President Donald Trump is intensifying his efforts to thwart attempts to force the release of the Epstein files, even as the House moves toward a vote that could send disclosure legislation to his desk for his signature or veto further heightening scrutiny of his past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Friday, the president announced he will ask the U. S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation “to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J. P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him.” The New York Times reported that the “inquiry appeared to be retribution for the renewed focus on his own ties to Mr. Epstein.” After White House officials reportedly held a Situation Room meeting with Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert on Wednesday to convince her unsuccessfully to remove her name from the discharge petition, the president on Friday took a different tack, appearing both to try to wash his hands of the entire ordeal while refocusing attention on his political opponents and others.“Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!” Trump railed on his Truth Social website, while attacking Democrats. “The Democrats are doing everything in their withering power to push the Epstein Hoax again, despite the DOJ releasing 50, 000 pages of documents, in order to deflect from all of their bad policies and losses, especially the SHUTDOWN EMBARRASSMENT, where their party is in total disarray, and has no idea what to do,” Trump alleged.“Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish,” the president continued. “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!”“Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Summers about Epstein, they know all about him, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!” Deadline on Friday noted that “Since the email release, Trump has avoided answering reporters’ questions about Epstein.”Pointing to Trump’s Friday remarks, Politico’s Kyle Cheney remarked, “Trump again pleads with Republicans to stop talking about Epstein. The pressure hasn’t worked as well as it usually does. Also, the emails show Epstein was politically amorphous, deriding Ds just as much as Rs. And these latest emails were from the Epstein estate, not DOJ.”Attorney Aaron Parnas added, “I guarantee you if Donald Trump truly believed Epstein was the ‘Democrat’s problem,’ he would have released all of the files by now.”.
Tag: embarrassment
Kathy Hochul Nearly ‘Booed Off Stage,’ Turns It Into Her Own ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Moment [WATCH]
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer took aim at Senate Republicans after Democrats blocked a bill that would have guaranteed pay for military and federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown.“Senate Republicans should be embarrassed by how bad they’re messaging this,” Spicer, who served as Trump’s first press secretary, said Friday on his podcast, in remarks highlighted by The Daily Beast.“They should have been out on the steps last night with military members and Border Patrol,” Spicer said. The measure, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act of 2025, was introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance, with a final tally of 54-45. It would have ensured continued pay for “excepted” federal employees, including active-duty troops, TSA agents, park rangers, air traffic controllers and Border Patrol officers. Spicer accused Republicans of failing to defend their position forcefully, calling their actions “literally the lamest response” he had ever seen.“The idea that they voted and bolted is an embarrassment to the Republican Party,” he added. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dismissed the bill as a “ruse,” arguing it would give Trump budget director Russell Vought undue authority.“We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people’s livelihoods,” Schumer said.