House Republicans Issue Subpoena for Epstein Files—With One Big Caveat

The Republican-led House on Tuesday issued subpoenas to the Justice Department and high-ranking officials for files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. But there was one notable name missing from the list of subpoenas: President Donald Trump.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer issued 11 subpoenas in total, including some to prominent politicians from Republican and Democratic administrations: Bill and Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, multiple former attorneys general including Merrick Garland and William Barr, and former special counsel Robert Mueller, according to The Washington Post.

But Trump himself is notably absent from that list.

The subpoenas are a result of a bipartisan effort on behalf of the House to release the files. On July 23, Democratic Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania brought a motion to subpoena the DOJ, which passed in the House Oversight Federal Law Enforcement subcommittee with three Republicans joining Democrats in the vote.

Trump’s former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is also missing from the list of subpoenas. In 2008, as U.S. attorney in Miami, Acosta gave Epstein a secret plea deal for soliciting a minor for prostitution—a crime that, if charges had been brought federally, could have resulted in a life sentence. Acosta resigned from the Trump administration in 2019 amid scrutiny during Epstein’s sex-trafficking case.

Despite the public’s overwhelming interest in transparency regarding Epstein, Trump has denied and deflected, blaming the controversy on a Democratic hoax and belittling members of his base who are still interested in seeing the files. Before the Justice Department issued a “case-closed” memo last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told Trump that his name was in the files, which isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s seen the mountain of evidence that Trump and Epstein were friends.

This story has been updated.

Deciding to condition FEMA aid on support for Israel has not panned out well for the Trump administration.

Grant orders issued by the agency directed states and cities to certify that they would not avoid or end “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” while receiving the federal disaster relief funds, Reuters reported Monday, citing official notices it had obtained. But in the wake of the news, fierce bipartisan backlash effectively forced the White House to nix the operation.

MAGA influencers including Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and Matt Walsh came out in staunch opposition to the effort, accusing Donald Trump of failing to put “America first.”

“Remember to pledge allegiance to Israel before your house is destroyed by a fire or hurricane, it could save your life,” wrote Fuentes on X.

Owens, meanwhile, claimed that Trump had “fully betrayed America” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “If you cannot see that now you are completely blind,” the talk show host wrote. “Best 100 million Miriam Adelson ever spent.”

Walsh simply stated, “There is just no way to reasonably claim that this qualifies as ‘America First’.”

Hours after initial reports broke about the conditioned aid, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement insisting that “there is NO FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO.”

But that doesn’t mean that future funding is protected from similar efforts. The notice underscored DHS’s ability to deny funds to any entity it deemed affiliated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to curb Israel’s violence in Gaza by peeling financial support away from the nation and its businesses.

“No states have lost funding, and no new conditions have been imposed,” the notice reads. “FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests. DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism. Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding.”

But a review of the order shows that it did indeed originally contain language conditioning aid on support for Israel. Following the backlash, the language was quietly edited to remove the reference to anti-Israel boycotts.

And as journalist Saagar Enjeti noted on X, “the DHS … makes it clear the admin reserves the right to deny these funds … based on the Anti-Boycott Act.”

“They still might do it. They’re just not saying it out loud right now,” he added.

The off-color FEMA order was just the latest in a long line of warnings from the Trump administration regarding its alliance with Israel and Netanyahu. The Department of Homeland Security announced in April that boycotting Israel was forbidden for any state or city intending to receive federal funding, and the White House has rescinded billions of dollars from universities around the country for failing to meet Trump’s metric of support for America’s genocidal Middle Eastern ally.

President Trump faced a surprisingly tough interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box Tuesday morning, as host Joe Kernen, who has often praised the president in the past, grilled him on his ousting of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over his claims that the job numbers were “rigged.”

Trump fired accused the former commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, last week after accusing her of propping up former President Biden and attempting to undermine himself. The firing came after an abysmal July job report, leading many to the reasonable conclusion that Trump is shooting the messenger while wrecking the economy, and now plans to install a lackey to replace McEntarfer.

On Squawk Box, Kernen noted that Elaine Chao, a former Trump transportation secretary and Bush II labor secretary, had said there’s no way that McEntarfer could have rigged the numbers.

“She said the commissioner doesn’t even really get involved with the actual minutiae of putting all these things together and there’s no way she could have chosen to rig these numbers to make ’em look bad,” Kernen said. “It’s just a big leap to go to rigged—and also it makes, Mr. President, it makes anyone you pick—critics are going to say, ‘Hey, he’s picking a guy or gal that’s giving him the numbers he wants.’ So it undermines confidence in the system to some extent.”

Trump replied: “I think when somebody says the commissioner is not involved, I don’t want to get into any arguments with anybody—why should I? She’s a very nice woman. But when they say that nobody is involved, that it wasn’t political—give me a break.”

Earlier in the interview, Kernen also fact-checked Trump on his claims that the BLS put out fake jobs numbers to help Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

“And so they gave phony numbers in order to win the election,” Trump said. “After I won the election—I said, ‘Too big to rig’—but, after I won the election, then they announced a downward number. In other words, to bring them back to reality. And I said, ‘Wow, supposing I would have lost, I would have blamed that and people would have said I was a conspiracy theorist.’”

In reality, that narrative is completely backward. The November BLS jobs report, released just days before the 2024 election, showed “weak growth” of 12,000 jobs for the month prior, as well as downward revisions for September and August. (Trump’s campaign even seized on this with a statement that said it showed “how badly Kamala Harris broke our economy.”) However, a month after the election, the October figure was revised upward.

And, as Kernen pointed out, Trump’s claim of a downward revision of “almost 900,000” (actually 818,000) came months prior to the election, in August 2024. (Trump, at the time, baselessly hailed this routine revision as evidence of Biden and Kamala Harris “fraudulently manipulating job statistics.”)

President Donald Trump claimed in a CNBC interview Tuesday that he had “nothing to do with” Attorney General Pam Bondi’s grand jury probe into Obama officials—but he’s certainly not mad about it.

Anchor Joe Kernan asked the president, who called in to the program, “You’ve talked about how you want success, not retribution. The Justice Department is now tapping a grand jury to look into the intelligence community’s assessment of what was happening with Russia [in the 2016 U.S. election]. You have nothing to do with directing the Justice Department in that?”

“Nope, I have nothing to do with it. Pam is doing a great job,” Trump responded. “I will tell you this: They deserve it. I was happy to hear it,” he continued.

Years after a bipartisan Senate panel and the CIA confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that she claimed proved otherwise. Now Bondi plans to subpoena Obama-era officials for their purported role in what Trump has deemed the Russia “hoax.”

Whether or not Trump directed Bondi to relitigate an already-closed chapter of his history—conveniently launched at the same time he’s being walloped by his base for his mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and documented proximity to the dead pedophile—we can’t say for sure. But it’s certainly in line with the years of disinformation he’s spread about the matter, and his appetite for revenge.

Speaking of relitigating, Trump continued in his response to Kernan, claiming that multiple elections have been “rigged”: “What they did with the election—what they did with the last election too, but it was too big to rig—what they did in the 2020 election is grotesque, I mean that was a rigged election 100 percent.”

Kernan laughed, responding, “We can’t relitigate that. We can’t relitigate that.”

Hearing his interviewer’s casual comeback, Trump observed, “You know, a year ago you would’ve been upset if I said that. Today it’s different. Now I say it all the time: It was a rigged election.”

He’s not wrong. Trump’s relentless lies have browbeaten the American people into submission, and his administration’s claims that there was no Russian interference in the 2016 election are just another example, whether Trump’s behind the probe or not.

Now that Congress is in summer recess, homebound Republican lawmakers are learning just how much their constituents hate the president’s policies.

In his first town hall since voting in favor of Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” Nebraska Representative Mike Flood had no remedy for the fire and fury of his base, who practically roasted him alive Monday night for Flood’s ongoing support for Trump.

Flood faced a barrage of excoriating questions during the jam-packed town hall, in which voters demanded to understand why their local lawmaker would vote in favor of the president’s tax bill and his immigration policies, accusing him of supporting a “fascist machine.” At one point, the crowd broke into a furious chant: “Tax the rich.”

“My question is fiscal. With 450 million FEMA dollars being reallocated to open Alligator Alcatraz, and 600 million taxpayer FEMA dollars being used to now open more concentration camps, and ICE burning through 8.4 million dollars a day to illegally detain people—how much does it cost for fascism?” one woman pressed Flood as the crowd behind her cheered. “How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”

But Flood’s response was no different from the party line, effectively echoing Trump’s “mandate from the people” ideology to advance undemocratic ideals.

“Americans went to the polls in November, and they had a choice between a Democratic candidate that had an open border, no enforcement, fentanyl, drugs, human trafficking, and they had a choice between that and a candidate that said close the border, get illegal immigrants out of our country, stop the fentanyl, stop the human trafficking, stop the drugs, stop the crime, stop the violence,” Flood said. “That’s what Americans voted for.

“Americans voted for a border that is secure, and I support the president enforcing our immigration laws, which, by the way, were written by Congress,” he added.

Flood’s constituents also harangued him for failing to protect SNAP benefits, veterans’ programs, and health care access, and for supporting Trump as the president circumnavigates and avoids his own home-brewed Epstein scandal.

“Let’s be very clear—at the next pro forma session of the Congress, you will find my name as a sponsor on a resolution from the House Rules Committee to release the Epstein files to protect the victims and not re-victimize them again,” Flood said, stating that he was for the release of the records despite the fact that he—along with every other Republican in the House—voted against a Democrat-led effort last month to make the files public.

The crowd, which at 750 people was the largest at one of Flood’s town halls yet, repeatedly booed the lawmaker almost from the very start. At one point, unsatisfied with his answers, constituents broke out into chants of, “Vote him out!”

Flood is unlikely to be the only conservative facing enormous backlash at home. Republicans have been instructed by the National Republican Congressional Committee to focus their time at home in August on selling Trump’s agenda to voters.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows plans to sign warrants to track down and arrest more than 50 Democrats who left the state over the weekend in order to deny Republicans the quorum needed to create a new gerrymandered congressional map at President Trump’s behest.

The Texas House voted 85–6 to issue arrest warrants for those absent when the House convened on Monday afternoon.

Texas House rules state that lawmakers who are absent from “calls of the House” without sufficient excuses “may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found, by the sergeant-at-arms or an officer appointed by the sergeant-at-arms for that purpose, and their attendance shall be secured and retained.”

In doing so, Burrows escalates the warpath that state Republicans have forged against the Democratic walkout.

On Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott—claiming powers that legal experts say he doesn’t actually possess—threatened to oust Democrats from office unless they returned to the Capitol by 3 p.m. Monday. (“Come and take it,” the Democrats replied verbatim.) State Attorney General Ken Paxton also promised to “use every tool at our disposal” to “hunt down” Democrats, who, he said, should be “found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”

But we’ll likely not see Texas Democrats physically forced back to the Capitol as the warrants only apply within state lines, and most truant Democrats departed for other states.

No arrests took place in 2021 when warrants were issued for 52 Texas Democrats who similarly fled to block a GOP bill to restrict voting rights, before returning after 38 days.

Back then, warrants were blocked as they underwent legal challenges, but the state’s Supreme Court eventually ruled that lawmakers could be arrested under Texas’s Constitution, which, it said, “enables ‘quorum-breaking’ by a minority faction of the legislature” but also “authorizes ‘quorum-forcing’ by the remaining members.”

First lady Melania Trump—who five years ago asked, “Who gives a fuck about Christmas?”—is hosting open auditions for the White House’s upcoming Christmas celebration.

Now we’re not saying that you should apply, get selected, and then not show up on the date of the actual performance … but if you wanted to, it would be pretty easy.

“Americans from every U.S. state and territory are invited to apply for the opportunity to assist with decorating at the White House or showcase their talents as a performer at the holiday open houses,” the White House stated in a Monday morning press release. “Starting today, applications are open for those interested in volunteering for the 2025 Christmas Season.”

The performer application process is simple. “School bands, choirs, and holiday-themed entertainers” are all eligible, and if accepted they are responsible for their own lodging, food, and any other expenses. Performance dates will take place throughout December, and you can select which dates you are available. The application deadline is September 5, and decisions will be announced by October 13.

Anyone interested in providing a lovely, MAGA-aligned Christmas performance (or not) may apply here. A link to previous performances is required.

Far-right extremist Laura Loomer says that she is now working with the federal government to identify individuals within the Department of Defense who are leaking information to the press.

Speaking with CNN in an interview published Monday, Loomer claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had personally turned to her for help quieting down the noise coming from his department. The self-appointed “loyalty enforcer” has had enormous success influencing the Trump administration from the outside: An analysis by The Daily Beast found that at least 16 individuals were fired from the federal government after Loomer singled them out.

And the White House has noticed her efforts: Following months of Loomer blasting federal employees and political appointees to her 1.7 million followers on X, the president praised her Sunday as a “patriot.”

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Beast that Hegseth “appreciates Laura Loomer’s outside advocacy.”

“Personnel is policy, and Laura has taken that motto to heart. At the Department of Defense, we will never stop working to deliver on the President’s America First agenda,” Parnell said. “Qualified individuals who love our country and support the Administration’s priorities will continue to be integral to our efforts.”

Hegseth’s tenure atop the Pentagon has been riddled with scandal. The reputed alcoholic’s foray into national politics started on a dour note, when the former Fox News star was accused of sexual assault. Nearly a dozen of his former network co-workers also claimed that Hegseth’s drinking habits were “concerning.”

Some of Hegseth’s failures include Signalgate—when Hegseth shared sensitive military plans about an imminent bombing in Yemen in a group chat that accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief—and his failure to notify the president before he stalled aid to Ukraine. He also was “reamed out” by Trump over the president’s seriously expensive and lackluster military birthday parade in June, fumbled questions from lawmakers regarding Trump’s authority (or lack thereof) to deploy troops to Los Angeles to quell the city’s anti-ICE protests, and refused to tell Congress that he wanted Ukraine to win in its ongoing offensive against Russia’s invasion, among countless other seismic offenses.

The 45-year-old’s world has continued to shrink in recent months, with Hegseth reportedly only trusting his wife and a small inner circle, as paranoia over his department’s nonstop scandals has consumed him. Mounting frustration and fear has compelled Hegseth to do outrageous things, such as mandate polygraph tests for his own staff. (The polygraphs have ceased since the White House intervened.)

MAGA isn’t MAGA enough anymore for Marjorie Taylor Greene, who seems as surprised as we do at her break with the party that gave her a pulpit.

“I don’t know if the Republican Party is leaving me, or if I’m kind of not relating to the Republican Party as much anymore,” she told The Daily Mail over the weekend. “I don’t know which one it is.”

“I think the Republican Party has turned its back on America First and the workers and just regular Americans,” she added.

Greene has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump since she was elected to Congress in 2020. A megaphone for the conspiracy-addled, she’s promoted a number of antisemitic and white supremacist theories, and recently introduced a bill to ban “weather modification.”

She told The Daily Mail that her fellow Georgia Republicans are just a “good ole boys network,” and expressed frustration at perceived sexism within the party.

“I think there’s other women in our party that are really sick and tired of the way men treat Republican women,” she said. Greene specifically mentioned Elise Stefanik, whose nomination for U.N. ambassador Greene thinks was unjustly rescinded. The post ultimately went to Mike Waltz, who accidentally included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg in his Signal chat.

“How does he get awarded after ‘Signalgate?’” Greene asked. “Isn’t that weird?”

Greene was careful not to criticize Trump specifically, and largely directed her frustration at the party. But she feels that her priorities, such as eliminating funding for the “Obama/Biden/Neocon Ukraine Russia war,” are no longer the priorities of the GOP.

“Like what happened to all those issues?” she asked. “You know that I don’t know what the hell happened with the Republican Party. I really don’t.”

Greene has recently split from Trump on major issues, including continued military aid to Israel and releasing the Epstein files.

Representative Jasmine Crockett has struck a nerve in the MAGA-verse after calling President Trump a “piece of shit” at a Sunday event by the progressive group MoveOn.

The Texas representative spoke about the need for Democrats to get “aggressive” with their reform, for example, by reining in the Supreme Court with a code of ethics.

“Listen, Donald Trump is a piece of shit, we know that. He is,” Crockett said, to applause. “But in a functioning democracy, he still would not be able to get away with this. But he’s been able to get away with this because the House Republicans are complicit. He’s been able to get away with this because Senate Republicans are complicit. But most importantly, the courts, especially the Supreme Court, is complicit.”

Crockett’s characterization of Trump has since been shared widely on X, incensing right-wing users, who have, in turn, attacked her demeanor, appearance, and outfit (Crockett was wearing—brace yourself—ripped jeans). Many, of course, also stooped to gutter racism.

Conservative commentator Kyle Becker said Crockett “has absolutely lost her mind.” The website Conservative Brief wrote that she is “unhinged” and “showing clear signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome that prevents her from wearing decent clothes.” “Very classy,” wrote an “America First” user.

Another prominent MAGA account called Crockett an “attention whore,” and apparently attempted to get X’s chatbot, Grok, to make a lewd joke about how she “may have gotten knee holes on her Black Jeans.” When Grok failed to produce the user’s clearly desired joke about fellatio, the account requested that it “be more creative and remove the woke crap.”

Pro-Trump commentator David Freeman (known on X by the alias Gunther Eagleman) called the congresswoman “Ghetto Trash.” “Tell me she is not ghetto!!” wrote another popular right-wing account.

It’s all a bit rich coming from a crowd who will defend to the last breath a president who’s done more than any individual to make political language more unhinged and coarse.

Trump, after all, is a byword for name calling and repeatedly employs four-letter words in his public remarks. At his 2024 Madison Square Garden campaign rally, for instance, he called Kamala Harris a “shit vice president.” He has a penchant for calling Crockett (and, frequently, other critics of his who are Black) “low IQ.”

This is to say nothing of the countless reports, some notorious, of Trump using vulgarities in closed-door settings.