Trump defends attorney general as Maga base furious over justice department’s handling of Epstein files – live | Trump administration
Trump defends Pam Bondi as his base calls for attorney general’s dismissal
Donald Trump has defended attorney general Pam Bondi amid calls from Maga world for her to go.
In a lengthy social media post, Trump hit out at complaints from critics who have accused Bondi of withholding more information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sudden death and his so-called client list.
“LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB,” Trump wrote in all caps, encouraging his supporters to “not waste time and energy” on Epstein.
Bondi suggested to Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”. She had also repeatedly pledged to reveal potentially damaging evidence including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs” relating to Epstein.
But the justice department last week released a memo concluding there was no evidence suggesting the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender kept a “client list” to blackmail high-profile figures. It also found no evidence to suggest foul play in Epstein’s death, which had previously been ruled a suicide.
Bondi sought to clarify her remarks in the White House on Tuesday, telling reporters that she had been commenting on the entire Epstein “file” and other files.
Tucker Carlson has told NBC News this morning that he now believes the justice department doesn’t actually have “much relevant information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes”. “Rather than just admit that, Pam Bondi made a bunch of ludicrous claims on cable news shows that she couldn’t back up, and this current outrage is the result,” Carlson said.
Key events
Hundreds of detainees with no criminal charges sent to Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Richard Luscombe
The notorious new “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail in the Florida Everglades contains hundreds of detainees with no criminal records or charges, it was disclosed yesterday, as lawmakers decried “inhumane” conditions inside after touring the facility.
Donald Trump has insisted that the remote camp in swamp land populated by pythons and alligators was reserved for immigrants who were “deranged psychopaths” and “some of the most vicious people on the planet” awaiting deportation.
But at least one detainee shouted out to politicians during Saturday’s visit that he was a US citizen, the Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost said. And the Miami Herald obtained and published a list of 700 people held in cages showing that at least 250 had committed no offense other than a civil immigration violation.
Authorities have refused to release a list of those sent there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice). The Florida department of emergency management, which operates the hastily assembled tent encampment, did not respond to a request from the Guardian for clarification or comment.
Frost said the revelations, and the lawmakers’ visit, raised new questions about the legality of the camp, which federal agencies in court documents have insisted is entirely a state-run and -funded operation.
There are Ice agents there every day, and I was told directly from the guy running the whole thing that Ice tells them exactly what to do, how to put everything together.
They gave them the instructions on how to do the cages, the food, who comes in and goes out. It’s Ice making all the decisions, and he was very clear that the role the state is playing is logistical. This is a federal facility. Ice is calling all the shots.
Biden denies White House aides granted clemency without his knowledge
Edward Helmore
Joe Biden has denied claims that his circle of aides acted without his knowledge when he granted a slew of pardons and commutations in the final days and hours of his presidency.
“I made every single one of those,” the former president told the New York Times in an interview published yesterday when asked about claims that he was incapacitated and unaware of clemency decisions. Biden called the people making those claims “liars”, adding: “They know it.”
Donald Trump’s successor and predecessor in the Oval Office issued three sets of clemency during his final days, including reducing sentences of hundreds of non-violent drug offenders and commuting the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life without parole.
He pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, of convictions on federal gun and tax charges, too. And he also granted pre-emptive pardons to other members of his immediate family, along with the former top public health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci and ex-joint chiefs of staff chair Gen Mark Milley.
Conservatives have alleged that the commutations and pardons, along with executive orders passed during his term, are not binding because they were signed using an autopen printer to reproduce a signature and could therefore not be verified as being directly authorized by Biden himself.
In the NYT interview, Biden hit back at that suggestion, telling the Times he hadn’t personally signed the orders simply “because there were a lot of them”.
“The autopen … is legal,” Biden said. “As you know, other presidents used it, including Trump. But the point is that … we’re talking about a whole lot of people.”
Biden has previously pushed back on Republican claims he was unaware of what was being issued in his name.
“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” he said in June. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
In his most recent remarks, to the Times, Biden accused Republicans of using the autopen issue as diversion.
They’ve lied so consistently about almost everything they’re doing. The best thing they can do is try to change the focus and focus on something else. And … I think that’s what this is about.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte took a bit of a back seat as Donald Trump answered questions from reporters in a media session that just ended.
But Rutte did say that Germany, Finland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark would be among the buyers to supply Ukraine. He said “speed is of the essence here,” and that the shipments should make Putin “reconsider” peace negotiations.
Trump said the weapons the US would send to Nato to support Ukraine in its war against Russia would include Patriot missile systems and batteries, Reuters reports.
“It’s a full complement with the batteries,” Trump said when asked whether he would send Patriot missiles specifically.
“We’re going to have some come very soon, within days… a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and will replace the Patriots with the ones they have.”
Trump’s threat to put “severe tariffs” on Russia over the Ukraine war comes amid a bipartisan push for sanctions on Moscow.
The bill, backed by Republican senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal, calls for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports, according to the Associated Press. The move essentially targets countries like China and India, which account for about 70% of Russia’s energy trade and finance much of Moscow’s war effort.
It’s worth noting that Donald Trump did not provide specifics on how the tariffs on Russia would be implemented.
“I use trade for a lot of things,” he added. “But it’s great for settling wars.”
Trump: Russia faces ‘very severe tariffs’ in 50 days if no Ukraine peace deal
Donald Trump is still speaking now in the Oval Office alongside Nato leader Mark Rutte.
Trump, while announcing Patriot missiles being sent to Kyiv, said the US will impose “very severe tariffs” on Russia in 50 days if there is no deal to stop the war in Ukraine.
Trump hosts Rutte and announces sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine
While the Maga world is in disarray over the Epstein files, president Donald Trump is hosting Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte in the White House for talks that will also include state secretary Marco Rubio, defense secretary Pete Hegseth and members of Congress.
Trump announced he was sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine to assist in the war against Russia. He also said he was “disappointed” in Russian president Vladimir Putin for failing to agree to a deal to stop the war.
You can follow our live coverage of Trump and Rutte right now in our Europe blog:
Who is deputy FBI director Dan Bongino?
For those who need a refresher on who deputy FBI director Dan Bongino is, here’s a quick recap.
A former New York police officer and Secret Service agent who provided security to presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama, Bongino is best known as a far-right Maga podcaster and conspiracy theorist, who vocally supported Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen”.
Bongino had never served in the FBI, and his appointment as deputy marked the first time in its 117-year history that the second-in-command post has not been held by one of its senior agents.
A former Fox News Host, Bongino has written books alleging the existence of a “deep state” conspiracy against Trump. He also ran unsuccessfully three times as a Republican in congressional races in Maryland and Florida.
As a podcast host, Bongino spent years pushing Epstein conspiracy theories, and has reportedly been very upset with attorney general Pam Bondi over how the Epstein files were handled.
“Bongino is out-of-control furious,” a source close to Bongino told NBC News. “This destroyed his career. He’s threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she’s fired.” Axios reported that Bongino didn’t show up to work on Friday, and the row prompted Trump himself to step in.
Asked by reporters yesterday if Bongino would remain in his position, Trump said:
Oh I think so … I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino, very good guy. I’ve known him a long time. I’ve done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually.
Here’s more on Bongino from my colleague Robert Tait:
Adam Gabbatt
Donald Trump managed something unusual last week. In his administration’s claim that it did not have a list of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged clients, and that the convicted sex offender was not murdered, it succeeded in upsetting the rightwing influencers and commentators – and reportedly even Trump’s deputy FBI director – people who typically champion his every move.
“This stinks. This just reeks,” was the verdict of Jesse Watters, the primetime Fox News host. He added:
The feds spent decades investigating Epstein and have had total access to his property for years, they still cannot give us a straight answer? This is not anything new; the government has been keeping us in the dark for generations.
Watters was careful not to criticize the Trump administration directly, blaming “the feds” as he described Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, as “great Americans”.
But within the rightwing, Epstein-curious sphere, others had continued to wade in. “Pam Blondi [sic] is covering up child sex crimes that took place under HER WATCH when she was Attorney General of Florida,” wrote Laura Loomer, the 32-year-old conspiracy theorist whose influence over Trump has come under scrutiny.
Loomer accused Bondi of failing to pursue legal action against Epstein, despite lawsuits being filed against him in Florida. “She is afraid of that being discussed and brought to light. She needs to be fired. She has tainted the investigation,” Loomer concluded.
When the justice department said that Epstein did not keep a client list and no more files related to his sex-trafficking investigation would be made public, the White House claimed Bondi had been talking about the “entirety of all of the paperwork and relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes”, which satisfied few rightwing commentators, many of whom have built careers on propagating conspiracy theories.
“We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn’t have to be,” said Jack Posobiec, who promoted the baseless theory that high-level Democrats were running a child sex ring out of a Washington pizzeria. Posobiec was among a group of rightwing influencers who were given binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” during a visit to the White House in February – although many were disappointed that those documents contained little new information.
The ire was also inspired by the justice department releasing an 11-hour video showing the exterior of Epstein’s door, apparently in an effort to show no one entered his cell at the time he died. But a minute of the video was missing, which satisfied few on the right.
“There are some extremely bizarre things about the video of Epstein’s cell that Pam Bondi’s DOJ released as proof no one killed him. First, a full minute appears to be missing from the video and secondly, it does NOT appear to be the same cell as the photo released on Jan 5, 2020,” wrote Robby Starbuck, a rightwing influencer and Trump supporter. “Anyone else find this extremely troubling?”
Others were more direct. “NO ONE IS BUYING THIS!! Next the DOJ will say ‘Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.’ This is over the top sickening,” Alex Jones, the rightwing commentator and conspiracy theorist, wrote on social media.
Trump defends Pam Bondi as his base calls for attorney general’s dismissal
Donald Trump has defended attorney general Pam Bondi amid calls from Maga world for her to go.
In a lengthy social media post, Trump hit out at complaints from critics who have accused Bondi of withholding more information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sudden death and his so-called client list.
“LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB,” Trump wrote in all caps, encouraging his supporters to “not waste time and energy” on Epstein.
Bondi suggested to Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”. She had also repeatedly pledged to reveal potentially damaging evidence including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs” relating to Epstein.
But the justice department last week released a memo concluding there was no evidence suggesting the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender kept a “client list” to blackmail high-profile figures. It also found no evidence to suggest foul play in Epstein’s death, which had previously been ruled a suicide.
Bondi sought to clarify her remarks in the White House on Tuesday, telling reporters that she had been commenting on the entire Epstein “file” and other files.
Tucker Carlson has told NBC News this morning that he now believes the justice department doesn’t actually have “much relevant information about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes”. “Rather than just admit that, Pam Bondi made a bunch of ludicrous claims on cable news shows that she couldn’t back up, and this current outrage is the result,” Carlson said.
Over the weekend, FBI director Kash Patel denied swirling resignation rumors over reported unhappiness at the justice department decision to close the book on Jeffrey Epstein after administration officials teased a big reveal earlier in the year.
In a Saturday social media post, the agency director said in a social media post at the weekend: “the conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been. It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States – and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.”
Over the past week, Maga hardliners, including Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, former White House adviser Steve Bannon and – reportedly – FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, have been strongly critical of a joint decision by US attorney general Pam Bondi and the FBI to not release further information about Epstein held in government files, including a so-called client list.
And on Friday, NBC News reported that Bongino was considering stepping down from his post at the FBI after a “heated confrontation” with Bondi over the issue. CBS News heard that he then didn’t show up to work that day.
“Bongino is out-of-control furious,” the person who has spoken with the deputy FBI director said. “This destroyed his career. He’s threatening to quit and torch Pam unless she’s fired.”
Trump last night played down the resignation rumors, saying he had spoken to Bongino who sounded “terrific”.
But Maga influencer and far-right activist Laura Loomer had this prediction for Politico: “I don’t see how there can be a situation where Bongino can coexist with Blondi [Loomer’s derisive moniker for Bondi] as attorney general, and so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a resignation from Bongino. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it would not shock me if Bongino resigns in the next week.”
Democrat to introduce legislation calling for Epstein files release
The Democrats are on it too. Later today in the House, representative Marc Veasey is introducing legislation calling for the release of the Epstein files.
Veasey told Politico:
I think [Trump’s] trying to protect some billionaire friend of his. That’s what he lives for more than anything else in the world: protecting billionaires. Look at what he did with the so-called ‘big, beautiful bill’.
A vote would not only be uncomfortable for House Republicans – it would also keep the story in the news when the president would prefer it to disappear. Trump will probably try to latch on to some other story to try to change the narrative today, so we’ll be looking out for that.
Politico also notes that “the growing number of Democrats making similar efforts on the Epstein files spans a wide breadth of the party’s membership, from New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Georgia senator Jon Ossoff; from relative backbenchers to members of the Senate leadership, like Hawaii senator Brian Schatz.”
