a damn human trafficker.”
- Now, the Trump administration is considering the release of some of the audio from the meeting between Blanche and Maxwell. For weeks, White House officials have been frustrated about the negative publicity about the files. This could give them a chance to control the narrative ahead of her testimony — and lock in the parts of her story they happen to like.
- Another phony attempt at transparency: Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi called for a judge to release grand jury testimony transcripts in Epstein’s trial. The judge denied the request — as seasoned legal experts had predicted. Yesterday, Bondi asked another judge to release other grand jury testimony. Reminder: The DOJ is sitting on a truckload of files that it could release immediately, without a judge’s approval!
- Trump continues to dangle a pardon in front of Maxwell, a woman federal prosecutors once said was willing to “brazenly lie under oath about her conduct.” Trump has, of course, used his pardon power to spring his loyal aides from prison in the past, including advisors Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.
More Republicans are starting to break with Trump on the Epstein files, because, y’know, Maxwell is a despicable person: “It’s ridiculous that he would consider shortening a sentence for somebody who aided and abetted sexual trafficking as she did,” a GOP senator told The Hill.
TEXAS STRANGERS!
The great Texan gerrymandering battle continues to heat up — and it’s spreading around the country.
Texas Democrats fled the state this week to prevent Texas Republicans from redrawing district lines, a blatant attempt to save GOP control of the House in next year’s midterms. This morning, Trump doubled down on his support for the move.
“I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats,” Trump told CNBC this morning.
Democratic leaders are united on this issue: If the GOP wants to play dirty, they’re vowing to do the same.
California is already planning to change their maps, and New York is also considering gerrymandering in Democrats’ favor. Meanwhile, Ohio and Missouri are also thinking about redistricting.
“We will be on this slippery slope … all over the country,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told What A Day. “Those new rules would be a tragedy for the country. But there is, I think, a great willingness and an understanding of the importance of not letting a deeply unpopular party … somehow maintain the majority by trying to rewrite the district lines.”
On that note, Crooked’s Jon Lovett spoke with Texas State Rep. James Talarico about his party’s efforts. It’s a great conversation, give it a listen!
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"You know how this ends? [Sydney Sweeney] is going to marry Barron [Trump].”
— Fox News host Jesse Watters, on how to create “the greatest political dynasty in American history.”
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Israel is mulling a new plan to occupy all of Gaza, and it’s freaking people out — even top officials who used to lead the country’s military. “If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home — I think it is impossible,” said the former chief of Israel’s internal security service. And these ain’t left-wing peace activists by any definition!
Donald Trump said he’s gonna pick the next federal reserve chair “shortly,” and it’s not gonna be Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. It’s not clear who he’ll pick yet, but I don’t envy that job: The last person Trump picked was Jerome Powell, his new arch-nemesis. Poor guy!
More than 20 people in Florida fell sick from drinking raw milk, including six young children, prompting a warning from the state about the risks of chugging MAHA’s favorite beverage. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, of course, is a raw milk enthusiast.
Republicans were advised to go home for the summer and boast about Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”… and it’s not going so well. Just look at Rep. Mike Flood’s (R-NE) rowdy town hall last night, where folks showed up angry! “How much does it cost for fascism? How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?” one attendee asked Flood. Reminder: It’s your patriotic duty to annoy your representative in Congress!
Slate has this new piece on how the Pod Save America guys have shifted their stance on Gaza and why it’s a big deal for the Democratic Party. “I think the hosts’ political instincts — as well as their uncanny ability to read the tea leaves and barely beat the party to where it’s headed next — are on display here with Palestine as well,” the author writes.
Young adults are much less likely to follow politics or say that voting is important, according to a new poll. “There’s a lack of belief that democracy is even able to improve their lives,” one expert said. Here’s an idea: Forward this newsletter to one young person who you want to be more engaged! We aim to make this wild news cycle fun — or, um, less mind-numbing — to keep up with, and the more people we reach the better!
Across the country, local elections are being handed to MAGA candidates. Not because they’re popular, but because no one is showing up. Millions of likely Democratic and progressive voters still aren’t registered, and that’s where real change should start.
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