President Trump said he will no longer support Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, marking a dramatic break with a onetime Trump loyalist who has increasingly criticized the president and her party’s leadership in recent weeks.
In an almost 300-word missive on Truth Social Friday night, the president said Greene “has gone Far Left,” and wrote that “all I see ‘Wacky’ Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!”
“She has told many people that she is upset that I don’t return her phone calls anymore, but with 219 Congressmen/women, 53 U.S. Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Countries, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day,” he wrote.
The president said he’s withdrawing his endorsement of Greene, and will support a primary challenge against her “if the right person runs” in her deep-red northern Georgia district.
CBS News has reached out to Greene’s office for comment.
Washington — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Friday that President Trump’s opposition to releasing files from the federal investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is a “huge miscalculation.” In an exclusive interview on “CBS Mornings,” Greene said she doesn’t believe the president has anything to hide, noting that some of Epstein’s victims have said Mr. Trump “has done nothing wrong.”
Greene, of Georgia, was among the four House Republicans who joined all Democrats in signing on to a discharge petition that forces a vote in the House on a measure compelling the Justice Department to release materials related to its probe into Epstein. The vote is expected next week.
Mr. Trump has slammed the focus on Epstein as a “hoax” pushed by Democrats to deflect the blame for the government shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history and ended Wednesday.
“Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish,” he wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem! Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Sommers about Epstein, they know all about him, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!”
A few hours later, he posted again, calling for the Justice Department and FBI to investigate Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats and financial institutions.
But Greene told “CBS Mornings” she doesn’t understand Mr. Trump’s opposition to releasing the material related to Epstein.
“I think it’s a huge miscalculation, and I truly just stand with the women, and I think they deserve to be the ones that we’re fighting for,” she said.
Greene said she has spoken with many of Epstein’s victims, and the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
“I believe the women and the women have said over and over again that Donald Trump did nothing wrong,” she said. “Even Virginia Giuffre said it under oath and she wrote it in her book. And so if we listen to the women, they say Donald Trump has done nothing wrong.”
Giuffre, the most high-profile of Epstein’s accusers, died by suicide in April. She said she was approached by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and hired to give Epstein massages in 2000, just before she turned 17. At the time, Giuffre was working at the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s South Florida club. Giuffre wrote in her memoir that she met Mr. Trump once at Mar-a-Lago, and said he “couldn’t have been friendlier.”
Separate from the effort to push the Justice Department to release its files on Epstein, the GOP-led House Oversight and Reform Committee has been investigating the federal government’s handling of the investigation into Epstein and Maxwell.
In one email from Epstein to author Michael Wolff in January 2019, Epstein wrote, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop,” referencing Mr. Trump.
In another email from Epstein to Maxwell in April 2011, he wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. virginia spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.”
The emails and text messages released by the Oversight panel, on which Greene sits, provide a look into Epstein’s contacts with high-profile people. Among them are Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Mr. Trump; Kathryn Ruemmler, a top executive at Goldman Sachs who served as White House counsel to former President Barack Obama; and an array of figures in business, entertainment and academia.
Green said the documents offer the public a “very interesting view into a world that most of us have never seen.”
“It’s kind of like a web of global affairs, business connections, very high and powerful people, foreign leaders,” she said. “And it’s just an interesting world. And even the Intel community.”
Mr. Trump and Epstein ran in the same social circles in New York and Florida from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. But the president said they had a falling out around 2004.
State and federal authorities investigated Epstein between 2005 and 2006. In late 2007, federal prosecutors reached a deal with Epstein that allowed him to avoid federal charges in exchange for pleading guilty to two state prostitution charges and serving an 18-month prison sentence. He ended up serving less than 13 months and was released in 2009.
Epstein was later indicted by a federal grand jury in New York in 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He died by suicide in a Manhattan correctional facility while awaiting trial.
The Republican party continues to divide, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be stopping or slowing down any time soon. If anything, the animosity between MAGA Republicans and regular Republicans seem to herald the collapse of something soon.
On the Tucker Carlson show last week, Carlson asked, “ How does Laura Loomer get to be a Pentagon advisor?” Marjorie Taylor Greene, his guest for the show, replied, “I don’t know…this is a woman that can’t even legally buy a gun because she had such serious mental problems.”
Tucker Carlson: “ How does Laura Loomer get to be a Pentagon advisor?”
MTG: “I don’t know….This is a woman that can’t even legally buy a gun because she had such serious mental problems” pic.twitter.com/pIxyjqnFaZ
I reluctantly have to agree: How did she get to be a Pentagon advisor? Nothing in her resume looks like even a remote fit. However, given how the rest of the government staffing has gone under President Donald Trump’s recent term, it isn’t much of a surprise.
What is a surprise is how quickly these party members have been to turn on each other. If they didn’t control our government it would almost be impressive.
We also cannot ignore Greene’s comment. No, we are not endorsing her–or it–because we agree. A broken clock is right twice a day and all that. But do you understand how much you’ve had to do to get somebody like Greene to say something like this about you publicly, without being a Democrat?
Rachel (she/her) is a freelancer at The Mary Sue. She has been freelancing since 2013 in various forms, but has been an entertainment freelancer since 2016. When not writing her thoughts on film and television, she can also be found writing screenplays, fiction, and poetry. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her cats Carla and Thorin Oakenshield but is a Midwesterner at heart. She is also a tried and true emo kid and the epitome of “it was never a phase, Mom,” but with a dual affinity for dad rock. If she’s not rewatching Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul she’s probably rewatching Our Flag Means Death.
In the spring and over the summer, GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greenebroke with her Republican colleagues on multiple issues, from Donald Trump’s spending bill to support for Israel’s attacks on Iran. And several months later, the conservative lawmaker is still at it, despite the fact that a large portion of the country could have once easily imagined her starring in an attack ad where she brandished a broken beer bottle and warned Democrats not to “f–k with my clique.”
Earlier this week, Greene toldTheWashington Post, “There’s a lot of weak Republican men [in the House] and they’re more afraid of strong Republican women,” adding that said GOP men “always try to marginalize the strong Republican women that actually want to do something and actually want to achieve.” She also accused her male colleagues of jealousy, saying, “They’re always intimidated by stronger Republican women because we mean it and we will do it and we will make them look bad.”
Chief among the Republican men on Greene’s shit list? Her boss, it seems: House Speaker Mike Johnson, whom she sought to oust last year. Greene apparently spent a chunk of last week on the receiving end of “angry” texts from Johnson over her push for the Senate to abolish the filibuster in order to end the government shutdown. “He told me they can’t do it and it’s math,” Greene told the Post. “I sent him the article about them doing it yesterday,” she added, referring to the Senate’s move to change its own rules in order to confirm a group of nominees with just one majority vote. “I said, ‘They just did it.’”
Greene also appeared to suggest that she believes Johnson is sexist toward his female colleagues, claiming that there’s a “night and day” difference in how Johnson and his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, have treated GOP congresswomen. McCarthy elevated talented women, Greene said, while Johnson has pushed them aside. She cited how, in contrast, Trump has filled his Cabinet with women, with the Post also noting that, under Johnson, just one GOP congresswoman chairs a committee; there are five female House lawmakers who serve as the top Democrats on committees. (Johnson told reporters on Friday that he and Greene had engaged in a “good discussion” as “colleagues and friends,” comments a spokesman referred to when asked by the Post about Greene’s claims.)
As the shutdown has dragged on, Greene has lashed out at fellow Republicans for being unable to come up with a plan to address the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies, saying it’s ridiculous that more of her colleagues aren’t on the same page. “I’m actually representing what a lot of Americans fully support,” she told The Hill. She was also one of just four House Republicans to sign a discharge petition seeking to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files in their entirety, a move that prompted Jimmy Kimmel to declare, “You know things in Washington are broken when Marjorie Taylor Greene is the lone voice of reason on the Republican side.” House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has been similarly shocked, telling MSNBC of Greene, “It does seem to many of us that she’s had a surprisingly enlightened few weeks.”
Yet while one anonymous Republican lawmaker toldThe Hill that Greene has lately “been 180 degrees opposite of Trump” in her positions, the lawmaker from Georgia does not yet appear ready to abandon the president. While describing many of her male House colleagues as “weak,” she insisted that Trump “has a very strong, dominant style—he’s not weak at all.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that immigrant deportations have gone too far, breaking with the hardline approach of the Trump administration and angering the MAGA base she was once a leading figure in.
“As a conservative and as a business owner in the construction industry, and as a realist, I can say we have to do something about labor. And that needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them just like that,” Greene said on the Tim Dillon Show podcast on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Greene continues to maintain her support for President Donald Trump, but has in recent months begun to increasingly break with the Trump administration on several key issues.
She has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza, calling it a “genocide,” and is among the few Republicans to demand the release of files relating to crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein. She has also recently broken with her party on healthcare to oppose steep premium increases.
Her take on immigration is the latest example of her willingness to defy party lines.
What To Know
Speaking on Dillon’s podcast, Greene said that “we have a labor force in America across many industries that has been built on illegal labor, that’s a fact.”
The congresswoman expressed her continued support for strong borders and strict enforcement of immigration policies, but said the government needed to build an “off-ramp” to reduce the reliance on undocumented immigrant labor.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer was quick to criticize Greene’s comments, writing on X: “We need to put AMERICAN workers first. We don’t need to be coddling and protecting big corporations that evade the law to hire cheap illegal aliens.”
Loomer claimed in another post that the congresswoman was a “sell-out” who was “just trying to save her own construction company.”
Greene is a co-owner of Taylor Commercial, a Georgia construction company founded by her father and later purchased by her and her then-husband Perry Greene.
Several social media users criticized Greene’s comments, suggesting she was betraying her party or speaking in self-interest.
However, other social media users called Greene’s comments sensible and realistic, and she responded to one by saying: “Yesss. Apparently hard for the average social media cultists to understand.”
What People Are Saying
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told NBC News last week: “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be.”
Prominent X commentator known by the name Catturd wrote that Greene is a “sellout fraud.”
Another commentator known as 0HOUR wrote: “Lets face it there is a fracture of losers who left the MAGA movement,” adding “either get on board or go join California in the Socialist utopia.”
Another account called The Watcher On The Web said: “Investigate MTG’s construction business If she’s knowingly employing illegals, charge her criminally.”
What Happens Next
Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.
Are these the biggest clues yet about who exactly is in the Epstein files?!? Plus an actual name?! HOW IS THIS NOT THE BIGGEST STORY RIGHT NOW???
Donald Trump and his loyal DOJ and FBI leaders shocked some of the MAGA faithful with their about-face on Jeffrey Epstein. They went from teasing a big reveal to actually having teams of agents spend hundreds of hours reading the files… and suddenly deciding it all needed to be swept under the rug.
Well, a small handful of Republicans have stood up to Trump on the Epstein issue, and their leader, Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky, finally got one of those rug-sweepers in the hot seat this week.
Kash Patel has been testifying to Congress the past couple days, being grilled on numerous scandals and mistakes, by Democrats and Republicans alike. But on Wednesday, Massie got to ask the biggest question we think America has right now: WTF?!?
Kash In Pocket
OK, Massie didn’t say that. But he did confront the seemingly confused FBI director about his inane claim to the Senate on Tuesday that Epstein didn’t traffic the girls to anyone. If you missed that claim, Patel maintained to Senator John Kennedy:
“There is no credible information, none… that he trafficked to other individuals.”
So Jeffrey Epstein trafficked underage girls to NO ONE? Despite the victims saying very clearly they were trafficked to powerful men? Well, Massie made his big play here. When Epstein’s victims got together and said they’d make their own list, Massie said he and Marjorie Taylor Greene might be able to reveal it even if the girls couldn’t themselves. And on Wednesday he gave us the first name! He defied Patel, saying:
“According to victims who cooperated with the FBI in that investigation, these documents in FBI possession — in your possession — detail at least 20 men, including Mr. Jes Staley, CEO of Barclays Bank, who Jeffrey Epstein trafficked victims to.”
Whoa, what?!?
HE ACTUALLY NAMED SOMEONE! HE DROPPED A NAME FROM THE EPSTEIN LIST! HOW IS THIS NOT THE BIGGEST STORY OF THE DAY?!
The First Name
Who the heck is James Edward “Jes” Staley? A few months after Epstein’s death, the CEO of Barclays was investigated for mischaracterizing his relationship with him. Ultimately he resigned from his position.
(c) Bloomberg/YouTube
He was later named in a lawsuit against JP Morgan. An Epstein victim accused the bank of enabling Epstein financially — and Staley specifically of knowing exactly what he was doing. According to The New York Times, Staley was Epstein’s “chief defender” at JP Morgan, helping him keep his huge accounts despite suspicions he was up to no good. The lawsuit, revealed in January 2023, alleged Staley personally witnessed Epstein’s abuse of an underage girl.
Why would he look the other way, so to speak? Well, it sounds like Massie says one of the victims told the government she’d been trafficked TO HIM!
Currently he’s only facing civil and financial consequences.
Major Effing Clues!
Massie was far from finished. He may have only given one actual name, but he made very clear there’s a list of men accused of wrongdoing, and it’s in the government’s hands. He spoke about the men who were named by Epstein’s victims — and gave some major clues on who they are! He said:
“That list also includes at least 19 other individuals: One Hollywood producer worth a few hundred million dollars. One royal prince. One high profile individual in the music industry. One very prominent banker. One high profile government official. One high profile former politician. One owner of a car company in Italy. One rock star. One magician. At least six billionaires, including a billionaire from Canada. We know these people exist in the FBI files, the files you control. I don’t know exactly who they are, but the FBI does. Have you launched investigations into any of these individuals?”
YOWZA! That is a lot of clues all at once!
Well, look, the Royal prince one is easy. Prince Andrew is one of the only men who have been accused publicly. Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed she was trafficked to him by Epstein multiple times, including when she was just 17 years old. Here they are together in a photo with Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
(c) BBC/WENN
As for the “high profile government official” and “high profile former politician”? Pretty horrific to know our taxes have supported people like this, isn’t it?
And then there’s “magician” — what a wild profession to throw out, right? But probably the most intriguing to us? A rich Hollywood producer?? A “rock star”? A “high profile individual in the music industry”?? Our minds are racing with ideas, though we’ve never, to our recollection, heard of any connection between Epstein and any specific people who fit these bills. Do YOU know who he’s talking about??
Anyway, let’s check back in on what Patel has to say for himself…
Kash Tries To Pass The Buck
When Patel tried to reiterate that he hadn’t seen credible evidence yet, Massie pressed, remind him VICTIM TESTIMONY is evidence! He straight up asked the FBI head:
“Is it your assertion that these victims aren’t credible? That the 302s maybe didn’t produce credible statements that rise to probable cause?”
Patel said it was the decision of US attorneys, noting some were in past administrations. Totally passing the buck. Massie didn’t let him get away with it. He
“Have you viewed the 302 documents where they victims name the people who victimized them?”
Patel admitted he has not “personally” viewed the documents in question. So Massie hit him with:
“So how can you sit here, and in front of the Senate, and say there are no names? I named one today.”
He sure as hell did.
Patel squirmed again, saying the FBI won’t release “victim names” or “in-credible evidence.” So let’s see if we’ve got this right… Despite the fact he was such a vocal crusader for the Epstein list before this job, Patel hasn’t made it a priority to personally look at any of this evidence, any of the victim testimony, in the nearly SEVEN MONTHS he’s been on the job. Instead, he’s totally satisfied being told there’s nothing to see, and he’s accepted that without looking for himself??
Yeah, it didn’t sound like Massie bought any of that. You can see his full interrogation (below):
Out Of The Frying Pan…
Look, so far we’ve only been speaking about Kash Patel getting grilled by Republicans. But when it came to Dems, it was pretty bad, too. Though it did lean a little worse for Trump, as you might imagine…
Eric Swalwell asked Patel did he ever “tell Donald Trump his name is in the files?” The FBI director said he’d never spoken to Trump about Epstein files. (Wow, but OK.) So Swalwell asked next:
“Did you ever tell the the Attorney General that Trump’s name is in the Epstein files?”
This should have been a simple NO, right? Instead Patel gave a non-answer, saying:
“The attorney general and I have had numerous discussions about the entirety of the Epstein files and the reviews conducted by our team.”
Yeah, definitely didn’t answer that one. So Swalwell pressed him on it, asking again if he’d ever told the AG that Trump’s name was in the Epstein files. Patel again tried to skate around the answer, saying:
“During many conversations that the Attorney General and I have had on the matter of Epstein, we have reviewed…”
Swalwell wasn’t having it. He said, “The question is simple,” asking again sarcastically slowly. Patel refused to answer and started attacking Swalwell and his home state of California instead. Eventually the Congressman had to give up and said simply:
“We’ll take your evasiveness as consciousness of guilt.”
SWALWELL: Did you ever tell Donald Trump his name is in the files?
PATEL: I have never spoken with Donald Trump about the Epstein files
SWALWELL: Did you ever tell the AG that Trump’s name is in the Epstein files
It went on like that with some others. At no time, speaking to either side of the aisle, did Patel look like he had any interest in getting to the truth about Epstein and his co-conspirators. Shame.
Do you want Congress to demand release of the full Epstein files? Learn how to peacefully contact your reps to demand action at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
The divisions in American politics are usually obvious, often nowhere more than in the House of Representatives. But there are also glimmers of bipartisanship, and, lately, many of those have been driven by women.
At the start of this year, Reps. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat, and Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican, united forces to challenge House leadership with a push to make the House friendlier for new mothers. In the past few weeks, three of the most outspoken House Republican women broke ranks with their party — and bucked President Donald Trump — in an effort to release more files related to the case of the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida and Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California came together on a House resolution calling for expanded early screening for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), a blood-clotting disorder that can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant people.
They credited their cooperation to singer Christina Perri, who learned she had APS after losing her daughter Rosie late in pregnancy in 2020. Perri is now channeling her grief into advocacy. She said in an interview that it was “a privilege” to see lawmakers like Kamlager-Dove and Cammack putting their party affiliations to the side and uniting on an issue so important to her.
“What matters is that we’re women, we’re moms, we just want other women and moms to be okay,” she said. “And I find that really inspiring at a time where everything is just so messy, and I feel grateful to be a part of something like this.”
Women make up half of the U.S. population but hold just 28 percent of seats in Congress. Research has not backed up the notion that women lawmakers are, overall, more bipartisan than men at the federal level. But select instances so far in this Congress show how unlikely coalitions of women lawmakers have united across party lines, challenged party leadership or both.
A major news conference at the Capitol with Epstein survivors last week yielded what four years ago would have been an all but unthinkable scene: Rep. Ro Khanna of California, a progressive Democrat, defending and embracing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a conservative firebrand and staunch Trump ally.
“She has shown so much courage on this issue, so much leadership,” Khanna said of Greene, who was met with an uneven reception by the crowd. “I saw some people, when I was coming here, calling her names. We’ve got to stop that. We’ve got to stop the partisanship on this issue.”
Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are attempting to force a House floor vote on the Epstein files resolution with a procedural measure known as a discharge petition, which enables members to circumvent House leadership to get a measure to the floor. Every sitting House Democrat and just three Republicans other than Massie — Greene, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina — have signed the discharge petition, leaving it just one signature short of the 218 required to force a vote.
Never underestimate a woman. We all came here to do work. We all made promises, and some of us live up to them.
All three women have maintained their support for the measure despite fierce opposition from Trump and the White House. At the news conference, Massie called Greene “the bravest woman in Congress.” He also posed the question: “Where are the men?”
“Never underestimate a woman,” Boebert said at the Capitol on Tuesday. “We all came here to do work. We all made promises, and some of us live up to them.”
Shared experiences around pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood have united some House members to work across the aisle.
“I think I can say very candidly now, as a new mom, moms just know how to multitask and learn how to get things done,” said Cammack, who welcomed her daughter Auggie last month. “And that might be why you see more bipartisan efforts coming out of the women, even though we represent a minority in Congress.”
At Tuesday’s news conference, Kamlager-Dove, Cammack and Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio all spoke about their experiences with pregnancy losses while building their families.
“What unites us is far deeper than what may appear on the surface,” Kamlager-Dove said. “Many of us share journeys to parenthood that are marked by hope, loss and eventually, resilience.”
Luna, the Florida Republican, and Pettersen, the Colorado Democrat, are also among the handful of House members to give birth while in office — and both missed votes after giving birth. They teamed up on a measure to allow new parents in the House to temporarily designate another member to vote for them, also known as proxy voting. House Speaker Mike Johnson vigorously opposed the effort, leading the duo to turn to a discharge petition. They succeeded in getting 218 votes on their discharge petition and overcame Johnson’s effort to quash the measure on the floor, temporarily grinding House business to a halt. Luna later struck a deal with Johnson, standing down on the proxy voting push in exchange for other concessions (Pettersen and other Democrats criticized the deal as insufficient).
Now, Luna is a member of another bipartisan coalition, this one backing a proposed ban on stock trading for members of Congress. Another member of the group, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a progressive Democrat, said at a September 3 news conference that, unlike in other legislative negotiations, lawmakers turned around a better product than the one they started with.
“It is one of those rare moments where I feel like Washington is working the way it’s supposed to work,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And it feels foreign. And it feels alien … but I also think it is proof that things can work here.”
Women lawmakers “are better communicators,” Luna told The 19th while leaving House votes on Tuesday. At the September 3 stock trading ban news conference, she indicated she’s prepared to challenge House leadership again if necessary.
“I often feel like an adjudicator in this job,” she said. “And so I guess I’ll be the one to say that we’ve asked nicely for leadership to put this on the floor. If they don’t, I say timeline is end of month: There’s a discharge petition that is ready to go.”
It is one of those rare moments where I feel like Washington is working the way it’s supposed to work.
The most consequential legislation passed by Congress this year has been muscled through without Democratic support, and there have been plenty of moments of acrimony on the floor.
Much of it has been clearly gendered: On Wednesday, as the House considered its annual defense spending bill, Mace erupted at Rep. Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, during debate over Mace’s proposed anti-transgender amendments to the legislation. Rep. Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat who this year became the first openly transgender lawmaker to serve in Congress, has faced repeated attacks and misgendering from some of her Republican colleagues.
High-profile but not expressly political public figures have, in many cases, been the catalysts for bipartisan congressional action.
Years of tireless lobbying by Paris Hilton led to Congress passing a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect in youth residential facilities last December. Engineer, author and science TV host Emily Calandrelli’s personal story of being hassled by TSA as a new parent led to the Senate and a House committee passing bipartisan legislation making it easier for parents to travel with breast milk and breastfeeding equipment through airport security. The legislation has not received a vote on the House floor.
And Epstein’s survivors, Khanna said, are “helping us come together as a country.”
“I’ve never done a press conference with Marjorie Taylor Greene before,” he joked at the September 3 news conference.
Both Cammack and Kamlager-Dove credited Perri with using her platform to raise awareness about APS — and bringing them together on a mission to promote the adoption of what they said is a simple test that could spare so many the heartache of pregnancy loss.
“We bonded over a common story of having a miscarriage and wanting answers to questions that were not easy to come by,” Kamlager-Dove said.
“Without her advocacy, without her courage to come forward, this wouldn’t be happening, and so she has been the driver in really bringing us together to make this a reality,” Cammack said.
Cammack said she’s “very confident” about the resolution on APS testing moving forward and getting a vote on the House floor. Perri said the measure’s passing would be “a win for everybody,” and a victory “that feels kind of rare right now.”
“My hope and goal is to have this changed forever, for women to not need to even know about it,” she said. “But until then, I will always speak about it, and I will help move the needle forward.”
Republicans are looking to expand the federal government’s power over the nation’s capital city — and use the District of Columbia as a testing ground for tough-on-crime policies the GOP could seek to implement around the country.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced about a dozen bills Wednesday designed to chip away at Washington’s autonomy, including its ability to control its own law enforcement activities.
The more than 10-hour markup of the measures, which Democrats nearly uniformly opposed, came the same day President Donald Trump’s 30-day emergency order assuming control of the city’s police department was due to expire.
“This is an assault on the self-determination of the residents of Washington, D.C., and they deserve better than this,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.). “It is one thing to have the burden of living here without active representation. It is quite another to have Congress intervene on the basic functions of daily life that the people of D.C. endure.”
The bills on the committee agenda Wednesday would, among other things, expand the universe of city laws Congress can formally veto; allow Washington’s locally elected attorney general to be replaced with an official selected by the president; and invalidate legislation passed by the Council of the District of Columbia.
In an apparent response to the Trump administration’s desire to combat Washington’s leniency for younger offenders, one bill would limit individuals who qualify as “youth” to those 18 years old or younger. Another measure would allow those 14 years of age and older to be tried as adults for certain offenses.
“You are living in a city filled with crime,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to her colleagues. “And we have witnessed it as members of Congress.”
House GOP leadership plans to bring at least some of the bills for a vote on the floor in the coming weeks, but it’s unlikely that any of them will become law: Even if passed by the House, each measure would face an uphill battle in the Senate to gain the necessary Democratic support to overcome a filibuster.
Still, any further action on the bills would likely further inflame the ongoing partisan clash around Washington’s right to self-governance. This tension is also likely to be on display next week when a trio of top Washington elected officials — Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb — is scheduled to testify before the Oversight committee.
Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) maligned Republicans on Wednesday for “pushing a blatant power grab by hijacking authority from local Washington, D.C., leaders and residents.”
“Quite frankly,” Garcia added, “if the president is so obsessed with governing D.C., he should step down as president and run for mayor.”
At the center of this debate is a belief among Republicans that Washington officials are all too soft on crime. Although the city reported a 30-year low in violent offenses last year, Trump claimed Washington was rife with crime to justify his monthlong takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also deployed the National Guard, which will remain in Washington indefinitely.
Congressional Republicans, in turn, have pointed to a number of high-profile violent episodes in Washington, including the recent killing of a congressional intern and the assault of a prominent Trump administration staffer.
“You should be able to walk down any street in America with your little girl or little boy and be safe,” said Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.) during the markup. “Bottom line is, people are dying. So this is not extreme. This is required. We must keep the American people safe.”
In their approach to Washington, Republicans are also modeling what tough-on-crime policies they could seek to enforce on other urban cities run by Democrats. The seemingly random murder last month of a Ukrainian refugee on transit in Charlotte, North Carolina, is being leveraged by Republicans as the latest evidence of Democrats’ inability to conduct proper law enforcement.
Republicans, for instance, have targeted so-called cashless bail policies in Democratic-led jurisdictions that allow individuals to be released from custody without a monetary payment. One measure considered by the Oversight panel would require mandatory cash bail for individuals charged with certain offenses and mandate pretrial or post-conviction detention for some offenders.
“What you all are attempting to do in D.C. right now is just a forecast for what they actually want for the entire country,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Summer Lee.
This week we got one of the most hopeful bits of news yet about this Jeffrey Epstein scandal… but there’s a pretty big hurdle to clear still.
The Donald Trump administration may be content to bury the Epstein files forever, with the President personally calling the whole thing “a Democrat hoax”… But the victims won’t go away!
Several women who were abused and trafficked by Epstein in the ’90s and 2000s came to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and spoke out. And in one of the bravest, most badass moves we’ve seen, they announced they were putting together their own Epstein list! Accuser Lisa Phillips declared:
“And let me announce now: Several of us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list of names. We know the names. Many of us were abused by them. Now together as survivors we will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world. And it will be done by survivors and for survivors. No one else is involved.”
Hell yeah!
Many asked why they aren’t just saying the names right there. We mean, they did mention Trump and Bill Clinton by name as being part of Epstein’s circle… but they didn’t make accusations against anyone other than Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Why??
Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, the Republican Congressman who is leading the charge with his Democratic counterpart Ro Khanna from California, explained just that to folks on the internet. Taking to his X (Twitter) account, he wrote:
“Survivors at our press conference announced they are privately compiling their own Epstein list. They would be sued into homelessness for naming names…”
Yeah, we’ve already seen some of them threatened with lawsuits before. Even if they filed lawsuits, they’d still face legal action in retaliation. Alan Dershowitzactually did countersueVirginia Roberts Giuffre. All the accused probably have really powerful, expensive legal teams. It’s a huge obstacle.
However, Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene give no effs when it comes to something this morally clear — and they have a certain protection that could allow them to announce the list publicly! He continued…
“…but @RepMTG and I are willing to name names in the House of Representatives under Constitutional ‘speech or debate’ immunity.”
That’s amazing! We could actually get this thing out this way! It wouldn’t give us the files with all the evidence and accusations that are already on record… But it would be something. And hey, if just SIX Republicans join all the Democrats in the House, they could force the DOJ to reveal all of it!
Someone asked why accusing the men of crimes opened them up to lawsuits at all — wondering why they couldn’t just press charges against the men for what they did. Massie pointed out the sad reality:
“Individuals can’t file criminal charges. That would be up to the government, who already has these names, and has already failed to file charges.”
Damn. Not only have they failed to file charges, Trump’s DOJ and FBI made clear they had no intention of ever doing so. That’s what got this renewed fervor going in the first place!
But hey, at least someone in Congress has a backbone!
[Image via Johnny Louis/MEGA/WENN/Florida Department of Law Enforcement.]
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek’s National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda joined Newsweek in 2019 and had previously worked at the MailOnline in London, New York and Sydney. She is a graduate of University College London. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Khaleda by emailing k.rahman@newsweek.com
🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Republican Representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene have said they would be willing to take advantage of a constitutional immunity rule to read the names of Jeffrey Epstein‘s associates allegedly involved in abuse.
At a news conference on Wednesday, one survivor said she and others were compiling their own list of alleged abusers after the Trump administration said that Epstein did not keep a client list.
“Survivors at our press conference announced they are privately compiling their own Epstein list,” Massie wrote on X on Wednesday night.
“They would be sued into homelessness for naming names, but Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and I are willing to name names in the House of Representatives under Constitutional ‘speech or debate’ immunity.”
Greene added that it is “a scary thing to name names. But I will tell you, I’m not afraid to name names.”
“If they want to give me a list, I will walk in that Capitol on the House floor and I’ll say every damn name that abused these women. I can do that for them and I’d be proud to do it,” she said.
Representative Thomas Massie speaking outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Representative Thomas Massie speaking outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The country has been waiting for years now for the release of the Epstein Files — all the info the government collected on underage sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein both before and after his death. Many of Donald Trump‘s supporters believed he would be their champion and make all of it public… but it’s become clear even to most of MAGA that’s a long wait on a train that ain’t comin’.
No, Trump — a longtime pal of Epstein, and not the only one in the government — has made clear where he stands. He doesn’t want any of it out, he wants everyone to shut up and stop asking about it, he even went so far as to say the entire thing was just a fake Witch Hunt — repeating as recently as Wednesday that it’s “a Democrat hoax.”
But of course, we know that’s not true. Epstein’s right-hand woman and sometime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on sex trafficking charges, essentially proving in court that Epstein was guilty, too. We mean, he died rather inconveniently in prison before he was able to face justice, but his accomplice’s guilty verdict was pretty definitive legal proof. After all, the victims said it was both of them who recruited, sexually abused, and trafficked them to powerful men.
So there’s just that one loose end. Why the hell aren’t any of these powerful men facing justice? The ones who participated in the underage sex trafficking? That’s who everyone has been hoping would be exposed when the Epstein Files finally went public. But that… never happened.
Well, thankfully a few Republicans are standing up to Trump and siding with Democrats to demand everything be released. Congressmen Ro Khanna (D-California) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) are asking their fellow reps to sign a discharge to force Trump’s DOJ to release all the files. They already have 134 of the 218 signatures they need, including Republicans Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Wow. We may not agree with them on anything else, but at least we can all agree that UNDERAGE SEX TRAFFICKING IS WRONG! Jeez, why does this have to be difficult at all??
In a press conference on Wednesday morning, Rep. Massie hit back directly at Trump’s “hoax” defense, saying:
“I think it’s shameful that this has been called a hoax. Hopefully, today, we can clear that up. This is not a hoax. This is real. There are real survivors. There are real victims to this criminal enterprise, and the perpetrators are being protected because they’re rich, powerful, and political donors to the establishment here in Washington, DC.”
In their most powerful push for votes yet, Khanna and Massie invited some of those real survivors of Epstein to speak out about what was done to them — and why it’s so important these files be released. Trump’s FBI and DOJ used the victims as an excuse why the files should be kept private, to protect them — but these women are standing up and calling BS. And we are so in awe of their bravery.
Annie Farmer was just 16 years old when Epstein and Maxwell assaulted and took sensitive photos of her and her sister Maria Farmer. They even reported it to authorities at the time, and… nothing. That was in 1996, btw. Now she’s had three decades to witness the inaction when powerful men are involved. She told the crowd gathered on Capitol Hill on Wednesday:
“I am now 46 years old; 30 years later, we still do not know why that report wasn’t properly investigated, or why Epstein and his associates were allowed to harm hundreds, if not thousands, of other girls and young women.”
She added, pointing at the men still being protected:
“Not only did many others participate in the abuse, it is clear that many were aware of his interest in girls and very young women and chose to look the other way because it benefited them to do so. They wanted access to his circle and his money. Their choice to align with his power left those of us who had been harmed by this man and his associates feeling very isolated.”
Sky Roberts, brother of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre — who died by suicide earlier this year, echoed these sentiments:
“The justice system was not designed to serve the powerful, it was meant to protect the people — and it’s time it started doing just that.”
He has every reason to be furious. The President of the United States admitted to knowing that Epstein “stole” his 16-year-old sister from Mar-a-Lago, and has faced no consequences whatsoever…
But the victims weren’t just there to inspire Congress to try to find them justice — they revealed they’re ready to fight with the one weapon they have: information.
As Haley Robson, who says she was trafficked by Epstein to other men starting when she was 16 years old, said:
“We are the keys. We know the games. We know the players.”
She also blasted the DOJ for using the victims as their shield for not releasing the files, saying:
“Shame on you for using our trauma to weaponize this moment.”
Well, you know who isn’t going to exploit the survivors and their trauma? The survivors themselves. Accuser Lisa Phillips declared to thunderous applause:
“And let me announce now: Several of us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list of names. We know the names. Many of us were abused by them. Now together as survivors we will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world. And it will be done by survivors and for survivors. No one else is involved.”
Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa! Hell yeah! This is a total game changer!
We have to assume they’ve stayed quiet for so long because they were afraid of what would happen to them. After all, accusers have faced threats both of the legal AND violent kind. Well… not anymore! Now that it’s become clear the government has to be dragged kicking and screaming to truth and transparency, it’s well past time for these women to take charge.
It sounds like one way or another, an “Epstein list” is going to get released. After all, they know who some of the men who abused them are. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to shout it from the rooftops? Who’s going to stop them from outing sexual predators and rapists of minors??
Oh, right.
A White House official blasted the efforts to release the Epstein files, even though they clearly have the backing of the victims. They said:
“Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration.”
A “very hostile act” to the Trump administration?! Why would the push for a release of information be hostile to Trump? Hmm, let’s think about that one…
Some of the victims hinted at the men involved. Chauntae Davies pointed out how Epstein and Maxwell were consistently “boastful about their famous or powerful friends.” And Epstein loved bragging most about how close he was with Trump:
“And his biggest brag forever was that he was very good friends with Donald Trump. He had an 8 by 10 framed picture of him on his desk with the two of them, like they were very close.”
Several men have been associated with Epstein over the years. Bill Clinton rode on his plane and apparently had him over to the White House. Attorney Alan Dershowitz had some kind of relationship, though he’s quite litigious about what kind. Prince Andrew has been straight up accused of having sex with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts.
The infamous photo of Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts, who says she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the Royal when she was just 17. / (c) BBC/WENN
But we don’t know of any other name as closely associated with Jeffrey Epstein as our 47th President.
Trump was good friends with Epstein for years, they were party pals, having been described by mutual friends and acquaintances as “best friends” and “wingmen.” There’s a ton of photo and video evidence of them partying together. There are stories about them hanging out with young women. Hell, Trump even said in a profile in 2003:
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
If that weren’t suspicious enough, Trump actually has been accused of wrongdoing with Epstein. A woman going by the pseudonym Katie Johnson told a horrifying story years ago, accusing Trump of tying her to a bed at Epstein’s apartment and raping her. She said she was only 13 years old when this happened. The same age as his daughter Ivanka Trump that year.
Johnson withdrew her lawsuit against Trump, citing fears for her safety, and has since disappeared. You can read her entire story HERE, if you have the stomach for it.
The point is, there may be a huge reason Trump is so keen to sweep all this under the rug — and always has been. But he can no longer silence the survivors.
We don’t know what will come first, the victims’ unofficial Epstein list or the actual release of actionable material by the US government… but if we had to bet, the smart money is on the women to come through.
And damn, we cannot wait.
See the full press conference for yourself (below):
Survivors, lawmakers demand release of all Jeffrey Epstein files
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing for a discharge petition, forcing a House floor vote to release nearly everything related to the case.
Demanding transparency, truth and their own healing, survivors of sexual abuse, along with bipartisan lawmakers, called for the release of all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Survivors accuse Epstein of abusing and trafficking countless underage girls for decades before his death in a New York jail cell in 2019. Survivors, including some speaking out for the first time, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers, pushing for a discharge petition that would force a House floor vote on releasing nearly everything related to the Epstein case. “I am no longer weak, I am no longer powerless and I am no longer alone,” Anouska De Georgiou, a survivor, said before reporters on Wednesday. “With your vote, neither will the next generation be.”On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee released more than 30,000 pages on the case, which some say were heavily redacted and revealed too little new information. The petition’s supporters want all investigation files released, emphasizing that the issue should be non-partisan.”The American people deserve to see everything,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said. “When you sign this discharge petition, it should mean nothing should be off limits.””The FBI, the DOJ, and the CIA hold the truth. And the truth we are demanding come out,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said.But the petition is already facing some roadblocks. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says he believes the House Oversight Committee should be responsible for carefully handling the documents, while President Trump dismissed the effort Wednesday, calling it “a Democrat hoax.”Related video below: Speaker Johnson on meeting with Epstein victimsSurvivors responded directly to President Trump’s dismissal, with one registered Republican calling on him to meet her at the Capitol to share her story and explain why the issue is not a hoax. Others pleaded that he recognize the abuse as real and humanize them.Lawmakers leading the petition are close to a House floor vote, needing only two more signatures to reach the required 218. So far, the petition includes all Democrats and at least a handful of Republicans, including Greene and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.Lawmakers emphasized the rare coalition of bipartisanship, signifying the growing issue. If the petition passes the House, it still needs to pass the Senate before heading to Trump’s desk.Regardless of the petition’s outcome, survivors are planning their own action for justice by compiling a list of those involved in Epstein’s network of abuse, though they did not specify if or when they would release it. In Wednesday’s press conference, the victims said they aim to hold the powerful accountable and help their healing, despite concerns about retaliation from Epstein’s circle.
WASHINGTON —
Demanding transparency, truth and their own healing, survivors of sexual abuse, along with bipartisan lawmakers, called for the release of all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Survivors accuse Epstein of abusing and trafficking countless underage girls for decades before his death in a New York jail cell in 2019.
Survivors, including some speaking out for the first time, joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers, pushing for a discharge petition that would force a House floor vote on releasing nearly everything related to the Epstein case.
“I am no longer weak, I am no longer powerless and I am no longer alone,” Anouska De Georgiou, a survivor, said before reporters on Wednesday. “With your vote, neither will the next generation be.”
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee released more than 30,000 pages on the case, which some say were heavily redacted and revealed too little new information. The petition’s supporters want all investigation files released, emphasizing that the issue should be non-partisan.
“The American people deserve to see everything,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said. “When you sign this discharge petition, it should mean nothing should be off limits.”
“The FBI, the DOJ, and the CIA hold the truth. And the truth we are demanding come out,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said.
But the petition is already facing some roadblocks. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says he believes the House Oversight Committee should be responsible for carefully handling the documents, while President Trump dismissed the effort Wednesday, calling it “a Democrat hoax.”
Related video below: Speaker Johnson on meeting with Epstein victims
Survivors responded directly to President Trump’s dismissal, with one registered Republican calling on him to meet her at the Capitol to share her story and explain why the issue is not a hoax. Others pleaded that he recognize the abuse as real and humanize them.
Lawmakers leading the petition are close to a House floor vote, needing only two more signatures to reach the required 218. So far, the petition includes all Democrats and at least a handful of Republicans, including Greene and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
Lawmakers emphasized the rare coalition of bipartisanship, signifying the growing issue.
If the petition passes the House, it still needs to pass the Senate before heading to Trump’s desk.
Regardless of the petition’s outcome, survivors are planning their own action for justice by compiling a list of those involved in Epstein’s network of abuse, though they did not specify if or when they would release it. In Wednesday’s press conference, the victims said they aim to hold the powerful accountable and help their healing, despite concerns about retaliation from Epstein’s circle.
On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson sat for hours in a closed-door interview with six women who say they were abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein.Johnson’s presence in the room on the first day of a frenetically busy September on Capitol Hill underscores how significant the issue of Epstein’s past crimes has become within the GOP.Within days, House Republicans are expected to take their first major floor votes on forcing President Donald Trump’s administration to release more records related to the case. And Johnson — like his members — is under intense pressure to meet the base’s demands for transparency without going against the wishes of the president, whose inner circle has attempted to quiet this summer’s political firestorm over Epstein.“The fact that Mike Johnson sat there for two and a half hours — we’re serious about this,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters after leaving the meeting Tuesday. “We’re going to do everything we can to make this right.”Johnson himself told reporters the testimonials he heard were “heartbreaking and infuriating” and said “there were tears in the room. There was outrage.”Five weeks ago, Johnson and his leadership team had hoped that sending lawmakers home early to their districts for their August recess would defuse tension around the issue. But the return of Congress to Washington showed that the pressure on GOP leaders has only continued to build.That pressure on Republicans will dramatically increase on Wednesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie and his Democratic counterpart in the effort, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, will hold a press conference in which some of Epstein’s survivors are expected to speak publicly for the first time.Massie and Khanna are leading a push to force the full House to vote on a resolution that would require Trump’s Justice Department to turn over all documents related to Epstein or his crimes. Under their maneuver, known as a discharge petition, Massie would need just five more Republicans to force the bill to the floor since every Democrat is expected to sign on.So far, two other Republicans have signaled they’ll support it: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Other Republicans who have supported the bill itself — including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — were either noncommittal or suggested they would not support the discharge petition when asked by CNN on Tuesday.The House Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Epstein after some Republicans joined with Democrats to compel a subpoena to the Justice Department for records. The panel on Tuesday night released more than 33,000 pages related to the case – all of the subpoenaed documents the panel had obtained earlier this summer.But the public release of information has not stopped the push for more transparency that has ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson. Massie and Democrats said nearly all of those documents had already been made public as part of various court cases and that it did not alter their push for their own Epstein measure.As part of its investigation, the Oversight Committee hosted a meeting on Tuesday with several survivors who are planning to speak at Wednesday’s press conference. In that closed-door meeting, several of them shared chilling stories of abuse. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the lawmakers in the room who has spoken out about being raped at age 16, left the meeting in tears.Inside the room, one survivor said the women had been told by Epstein that they were disposable and threatened against coming forward, according to a person in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The women were told if they went to police that Epstein had powerful friends, that person said.If the bipartisan Epstein resolution does pass the House, its fate is unclear in the Senate. But it would be an extraordinary move by a GOP-controlled Congress to take against a president of its own party.To prevent such an escalation, Johnson and the White House are attempting to sell their GOP members on an alternative path. They have backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the Oversight Committee’s investigation. And Johnson stressed the importance of the work of that panel, in part by sitting in on one of the sessions himself.“I sat by him in our meeting and listened to his compassion for these survivors. I listened to his questions,” Greene said of Johnson as she left the meeting. “I’ve listened to some of his plans that he has going forward. I do think he’s doing a great job there.”Even so, Greene is one of the three Republicans so far willing to buck her leadership on the discharge petition. She said it was nothing against Johnson personally, but that she decided: “I just think we need to do everything we can to bring it out.”Inside the House GOP conference, some Republicans are privately dreading weeks of questions about the Epstein matter and would rather move onto issues like appropriations, tariffs or Russian sanctions, according to multiple lawmakers and senior aides. But many of those GOP lawmakers also realize that there is a small but vocal faction of their party that is deeply invested in getting more answers on Epstein and that they can’t be seen as dropping the issue.Democrats, meanwhile, are accusing Johnson of attempting to stonewall further investigations in Congress.Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters after the meeting that Johnson was advocating that the investigation should remain within the Oversight panel — rather than expanding the probe to include more committees.“In the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn’t think that was necessary. He’d like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee,” Stansbury said. “That is where the speaker actually chose to end this conversation.”Johnson, speaking after the Tuesday meeting, vowed “transparency” in releasing information to the public, and said that Trump shares the same perspective.“That’s his mindset. And he wants the American people to have information so they can draw their own conclusions. I’ve talked with him about this very subject myself.. He also, just as we do, is insistent that we protect the innocent victims, and that’s what this has been about,” he said.
WASHINGTON —
On his first full day back in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson sat for hours in a closed-door interview with six women who say they were abused by the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson’s presence in the room on the first day of a frenetically busy September on Capitol Hill underscores how significant the issue of Epstein’s past crimes has become within the GOP.
Within days, House Republicans are expected to take their first major floor votes on forcing President Donald Trump’s administration to release more records related to the case. And Johnson — like his members — is under intense pressure to meet the base’s demands for transparency without going against the wishes of the president, whose inner circle has attempted to quiet this summer’s political firestorm over Epstein.
“The fact that Mike Johnson sat there for two and a half hours — we’re serious about this,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer told reporters after leaving the meeting Tuesday. “We’re going to do everything we can to make this right.”
Johnson himself told reporters the testimonials he heard were “heartbreaking and infuriating” and said “there were tears in the room. There was outrage.”
Five weeks ago, Johnson and his leadership team had hoped that sending lawmakers home early to their districts for their August recess would defuse tension around the issue. But the return of Congress to Washington showed that the pressure on GOP leaders has only continued to build.
That pressure on Republicans will dramatically increase on Wednesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie and his Democratic counterpart in the effort, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, will hold a press conference in which some of Epstein’s survivors are expected to speak publicly for the first time.
Massie and Khanna are leading a push to force the full House to vote on a resolution that would require Trump’s Justice Department to turn over all documents related to Epstein or his crimes. Under their maneuver, known as a discharge petition, Massie would need just five more Republicans to force the bill to the floor since every Democrat is expected to sign on.
So far, two other Republicans have signaled they’ll support it: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado. Other Republicans who have supported the bill itself — including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — were either noncommittal or suggested they would not support the discharge petition when asked by CNN on Tuesday.
The House Oversight Committee has been leading an investigation into Epstein after some Republicans joined with Democrats to compel a subpoena to the Justice Department for records. The panel on Tuesday night released more than 33,000 pages related to the case – all of the subpoenaed documents the panel had obtained earlier this summer.
But the public release of information has not stopped the push for more transparency that has ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson. Massie and Democrats said nearly all of those documents had already been made public as part of various court cases and that it did not alter their push for their own Epstein measure.
As part of its investigation, the Oversight Committee hosted a meeting on Tuesday with several survivors who are planning to speak at Wednesday’s press conference. In that closed-door meeting, several of them shared chilling stories of abuse. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the lawmakers in the room who has spoken out about being raped at age 16, left the meeting in tears.
Inside the room, one survivor said the women had been told by Epstein that they were disposable and threatened against coming forward, according to a person in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The women were told if they went to police that Epstein had powerful friends, that person said.
If the bipartisan Epstein resolution does pass the House, its fate is unclear in the Senate. But it would be an extraordinary move by a GOP-controlled Congress to take against a president of its own party.
To prevent such an escalation, Johnson and the White House are attempting to sell their GOP members on an alternative path. They have backed a non-binding resolution that encourages the Oversight Committee’s investigation. And Johnson stressed the importance of the work of that panel, in part by sitting in on one of the sessions himself.
“I sat by him in our meeting and listened to his compassion for these survivors. I listened to his questions,” Greene said of Johnson as she left the meeting. “I’ve listened to some of his plans that he has going forward. I do think he’s doing a great job there.”
Even so, Greene is one of the three Republicans so far willing to buck her leadership on the discharge petition. She said it was nothing against Johnson personally, but that she decided: “I just think we need to do everything we can to bring it out.”
Inside the House GOP conference, some Republicans are privately dreading weeks of questions about the Epstein matter and would rather move onto issues like appropriations, tariffs or Russian sanctions, according to multiple lawmakers and senior aides. But many of those GOP lawmakers also realize that there is a small but vocal faction of their party that is deeply invested in getting more answers on Epstein and that they can’t be seen as dropping the issue.
Democrats, meanwhile, are accusing Johnson of attempting to stonewall further investigations in Congress.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico told reporters after the meeting that Johnson was advocating that the investigation should remain within the Oversight panel — rather than expanding the probe to include more committees.
“In the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn’t think that was necessary. He’d like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee,” Stansbury said. “That is where the speaker actually chose to end this conversation.”
Johnson, speaking after the Tuesday meeting, vowed “transparency” in releasing information to the public, and said that Trump shares the same perspective.
“That’s his mindset. And he wants the American people to have information so they can draw their own conclusions. I’ve talked with him about this very subject myself.. He also, just as we do, is insistent that we protect the innocent victims, and that’s what this has been about,” he said.
“Truth is boring, facts are boring, and outrage is really interesting,” says Utah’s Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican who oversees elections in her state. “It’s like playing whack-a-mole with truth. But what we try to do is just get as much information out there as possible.”
In the past week, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed a voting machine had changed a voter’s ballot in her Georgia district during early voting, and Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the social media platform X, has promoted various conspiracy theories about voting machines and voter fraud both online and at a rally for Trump in Pennsylvania.
The floodgates are “very much” open, said David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department lawyer who now leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan group that works with state and local election officials.
“This is making election officials’ lives much more difficult,” he said.
Eric Olsen, who oversees elections in Prince William County, Virginia, said combatting misinformation has become an important and challenging part of the job.
“It’s really difficult from our position, a lot of times, because social media feels like a giant wave coming at you and we’re in a little canoe with a paddle,” he said. “But we have to do that work.”
On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly attempted to sow doubt about the upcoming election – something he did ahead of his two previous bids for the White House. Even after he won in 2016, he claimed he had lost the popular vote because of a flood of illegal votes and he formed a presidential advisory commission to investigate. The commission disbanded without finding any widespread fraud.
This year, Trump claims that Democrats will cheat again and uses “Too Big to Rig” as a rallying cry to encourage his supporters to vote. Election experts see it as laying the groundwork to again challenge the election should he lose.
The conspiracy theories that have surfaced in recent weeks are not new. There have long been claims of “vote flipping,” with the most recent ones surfacing in Georgia and Tennessee.
What to know about the 2024 Election
A claim in Georgia’s Whitfield County was highlighted by Greene on Alex Jones’ “InfoWars” show. Jones has a history of spreading falsehoods and was ordered to pay $1.5 billion for his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre was a hoax.
County election officials issued a statement, noting the case involved one voter out of 6,000 ballots that had been cast since early voting began. The ballot was spoiled, and the voter cast a replacement that was counted. Officials said there was no problem with the voting machine.
Gabriel Sterling, chief operating officer for the Georgia secretary of state’s office, said every report they’ve seen so far of someone saying their printed ballot didn’t reflect their selections on the touchscreen voting machine has been a result of voter error.
“There is zero evidence of a machine flipping an individual’s vote,” he said. “Are there elderly people whose hands shake and they probably hit the wrong button slightly and they didn’t review their ballot properly before they printed it? That’s the main situation we have seen. There is literally zero — and I’m saying this to certain congresspeople in this state — zero evidence of machines flipping votes. That claim was a lie in 2020 and it’s a lie now.”
In Shelby County, Tennessee, county election officials said human error was to blame for reports of votes being changed. Voters had been using their fingers instead of a stylus to mark their selections on voting machines, officials said.
In Washington state, Republican Jerrod Sessler, who is running for the state’s 4th Congressional District seat, shared a video on social media this week that claimed to show how easily fraudulent ballots can be created. But the video did not make clear that voter information on each ballot is checked against the state’s voter list.
“A ballot returned using fake voter registration information would not be counted and is illegal in Washington state,” Charlie Boisner, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office, said in an email.
Musk recently invoked Dominion Voting Systems as part of his remarks at a rally in Pennsylvania, seeming to suggest its equipment was not trustworthy. Dominion has been at the center of conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election and settled its defamation lawsuit against Fox News last year for $787 million over false claims aired repeatedly on the network. The judge in the case said it was “CRYSTAL clear” that none of the allegations made by Trump allies on the network were true.
In a statement, Dominion said it was “closely monitoring claims around the Nov. 2024 election” and was “fully prepared to defend our company & our customers against lies and those who spread them.”
A request for comment from Musk was not immediately returned.
He has often sparred online with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Recently, the two tangled over Musk’s claim that there were more registered voters in Michigan, a presidential battleground state, than people eligible to vote. Benson said Musk was including in his count inactive voters who are scheduled for removal. A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee claiming problems with the state’s voter list.
During an interview last month, Benson said she was disheartened to see someone in Musk’s position repeating false information.
“If he was sincerely committed, as he says he is, to ensuring people have access to information, then I would hope that he would amplify the truthful information — the factual, accurate information — about the security of our elections instead of just amplifying conspiracy theories and in a way that directs the ire of many of his followers onto us as individual election administrators,” Benson said. “It’s something that we didn’t have to deal with in 2020 that creates a new battlefront and challenge for us.”
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Fernando reported from Chicago. Associated Press writers Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
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There are a lot of questions I have about Laura Loomer—yes, the girl who got so mad she was banned from Twitter that she handcuffed herself to the door. Now that she’s back, she’s up to her racist antics. But with a twist.
Loomer, who has been supported by Marjorie Taylor Greene in the past, suddenly found herself with an enemy in the representative. MTG went to X to call out Loomer for a racist tweet about Vice President Kamala Harris. Yes, you read that correctly. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE called someone else—a fellow conservative—racist. Trust me, I am just as shocked as you are.
The tweet in question from Loomer was ruled a violation of X’s guidelines, but you can still read it on her page. Loomer wrote, “If Kamala Harris wins, the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand.”
Yes, that is extremely racist and vile. It is also not surprising that some MAGA head would say that. So it was shocking to see MTG claim that it doesn’t represent who MAGA is. (It really does). “This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA,” Greene wrote. She went on to tell Loomer she should take it down.
This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA.
The replies to Greene’s tweet are a mixed bag. People are shocked that someone like MTG would actually call out a friend for being racist and others were trying to explain at her what Loomer was trying to do. Loomer was simply trying to be racist, so nice try.
Loomer and Greene were friends
I don’t know when the rift between the two began, but Greene made it clear that she does understand Loomer’s takes because they’ve known each other since 2018. She followed up her tweet with an explanation of their relationship.
“Little bit of a history lesson for a few of you. Laura and I used to be friends going back to 2018. I used to defend her and support her like in this post here. I endorsed her first run for congress, donated to her, and fundraised for her and then she lost,” Greene wrote. “Then when she ran again against Daniel Webster, I told her to run in another district, so she could win, but she refused. When I didn’t endorse her, she turned on me and began attacking me and lying about me.”
Greene was clearly happy to call out Loomer because of the lies that Loomer stated about her. She claims that Loomer lied about her ,but that her main concern was how this tweet made the former president Donald Trump look. “But when it comes to post that are flat out racist, hateful, and make President Trump look bad, she needs to be responsible and delete them.”
Little bit of a history lesson for a few of you. Laura and I used to be friends going back to 2018. I used to defend her and support her like in this post here. I endorsed her first run for congress, donated to her, and fundraised for her and then she lost. Then when she ran… pic.twitter.com/VLuAqVSlP1
Girl, this does represent Trump. Be real for a second.
I think it is funny that these MAGA fans are now hard pivoting into “Trump isn’t racist” territory. What happened to you guys being proud he was being racist? What do you have to say about his current racist attacks on Haitian immigrants? Oh no that’s fine? Got it.
MAGA wants you to believe that the left is pushing some narrative about racism. It isn’t a narrative. We’re commenting on what Donald Trump is saying. That’s all! He is being racist, sexist, homophobic, and disgusting. We’re not putting words in his mouth. He does that to other people.
This entire situation is made even funnier by the fact that literally the NEXT DAY, Greene was being racist on her own account.
Trump was right again!!
Illegal alien crime is one of the worst crime increases.
In my hometown this week, an illegal alien driving drunk at speeds of 100 mph killed 2 people and severely injured a baby in a horrific crash.
So while Greene probably thought she got some brownie points for telling Loomer to stop making Trump look racist, all she did was make herself into more of a joke. Trump is racist. So is Loomer. And so is Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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One of former President Donald Trump’s most outspoken and controversial supporters in Congress is slated to headline a pair of Pennsylvania GOP events in the coming weeks.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) will be the special guest for the Republican National Committee’s “election integrity virtual training” on Sunday.
“The PA RNC Poll Watcher Training provides a comprehensive overview of Pennsylvania’s electoral process, as well as guidance on how Poll Watchers can play an important role in upholding election integrity. You will learn how to observe and report any potential problems that may arise during the voting and tabulation process,” according to a Zoom link promoting the event. That same link indicates the event is closed to the press.
This screen capture shows the flyer for the Pennsylvania RNC event featuring U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Punchbowl News first reported Friday that the training session is with the Lehigh County Republican Committee. The Pennsylvania GOP and Pennsylvania Democratic parties did not immediately reply to requests for comment Friday.
Following Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Greene falsely claimed that the loss was due to the election being stolen. She also objected to certifying the election results, and has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s reelection campaign, and frequent critic of Democrats, particularly those in the progressive wing of the party.
Sunday is not the first event that Republicans have held in Pennsylvania aimed at recruiting poll watchers. In June, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District) held the second stop of a “protect the vote tour” in Bucks County. The training portion of the program for that event was also closed to the press.
The RNC’s nationwide campaign seeks to recruit 100,000 poll watchers, poll workers, and legal experts for the 2024 election, with a goal of getting at least 5,000 volunteers in Pennsylvania alone.
On Sept. 3, Greene is scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the Washington County Republican Party’s Fall dinner.
“We will be asking her to speak her mind, totally unfiltered,” the Washington County Republican Party wrote on Facebook promoting the fundraiser.
While Greene has become one of the most outspoken conservative voices in Congress since being elected, she’s also caused divisions within the Republican Party, and was removed from the conservative House Freedom Caucus in 2023. In a previous session of Congress, she lost her committee assignments with Democrats and a few Republicans voting to remove her from various committees.
Both Pennsylvania events are taking place on opposite sides of the commonwealth that feature different parts of the electorate in the Keystone State.
Lehigh County, located in the Lehigh Valley north of Philadelphia, voted for Biden by just under 8 points over Trump in 2020. Washington County, situated in the southwestern region of the state, voted for Trump by 22 points over Biden in 2020.
Former United States President Donald J. Trump (right) and his vice president nominee U.S. Senator J.D. Vance greet on stage in Atlanta on Saturday, August 3, 2024. This was the ticket’s first joint rally in Georgia’s capitol city. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Welcome to MAGA city! The streets of Atlanta were consumed with overwhelming red, painted Trump faces, MAGA hats, and Trump paraphernalia on Saturday afternoon. A sea of red MAGA hats, Trump paraphernalia, flags, signs and more filled the Georgia State University Convocation Center, the site of a rally in support of United States Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.
Former United States President Donald J. Trump and his vice-president nominee, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) held their first joint rally in the battleground state.
Outside of the center, lines stretched for miles as people awaited to get into the rally hours before the scheduled start time. The supporters held signs that read, “Trump/Vance”, “Never Surrender”, “Too Big Too Rig”, and of course, “Make America Great Again”. Throughout the rally, you could hear the supporters screaming “USA”, “Make America Great Again”, “We Want Trump”, and more. During intermissions, the crowd enjoyed country songs.
Black Trump supporters in Atlanta during the rally inside the Georgia State University Convocation Center on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Trump’s campaign had several individuals speak on his behalf before the guest of honor appeared on stage, such as Congressman Mike Collins, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Senator David Perdue, and more. A local Black artist named ARTlanta brought a painting on stage for Trump to sign.
Greene, a popular politician from North Georgia, had the entire rally screaming for her and she said the Trump administration and Republicans are going to “take America back” in the upcoming election.
“This has nothing to do with race, gender, or politics,” she said. “We have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, we’re so used to enjoying our normal lives doing normal things, but this time around, enough is enough.”
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Greene even went as far to say Trump’s accusations and charges are all hoaxes.
Also, Collins urged the attendees to go out and vote. “You can’t come into these meetings and rallies and not vote, we have to make every vote count come November,” Collins said.
Most of the vocal points of each speaker were about Harris, with Collins stating, “Georgia didn’t want Stacey [Abrams], and they don’t want Kamala.”
Every time Harris’ name was mentioned, the entire stadium was engulfed in boos and jeers. Throughout the night, a banner that said “Kamala is weak, failed, and dangerously liberal” was plastered within the stadium.
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Vance criticized Harris telling the crowd the former California Attorney General and senator thinks she’s better than them.
“She thinks she’s better than us, and better than you,” Vance said. “We need to tell Kamala to mind her own damn business. This is America and we believe in freedom.”
He also critiqued her “southern belle” accent during her rally Tuesday and said she isn’t loyal to America.
“Loyalty to this country is closing our borders, not opening them. Loyalty is taking a bullet for this country and Donald Trump did just that,” Vance said. “When he was shot, he didn’t falter, instead he raised his fist and said to fight. We’re going to rebuild America together.”
Republican vice president nominee Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Vance, who has been in Congress for less than two years, also referred to Joe Biden’s former presidential campaign and Harris’ current presidential campaign and the last three and a half years of Biden’s presidency to the infamous Milli Vanilli scandal from decades earlier.
Once Trump appeared, the crowd went wild chanting his name and “We Want Trump”, whistling, clapping, and more.
“Trump gave up the easy life to make America great again. Trump wants to fight and will make this country great and thriving again,” Vance said.
Trump called Harris a “lunatic”, “the worst vice president in history,” and referred to her as “Crazy Kamala”.
“Crazy Kamala was here last week, lots of empty seats, and only brought a crowd with entertainers. I don’t need entertainers because I’ll make America Great Again,” Trump said. “She’s wrecking our nation, Joe [Biden] was the worst president in the history of our country and Crazy Kamala has been the worst vice president we have seen.”
Trump further attempted to drive his point home by saying Harris is worse than Bernie Sanders and has a very low IQ. He also addressed the CNN presidential debate with Biden in June, saying Biden was “choking like a dog and that was the end of him”.
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Additionally, Trump addressed his assassination attempt by saying “it was from God and it was something incredible.”
“I think I was shot because people say I’m a threat to democracy, but actually, I’m saving democracy,” he said.
At this point, the crowd is shouting “fight, fight, fight” and slamming their feet on the bleachers chanting. This was very evident when Trump said he would never defund the police, but instead “will always overfund the police”.
Trump also said they have to go out and vote and stop the democrats from cheating.
Lastly, Trump said come November, his campaign will win and the American dream will come back better, stronger, and bigger.
“94 days from now, we’re going to win against Georgia. If we lose in Georgia, we lose it all and it’ll go to hell,” he said. “We’re going to evict this radical and incompetent administration come November. When we win, we’re going to see a Trump driven spike in everything.”
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former President Donald Trump, two days after surviving an attempted assassination, appeared triumphantly at the Republican National Convention’s opening night with a bandage over his right ear.
Delegates cheered wildly as Trump appeared onscreen backstage and then emerged, visibly emotional, as Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA.” Trump did not address the convention.
Trump’s appearance came hours after jubilant and emboldened delegates nominated the former president to lead their ticket for a third time and welcomed Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
“We must unite as a party, and we must unite as a nation,” said Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked party leader, as he opened Monday’s primetime national convention session. “We must show the same strength and resilience as President Trump and lead this nation to a greater future.”
But Whatley and other Republican leaders made clear that their calls for harmony did not extend to President Joe Biden and Democrats.
“Their policies are a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, welcoming the party to his battleground state, which Trump won in 2016 but lost to Biden four years ago.
Saturday’s shooting at a Pennsylvania rally, where Trump was injured and one man died, was not far from delegates’ minds as they celebrated — a stark contrast to the anger and anxiety that had marked the previous few days. Some delegates chanted “fight, fight, fight” — the same words that Trump was seen shouting to the crowd as the Secret Service ushered him off the stage, his fist raised and face bloodied.
“We should all be thankful right now that we are able to cast our votes for President Donald J. Trump after what took place on Saturday,” said New Jersey state Sen. Michael Testa as he announced all of his state’s 12 delegates for Trump.
The scene upon Trump’s formal nomination reflected the depths of his popularity among Republican activists. When he cleared the necessary number of delegates, video screens in the arena read “OVER THE TOP” while the song “Celebration” played and delegates danced and waved Trump signs. Throughout the voting, delegates flanked by “Make America Great Again” signs applauded as state after state voted their support for a second Trump term.
Multiple speakers invoked religious imagery to discuss Trump and the assassination attempt.
“The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” said Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. “But an American lion got back up on his feet!”
Wyoming delegate Sheryl Foland was among those who adopted the “fight” chant after seeing Trump survive Saturday in what she called “monumental photos and video.”
“We knew then we were going to adopt that as our chant,” added Foland, a child trauma mental health counselor. “Not just because we wanted him to fight, and that God was fighting for him. We thought, isn’t it our job to accept that challenge and fight for our country?”
“It’s bigger than Trump,” Foland said. “It’s a mantra for our country.”
Another well-timed development boosted the mood on the convention floor Monday: The federal judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case dismissed the prosecution because of concerns over the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the case, handing the former president a major court victory.
The convention is designed to reach people outside the GOP base
Trump’s campaign chiefs designed the convention to feature a softer and more optimistic message, focusing on themes that would help a divisive leader expand his appeal among moderate voters and people of color.
On a night devoted to the economy, delegates and a national TV audience heard from speakers the Trump campaign pitched as “everyday Americans” — a single mother talking about inflation, a union member who identified himself as a lifelong Democrat now backing Trump, among others.
Featured speakers also included Black Republicans who have been at the forefront of the Trump campaign’s effort to win more votes from a core Democratic constituency.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said rising grocery and energy prices were hurting Americans’ wallets and quoted Ronald Reagan in calling inflation “the cruelest tax on the poor.” Hunt argued Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t seem to understand the problem.
“We can fix this disaster,” Hunt said, by electing Trump and “send him right back to where he belongs, the White House.”
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said rising grocery and energy prices were hurting Americans’ wallets and quoted Ronald Reagan in calling inflation “the cruelest tax on the poor.” Hunt argued Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t seem to understand the problem.
“We can fix this disaster,” Hunt said, by electing Trump and “send him right back to where he belongs, the White House.”
Scott, perhaps the party’s most well-known Black lawmaker, declared: “America is not a racist country.”
Republicans hailed Vance’s selection as a key step toward a winning coalition in November.
Trump announced his choice of his running mate as delegates were voting on the former president’s nomination Monday. The young Ohio senator first rose to national attention with his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which told of his Appalachian upbringing and was hailed as a window into the parts of working-class America that helped propel Trump.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who had been considered a potential vice presidential pick, said in a post on X that Vance’s “small town roots and service to country make him a powerful voice for the America First Agenda.”
Yet despite calls for harmony, two of the opening speakers at Monday’s evening session — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and North Carolina gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson — are known as some of the party’s most incendiary figures.
Robinson, speaking recently during a church service in North Carolina, discussed “evil” people who he said threatened American Christianity. “Some folks need killing,” he said then, though he steered clear of such rhetoric at the convention stage.
Trump’s nomination came on the same day that Biden sat for another national TV interview the 81-year-old president sought to demonstrate his capacity to serve another four years despite continued worries within his own party.
Biden told ABC News that he made a mistake recently when he told Democratic donors the party must stop questioning his fitness for office and instead put Trump in a “bullseye.” Republicans have circulated the comment aggressively since Saturday’s assassination attempt, with some openly blaming Biden for inciting the attack on Trump’s life.
The president’s admission was in line with his call Sunday from the Oval Office for all Americans to ratchet down political rhetoric. But Biden maintained Monday that drawing contrasts with Trump, who employs harsh and accusatory language, is a legitimate part of a presidential contest.
Inside the arena in Milwaukee, Republicans did not dial back their attacks on Biden, at one point playing a video that mocked the president’s physical stamina and mental acuity.
They alluded often to the “Biden-Harris administration” and found ways to take digs at Vice President Kamala Harris — a not-so-subtle allusion to the possibility that Biden could step aside in favor of Harris.
Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is “so excited and grateful” as she turned 50 on Monday and she’s also turning heads.
Greene took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and posted a photo of her in an aqua-blue two-piece bikini.
Today I turned 50!
Many people go into their 50th birthday thinking it’s a bad thing, but I truly feel it’s wonderful and I’m so excited and grateful God let me live 50 years and do so many things.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) May 27, 2024
“From being the first person to graduate college in my family, to carrying 3 babies in my womb and the absolute miracle of 3 childbirths, to raising my children and teaching them about God’s creation and man’s dangers, to running successful businesses and carrying the weight of the responsibility, being a member of Congress, running, cycling, swimming, competing, training, reading, always learning, creating, building, skiing, surfing, hiking, making mistakes, learning lessons, and most importantly God’s grace that I don’t deserve but am thankful for beyond words, my 50 years have been an incredible journey that I’m thrilled to be on,” Greene said.
Greene has been a controversial figure since taking office. Just last week, she went after former UN Ambassador and presidential candidate Nikki Haley, calling her desperate after she announced she would vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
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The week before that, she got into a heated argument during the middle of a late-night committee hearing where she commented on Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s appearance, saying “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
Later in the hearing, Crocket shot back at her, saying: “I’m just curious. To better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleached blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?”
Greene mentioned shortly after that hearing Greene took to X and said she feels great about turning 50.
Some people are upset about the scene from Oversight Committee last night, well I’m upset and disgusted pretty much everyday at the Democrat controlled DOJ, federal government, and Congress in general.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 17, 2024
“I think no matter what shape, size or how we look, we need to be ourselves, not telling women the only way to be attractive or accepted is to have fake boobs, fake hair, fake lashes, and injected faces,” Greene said. “I mean, we all wear makeup and do lashes and stuff sometimes, but it’s out of control. Women need a better message for women.”
Cook her meat. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Why can’t we have nice things? After Rep. Jasmine Crockett clapped back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene during a House Oversight Committee hearing earlier this week by bringing up her “bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body,” all eyes turned to Saturday Night Live. Surely the sketch show, and specifically Ego Nwodim, would make a meal out of that moment. Right? Well unfortunately, Nwodim took to Twitter midday Saturday to announce that despite fans (and the world at large) begging for her to take on the role, it isn’t happening. “Devastated to announce I will not be playing Rep. Jasmine Crockett tonight. Please respect my privacy as I grieve,” Nwodim wrote, bracing us all for disappointment. Crockett herself even replied, writing, “Let us all bow our heads and say a prayer for peace… like Lauren Boebert did during the hearing 🙄.”
Does this mean the finale will skip over the congressional sparring entirely? Or will someone else be taking on the role of Rep. Crockett? And if so, who? Maybe Sabrina Carpenter will address it in her “Nonsense” outro? Or perhaps Crockett herself will appear to dole out even more roasts? In any case, as a consolation to those mourning not getting to see Nwodim slay some C-SPAN humor — Bowen Yang has thankfully posted his annual Ego Nwodim end-of-season Instagram supercut. She is cutting up.
