Trump-Epstein updates: Judge wants to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell before unsealing of grand jury docs

WorldPolitics
23 Jul 2025 • 9:02 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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The judges considering requests by Donald Trump’s Department of Justice to release the grand jury transcripts relating to sex trafficking cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have asked for additional materials.

In addition to the suggested redactions, they have requested input from Maxwell, a representative of Epstein, and from their victims.

The Justice Department has asked to meet with Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in the scheme to abuse multiple minor girls, to answer their questions.

In addition, the House Oversight Committee agreed in a vote on Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell to testify about the Epstein Files being held by the Trump administration.

Democrats say Trump is “running scared” from his connection to the disgraced financier and sex offender, as House Republicans brought legislative business to a near-standstill ahead of the summer recess, now scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the president has been accused of attempting to distract from the scandal by peddling a conspiracy theory that he had “irrefutable evidence” that former President Barack Obama “manufactured” the Russia investigation into his 2016 campaign.

Trump doubled down on his accusations during a press conference with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines.

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Key Points

  • Judge: More info from Trump admin needed on Epstein, Maxwell grand jury transcripts before decision
  • House panel votes to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell over Epstein files
  • Deputy AG says he plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell over Epstein: ‘What do you know?’
  • Trump labels Epstein files 'witch hunt' as he spirals over ‘Barack Hussein Obama’ in Oval Office rant
  • Obama's office issues rare response to 'bizarre allegations' from Trump
  • Donald Trump ‘running scared’ over Jeffrey Epstein uproar

New poll: Americans feel Trump has gone too far with mass deportations

Monday 21 July 2025 23:45

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Oliver O'Connell

If President Donald Trump had his way, the press would stop talking about his administration’s handling of files related to his former friend, the late pedophile and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rather, he’d wish that they would talk about his “One Big, Beautiful Bill” or his policies related to immigration.

But a series of new polls show that Americans do not approve of at least one of those core policies — Trump’s efforts to deport swaths of immigrants from the country.

Eric Garcia reports.

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Report: Epstein accuser claims she met Trump in disgraced financier’s office in ‘troubling encounter’

Tuesday 22 July 2025 00:15

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Oliver O'Connell

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers claimed she met Donald Trump in the convicted pedophile’s New York office in what was described as a “troubling encounter,” according to a report.

Artist Maria Farmer said she urged the FBI to look into people in the disgraced financier’s social circle, including the president, after the alleged encounter in the 90s, she told The New York Times.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

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Trump rival Kamala Harris celebrates campaign anniversary, tells supporters 'We are in this fight together'

Tuesday 22 July 2025 00:30

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Rachel Dobkin

Former Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated the anniversary of her entering the 2024 presidential race on Monday and told her supporters, “We are in this fight together.”

“One year ago today, I began my campaign for President of the United States,” Harris, who was defeated by President Donald Trump last November, wrote on X.

She continued: “Over the 107 days of our race, I had the opportunity and honor to travel our nation and meet with Americans who were fighting for a better future. And today, millions of Americans continue to stand up for our values, our ideals, and our democracy. Their courage and resolve inspires me.

Whether you are attending a protest, calling your representatives, or building community, I want to say: Thank you. We are in this fight together.”

Vance flew to Montana for secret meeting with Rupert Murdoch and Fox News executives

Tuesday 22 July 2025 00:45

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Oliver O'Connell

JD Vance took a quick day trip to Montana in June to speak to right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who is the chief of both Fox News and its sister corporation News Corp., which publishes the New York Post and Wall Street Journal.

According to the Associated Press, the vice president’s secret meeting also included several executives from Fox News, the conservative cable giant that has largely carried Donald Trump’s water and helped staff up the president’s current administration.

A source familiar with the trip also confirmed to The Independent that the vice president spoke to both Murdochs and a group of executives from the right-wing network at the Murdoch family ranch near Dillon, Montana.

Justin Baragona has the story.

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Wall Street Journal booted from White House press trip

Tuesday 22 July 2025 01:15

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Oliver O'Connell

Reporters from The Wall Street Journal have been removed from a pool of journalists covering Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland in the wake of the newspaper’s reporting on the president’s alleged 50th birthday card to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The reporters’ removal, first reported by Politico, also follows the president’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the newspaper and the journalists who wrote the story, as well as right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and parent companies News Corp and Dow Jones.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement shared with The Independent that neither the newspaper nor “any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces.”

Alex Woodward has the story.

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Epstein accuser Maria Farmer says she warned the FBI twice about Trump's ties to disgraced financier

Tuesday 22 July 2025 01:30

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Rachel Dobkin

Epstein accuser Maria Farmer says she warned the FBI twice about President Donald Trump's ties to disgraced financier.

The White House has effectively denied Farmer’s allegations of an interaction between her and Trump in Epstein’s New York City office in 1995.

Epstein accuser Maria Farmer responds to White House denying 1995 Trump interaction

Tuesday 22 July 2025 01:45

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Rachel Dobkin

Maria Farmer, who has accused the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, of sexually assaulting her, said the White House was “lying” when they effectively denied a 1995 interaction between her and President Donald Trump.

Farmer has claimed that in 1995, when she was 25 years old, she met Epstein, who was a wealthy financier, at his office in New York City after he had hired her to help him acquire art.

When she arrived there late at night, she said she saw a man in a business suit walk in and claimed it was Trump.

“ He walked up about a few feet from me and just stood over me in a very imposing way and looked at me like he was in on some secret or something,” Farmer said.

When Epstein walked out of his office, he told Trump, “She’s not here for you,” Farmer said.

Trump was escorted into another room, but before he walked in, he said under his breath, in a joking manner,  “Oh, I thought she was 16.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung denied Trump ever even went to Epstein’s office.

“The president was never in Epstein’s office,” Cheung told CNN. “In fact, the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”

Trump had socialized with Epstein decades ago when he was a New York real estate mogul.

In response to Cheung’s statement, Farmer told CNN’s Erin Burnett, Trump was “absolutely in the offices” and that the White House was “lying.”

“ They're being disrespectful to the fact that I have given up my entire life for this case, just to have it investigated,” she added.

Farmer has urged the FBI to investigate people in Epstein’s social circle, including Trump, in 1996 and again in 2006.

Florida man arrested for threatening to ‘kill everyone’ on so-called Epstein client list

Tuesday 22 July 2025 02:15

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Rachel Dobkin

A Florida man has been arrested after being accused of threatening graphic murder against three named government officials and anyone else he believed to be in league with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Federal prosecutors named Terell Deshawn Bailey-Corsey, 31, as the suspect behind a series of lurid and extremely violent threats posted on Elon Musk's social network X after the Trump administration reneged on its promises to release more documents about Epstein.

The Department of Justice declared last week that it does not possess any Epstein "client list", and allegations that Epstein trafficked abuse victims for rich and powerful "clients" have never been definitively proven.

But in a long and furious exchange with X's built-in AI chatbot, Grok, Bailey-Corsey allegedly refused to accept the official story.

"Well @grok you're wrong. Everyone involved if I see them in real life I will KILL. On sight. With a machete so everyone can see the blood and gore of the moment," he posted, according to charging documents first reported by Court Watch.

Read more from lo Dodds:

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Fox News tosses softballs at Karoline Leavitt - right after Press Secretary bans sister outlet Wall Street Journal over Epstein bombshell

Tuesday 22 July 2025 02:45

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Rachel Dobkin

Moments after the Wall Street Journal was removed from the White House travel press pool as retribution for the newspaper’s bombshell about Donald Trump’s alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was greeted on the WSJ’s sister network with softball questions about Hunter Biden.

As has largely been the case since the president filed his $10 billion lawsuit against the WSJ , its parent company News Corp and its owner Rupert Murdoch over the story, Fox News – which is also owned by Murdoch – once again ignored the White House’s vendetta against the right-wing network’s 94-year-old founder.

Despite the Trump administration going on the “warpath” against Murdoch, Fox News’ The Story anchor Martha MacCallum instead conducted a friendly and non-adversarial chat with the White House flack over the five-minute segment.

MacCallum took the opportunity to get Leavitt’s “quick reaction” to something that is “getting a lot of attention.” But rather than the continued fallout over the Epstein saga, the president’s lawsuit and the White House’s continued retribution against the WSJ, MacCallum instead wanted Leavitt to respond to Hunter Biden profanely blasting Democrats in a recent podcast appearance.

“Clearly, they’ve learned nothing from President Trump’s overwhelming victory on November 5th,” Leavitt responded, leaning heavily on her tried-and-true talking points. “The American people want deportations. They want secure borders. That’s why we had the most successful six months of any administration!”

Read more from Justin Baragona:

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Treasury secretary calls for review of the Federal Reserve

Tuesday 22 July 2025 03:15

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Rachel Dobkin

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for an “exhaustive internal review of its non-monetary policy operations” at the Federal Reserve on Monday as President Donald Trump pressures Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates.

“Significant mission creep and institutional growth have taken the Fed into areas that potentially jeopardize the independence of its core monetary policy mission,” Bessent said.

Trump at risk of losing MAGA base if Epstein files are not released, says MTG

Tuesday 22 July 2025 03:45

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Oliver O'Connell

Marjorie Taylor Greene hinted that if the Department of Justice does not release more information about convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the president’s MAGA base will turn on him.

Without naming Epstein, the Georgia Republican Representative seemed to issue a warning to Trump, who has recently attempted to dismiss the so-called Epstein files as a Democratic “hoax,” drawing criticism from his supporters, many of whom believe the government is hiding information about Epstein’s associates.

Isabel Keane reports.

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Mike Johnson shuts down congressional action to force the release of the Epstein files

Tuesday 22 July 2025 04:15

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Rachel Dobkin

House Speaker Mike Johnson shut down the idea of congressional action to force the release of files related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Johnson portrayed a united front between the Trump administration and House Republicans on Monday, despite some members of the GOP working with Democrats to push for a vote to force the release of all of the Epstein files.

“My belief is we need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing, and if further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we will look at that. But I don’t think we are at that point right now because we agree with the president,” Johnson told reporters, including CNN’s Manu Raju.

President Donald Trump announced last Thursday he had asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release certain Epstein files, “subject to court approval.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a motion with a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s case the next day.

Flashback: Fox News asks Trump if he'll declassify the Epstein Files in 2024

Tuesday 22 July 2025 04:45

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Rachel Dobkin

In a 2024 interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump said he would declassify files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But he said he would declassify them “less so” than other federal documents “because you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there.”

Trump calls Thomas Massie a 'loser' and calls for opponent he can 'vigorously campaign for' amid Epstein files drama

Tuesday 22 July 2025 06:00

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Rachel Dobkin

President Donald Trump has called Representative Thomas Massie a “loser” and called for an opponent he can “vigorously campaign for” as the Kentucky Republican pushes for the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Thomas Massie, the worst Republican Congressman, and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an Embarrassment to Kentucky. He’s lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous - A real loser! Never has anything positive to add. Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday night.

The Trump administration has faced backlash, including from its own base, after it said there was never any so-called client list, which people suspected had the names of powerful people who may have partaken in Epstein’s crimes.

Thomas Massie on Epstein files: 'I don't think this is going to go away'

Tuesday 22 July 2025 07:00

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Rachel Dobkin

Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said Monday night, “I don't think this is going to go away,” referring to the drama surrounding the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Trump administration has faced backlash, including from its own base, after it said earlier this month there was never any so-called Epstein client list, which people suspected had the names of powerful people who may have partaken in the wealthy financier’s crimes.

Massie has been working with Democrats and some other Republicans to push for the release of all of the Epstein files.

He told CNN’s Manu Raju, “I think momentum will build for transparency” over Congress’ August recess.

“I don't think this is going to go away. And I think when we return in September, we'll get phase two of the Epstein files,” he said.

President Donald Trump announced last Thursday he had asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release certain Epstein files, “subject to court approval.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a motion with a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s case the next day.

The rise of the QAnon conspiracy and why the Epstein files matter

Tuesday 22 July 2025 08:00

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Rachel Dobkin

The Justice Department asked a federal court on July 18, 2025, to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein’s case.

The direction from President Donald Trump came after weeks of frustration among some far-right groups over his administration’s refusal to release the complete and unredacted “Epstein files.”

Epstein’s 2019 arrest and death became a central focus for QAnon followers, who saw them as proof of a hidden global elite engaged in child trafficking and protected by powerful institutions.

The release – or withholding – of the Epstein files is often cited within QAnon movement circles as evidence of a broader cover-up by the so-called “deep state.”

Some followers of the MAGA – Make America Great Again – movement and the Republican Party believe in the false claim that the United States is secretly controlled by a cabal of elites who are paedophiles, sex traffickers and satanists.

Over time, what started as a baseless conspiracy on obscure platforms has migrated into the mainstream. It has influenced rhetoric and policy debates, and even reshaped the American political landscape.

Read more from Art Jipson:

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After Trump unseals MLK files, Bernice King demands Epstein release

Tuesday 22 July 2025 09:00

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James Liddell

On Monday, the Trump administration released more than 6,000 files on the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, which saw the daughter of the slain civil rights activist, Bernice King, tweet: “Now, do the Epstein files.”

Trump ‘running scared’ over Epstein with Obama Russia ‘hoax’ theory

Tuesday 22 July 2025 09:06

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James Liddell

Trump been accused of attempting to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein case by peddling a conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama “manufactured” allegations of Russian interference into Trump’s 2016 campaign. Late Monday, Trump said that there was “irrefutable evidence” that “Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX.”

Refuting the president’s claim of a “Democratic-led conspiracy theory,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters: “Why do we think President Joe Biden or President Barack Obama's names are being invoked? Because Donald Trump is running scared.”

Former congressman makes dig at Trump amid Epstein files drama

Tuesday 22 July 2025 09:29

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Rachel Dobkin

Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger made a dig at President Donald Trump Monday night as the administration faces backlash over its handling of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Trump releases MLK Jr files…. Didn’t limit it to ‘pertinent’ and ‘grand jury.’ So do the same for Epstein,” Kinzinger, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, wrote on X.

Kinzinger was referring to the Trump administration's push to release federal documents on famous assassinations like civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, while limiting the information disclosed in Epstein’s case.

The feds released more than 230,000 pages of documents related to King’s shooting on Monday.

The Trump administration has faced backlash, including from its own base, after it said earlier this month there was never any so-called Epstein client list, which people suspected had the names of powerful people who may have partaken in the wealthy financier’s crimes.

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social last week, “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. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a motion with a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s case the next day.

The Epstein List: Who has been named?

Tuesday 22 July 2025 10:00

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James Liddell

After years of peddling conspiracy theories about the Jeffrey Epstein files, President Donald Trump is now attempting to shift focus away from the case and his relationship with the convicted sex offender.

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 the disgraced financier, who socialised with royalty and celebrities and was accused of running a large network of underage girls for sex, had a “client list.”

While judges, court staff, and legal representatives have been excluded, The Independent has listed some of the names that appear in the legal records connected to Epstein:

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Stephen Colbert tells Trump ‘go f*** yourself’ after Late Show cancellation

Tuesday 22 July 2025 10:30

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James Liddell

Stephen Colbert had a very blunt message for President Donald Trump after the president celebrated CBS’s cancellation of The Late Show.

In his Monday monologue, Colbert brought up a Truth Social post Trump made on Friday, where he had written: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”

Responding to his post, Colbert said: “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?”

Looking into the “Eloquence Cam,” the talk show host did not pull his punches, telling the president: “Go f*** yourself.”

Shahana Yasmin has more:

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Trump and Epstein allegedly engaged in 'locker room talk' about teenage girl in financier's office

Tuesday 22 July 2025 11:00

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James Liddell

Jeffrey Epstein accuser Maria Farmer alleged that Donald Trump and the financier engaged in “locker room talk” in the sex offender's office in 1995.

Farmer, who on Sunday said she twice told the FBI about Trump’s ties to Epstein, spoke to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday after the White House denied the president had ever visited Epstein’s office.

The woman, who was 25 years old at the time, accused Trump of standing over her, smirking, in a “very imposing way” inside the office.

Farmer told Burnett that Epstein told Trump, “She’s not here for you, follow me.”

Farmer said that Trump then made a “vulgar” comment that she speculated may be “locker room talk in the 1990s.”

“He made a joke to Epstein: ‘I thought she was 16,’” she added.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Trump continues to peddle Tusli Gabbard's Obama conspiracy theory

Tuesday 22 July 2025 11:25

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James Liddell

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Watch: Protesters place Epstein sign on Trump golf course ahead of state visit

Tuesday 22 July 2025 11:49

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James Liddell

MLK Jr’s daughter tells Trump ‘now do the Epstein files’ after 230,000 pages released on civil rights leader

Tuesday 22 July 2025 12:16

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James Liddell

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter has urged Donald Trump to release the full, unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files after thousands of documents surrounding the civil rights activist’s assassination were unsealed.

Bernice King, 62, issued a blunt request to the president after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the release of more than 230,000 pages tied to MLK’s 1968 murder, promising “complete transparency” over the case.

“Now, do the Epstein files,” King tweeted on Monday evening, along with a photograph of her father.

Read the full story:

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Al Sharpton calls Trump's MLK files release 'desperate attempt to distract' people from Epstein case

Tuesday 22 July 2025 12:41

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James Liddell

Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton questioned whether the Trump administration’s release of thousands of files on Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination was truly about transparency – or driven by another motive.

In a statement early Tuesday morning, Sharpton said the unsealing of the files was “not about transparency or justice.”

“It’s a desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unraveling of his credibility among the Maga base,” he said.

GOP scrambles to shut down Epstein files vote before summer recess

Tuesday 22 July 2025 13:05

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James Liddell

House Republicans brought legislative business to a near-standstill ahead of the summer recess on Monday evening.

GOP leaders are now weighing whether to send the House home as early as Wednesday, after the Rules Committee recessed amid a heated bipartisan clash over the potential release of Epstein-related documents, according to Politico.

Democrats threatened to force a vote on the issue, derailing planned floor action for the week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise denied on Monday that the lower chamber would be sent home early.

“We’re not sending anybody home,” Johnson said.

Breaking: Deputy AG says he plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell over Epstein: ‘What do you know?’

Tuesday 22 July 2025 13:15

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Joe Sommerlad

Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has said the Department of Justice will reach out to the late financier’s former girlfriend and fixer, now behind bars, to find out what she knows about Epstein.

“I’ve contacted her counsel,” he says. “I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law – and no lead is off-limits.”

Here’s a pertinent question:

And here’s our report from Kelly Rissman.

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Mike Johnson backtracks on his push for Epstein files release: 'Trump needs space’

Tuesday 22 July 2025 13:29

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James Liddell

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has backtracked on his surprise break with President Donald Trump over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and now says the administration needs “space” to vet them.

“We need the administration to have the space to do what it is doing,” Speaker Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Monday when pushed on whether he would be holding a vote in the House of Representatives on releasing all documents pertaining to the late billionaire pedophile held by the Justice Department.

“If further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we’ll look at that,” Johnson said, adding that there would be no such vote before the House breaks for its six-week summer vacation on Thursday.

Joe Sommerlad has the details:

Image from: Trump-Epstein updates: Judge wants to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell before unsealing of grand jury docs