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Trump Says Epstein ‘Stole’ Giuffre From Mar‑A‑Lago

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    By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695

    This isn’t what the media says. He reportedly had Epstein tossed after repeated thefts from the spa…

    During an impromptu press conference aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, President Donald Trump accused Jeffrey Epstein of “stealing” Mar-a-Lago spa employees — claiming that abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, now deceased, may have been among them. Trump added that Epstein was expelled from the club for that reason.

    Despite his best efforts, the president’s response to the so-called Epstein files firmly remains in the public consciousness — and threatens to erode his standing with independents and some right-leaning voters.

    Mediaite continues:

    As the president made his way to Turnberry, Scotland and his “Trump Turnberry” resort, Trump was still being peppered with questions about the scandal. The questions have followed him everywhere he’s gone during the trip, as reporters questioned him about developments like the potential pardoning of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

    While in Scotland, Trump also revealed the reason for his falling out with Epstein, telling reporters that his then-friend was poaching employees from Mar-a-Lago. The White House had previously claimed, in a statement, that “The fact is that the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”

    The grilling continued when Trump gaggled aboard Air Force One on the way home from Scotland, and the president just casually let slip that one of the employees Epstein allegedly poached from him was Giuffre, who killed herself in April. Below is the full exchange:

    Trump and Epstein knew one another from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, appearing together at Mar‑a‑Lago events in the early 1990s. The two reportedly fell out around 2004.

    Legal testimony has indicated that Giuffre, while working at Mar‑a‑Lago as a spa attendant at age 16–17, was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to serve as Epstein’s masseuse, later testifying to being trafficked to powerful men, including Prince Andrew.

    Following a seven-hour meeting with the Department of Justice, Maxwell has offered to testify before the House Oversight Committee — on the condition that she receive full immunity.

    Report: Pete Hegseth Discussed Leaving Pentagon Post For Public Office

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    Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly had discussions about resigning from his role in the Pentagon to run for political office next year.

    If Hegseth were to follow through with a political campaign, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so.

    By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

    In a statement, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said, “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump.”

    NBC reports:

    One of the people said their discussion with Hegseth happened within the past three weeks and that it was serious, not simply spitballing ideas. The other person, who also characterized it as serious, wouldn’t say when they had spoken — except that it was since Hegseth became defense secretary in January. The two sources, along with others in this article, were granted anonymity to speak candidly.

    The discussions centered on what it would take to run. One person said they discussed the eligibility requirements to run for governor of Tennessee and Hegseth’s chances of winning. The other person said they talked with Hegseth about the realities of a campaign.

    The sources said Hegseth has mentioned a 2026 gubernatorial run in his home state of Tennessee, where Governor Bill Lee is term-limited.

    David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    However, officials close to Hegseth have strongly refuted the rumors that the Pentagon chief is planning an early exit.

    Parnell said in the statement: “Fake news NBC is so desperate for attention, they are shopping around a made up story… again. Only two options exist: either the ‘sources’ are imaginary or these reporters are getting punked. Secretary Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump and advancing the America First mission at the Department of Defense.”

    Others in Hegseth’s orbit said he doesn’t plan to launch a campaign. A person who spoke with the secretary last week asked him about speculation that he was looking for an off-ramp from being defense secretary, such as running for political office in Tennessee. This person said Hegseth was “very, very clear” that he wasn’t going to run and denied even considering it. The idea, this person said, is “totally off the table.”

    NBC News reported that a longtime Trump adviser familiar with political discussions around Hegseth said he won’t run for office in Tennessee.

    Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host, has campaigned for political office before. He ran for the U.S. Senate in his home state, Minnesota, in 2012 and withdrew after he failed to win the GOP nomination.

    ‘Death To Trump’ Man Arrested After Issuing Mid-Flight Bomb Threat

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    Image via Pixabay

    A man was arrested in Scotland after threatening to blow up an airplane with a bomb while denouncing America and President Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland over the weekend for golf and trade negotiations.

    video was posted to X showing the suspect, who is reportedly a 41-year-old Indian national residing in the United Kingdom, standing up in a plane’s aisle, shouting, “I am going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump! Allahu akbar!”

    As the man shouts, a passenger approaches him and tackles him to the floor. Another video reported by The Sun shows the man being interrogated while pinned to the floor, stating that he “[wanted] to send a message to Trump,” who he knew was in Scotland.

    EasyJet EZY609, which was flying from London Luton Airport to Glasgow, Scotland, was forced to make an emergency landing at a separate runway in Glasgow to account for the man’s threats, at which point the man was arrested.

    Passengers on the plane recalled the stressful event in statements to The Sun.

    One passenger said, “I’ve never seen that before. The airline staff, they were all girls, they were really shaken up by it, but they were super professional.”

    The Scotland police released a statement saying, “A 41-year-old man was arrested in connection and further enquiries are ongoing. … At this time we believe the incident was contained and that nobody else was involved.”

    The statement mentioned that the videos available were being “assessed by counter terrorism officers.”

    In a statement released by easyJet, a spokesperson confirmed that “Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard. … easyJet’s crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.”

    The witness said that the man “literally came out of the toilet shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ with his hands above his head,” noting that he did not see a cause of the outburst.

    Poll: Americans Oppose US Involvement In Iran, Believe US Should Stay Out Of Other Countries’ Business

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    A new poll finds overwhelming majorities of Americans oppose the U.S. government’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and believe the federal government should stay out of other countries’ disputes.

    Reuters/Ipsos reports their new poll finds “most Americans support immediately ending U.S. involvement in the conflict with Iran. The poll also finds that Americans oppose U.S. military involvement in the Middle East unless the U.S. is directly threatened and that most Americans do not feel that U.S. airstrikes against Iran make America safer.”

    Only 36 percent of Americans support the strikes, with 45 percent opposing.  

    A whopping 69 percent of Americans, including 57 percent of Republicans, oppose “any military action in the Middle East unless America is directly threatened”.

    58 percent of Americans say “it is better for the nation if the U.S. stays out of the affairs of other nations”

    Republicans generally opposed U.S. strikes on Iran when Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden were president, warning it would lead to “World War 3.”  They now report supporting the policy under Republican President Donald Trump.

    Reuters summarized the findings, noting:

    * Seven in ten say they have been following the U.S. airstrikes against Iran (70%) or the war between Israel and Iran (67%) very or somewhat closely. Republicans are slightly more likely to say they are following the U.S. airstrikes very closely (39%) compared to Democrats (32%), independents (31%), and the general population (33%).

    * Four in five Americans say they are concerned with the conflict growing between the U.S. and Iran (84%) and U.S. military personnel stationed in the Middle East (79%). In comparison, similar numbers of Americans are concerned about rising inflation (81%) and growing U.S. debt (78%).

    * Republicans (69% support, 17% oppose) are significantly more likely to support the strikes compared to Democrats (13% support, 74% oppose) and independents (29% support, 48% oppose).

    * Just over one in three Americans (36%) say they agree that U.S. airstrikes against Iran make America safer, while 60% disagree and 4% refused or skipped. This is heavily divided along partisan lines, with 12% of Democrats, 29% of independents, and 67% of Republicans agreeing with this statement.

    * Most Americans say the U.S. should not become involved in any military action in the Middle East unless America is directly threatened (69%). Majorities across partisanship feel this way, with 57% of Republicans, 73% of independents, and 80% of Democrats agreeing with this statement. 

    “This Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted June 21-23, 2025. The poll began fielding immediately after the June 21 U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The poll closed before the June 23 Iranian strikes on a U.S. military base in Qatar, which has reportedly caused no fatalities,” Reuters notes.

    Democrat Lawmaker Announces Resignation After Being Convicted on Felony Charges

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    Arrest image via Pixabay

    Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D) said that she will resign after being convicted last week on two felony charges.

    Nicole Mitchell was convicted of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for breaking into her stepmother Carol Mitchell’s Minnesota home in April 2024.

    Nicole Mitchell pleaded not guilty, and during the trial, her defense argued that she was at the home to check on her stepmother, who lives with Alzheimer’s.

    Nicole Mitchell’s stepmother Carol Mitchell reportedly took the stand, saying that she felt “extremely violated” after finding Nicole Mitchell in her home.

    Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said Nicole Mitchell “has gotten the due process she is entitled to and was convicted by a jury of her peers.”

    “With the clarity brought by the resolution of this case, the Senate DFL Caucus will continue to focus on issues that improve the lives of Minnesota families and communities,” Murphy said.

    GOP Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson criticized her decision to not resign immediately and blamed Democrats for “refusing to hold her accountable during session.” His caucus tried and failed to expel Mitchell from the chamber in the wake of the charges.

    “Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice. Democrats shielded Mitchell for 15 months to protect their political power, but a jury needed just three hours to confirm what was already clear: she shouldn’t be a senator,” he said in a statement.

    Gov. Tim Walz’s office is expected to announce details about a special election after Nicole Mitchell’s resignation. There is another special election set for September to fill a vacancy left by former House Speaker Melissa Hortman’s politically-motivated assassination.

    Ghislaine Maxwell Submits Plea To Supreme Court, White House To Intervene In Criminal Case

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    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    On Monday, Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, called on the Supreme Court to overturn her sex trafficking conviction.

    “We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted,” attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement. 

    Maxwell’s attorney argues her conviction violates a nonprosecution agreement Epstein signed with federal prosecutors. The appeal turns on the scope of the 2007 deal, which let Epstein avoid federal charges for pleading guilty to state-level sex crimes in Florida and serving 18 months in prison. 

    The deal was signed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Lower courts ruled the deal only covers that district and doesn’t apply to federal prosecutors in New York, where Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding Epstein in abusing underage girls. 

    “Rather than grapple with the core principles of plea agreements, the government tries to distract by reciting a lurid and irrelevant account of Jeffrey Epstein’s misconduct,” Markus wrote in the new brief. 

    “But this case is about what the government promised, not what Epstein did.” 

    Last week, Maxwell sat for a two-day interview with the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Todd Blanche. (RELATED: Justice Department Seeks Meeting With Ghislaine Maxwell In Epstein Case)

    The new statement came as Maxwell made her final plea to the Supreme Court on Monday before the justices decide whether to take up her case. Maxwell filed the appeal in April, and the justices are poised to consider it upon returning from their summer recess.

    The Justice Department has so far opposed Maxwell’s Supreme Court appeal.

    Markus’s latest comments mark his most direct suggestion yet of Trump intervening. Markus said Friday he hadn’t spoken to the president yet about a pardon and “we’re going to take one day at a time.”

    Trump has punted on whether he would pardon Maxwell. Trump said Monday that “I’m allowed to give her” a pardon, but “nobody’s approached me.” 

    “I’m allowed to give her a pardon,” Trump insisted, repeating a claim he made on his way to Scotland on Friday. “Nobody has approached me with it or asked me about it. It’s in the news about that, that aspect of it. But right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

    Attorney General Files Misconduct Complaint Against Anti-Trump Judge

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    The Justice Department has filed an official complaint alleging misconduct by US District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. 

    The complaint, which was directed by AG Pam Bondi and reviewed by Fox News, was written by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and addressed to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan.

    “The Department of Justice respectfully submits this complaint alleging misconduct by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for making improper public comments about President Donald J. Trump to the Chief Justice of the United States and other federal judges that have undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” says Mr. Mizelle.

    Judge Boasberg is presiding over a high-profile case involving the deportation of several migrants to El Salvador and has talked about holding DOJ lawyers in contempt because of his assertion that his order to turn airborne planes around was not followed. President Trump has also made critical comments about Judge Boasberg.

    The complaint details two occasions on which Judge Boasberg made comments that the Justice Department alleges undermine the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

    “On March 11, 2025, Judge Boasberg attended a session of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which exists to discuss administrative matters like budgets, security, and facilities. While there, Judge Boasberg attempted to improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges by straying from the traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would “disregard rulings of federal courts” and trigger “a constitutional crisis.” Although his comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis, they were even worse because Judge Boasberg had no basis—the Trump Administration has always complied with all court orders. Nor did Judge Boasberg identify any purported violations of court orders to justify his unprecedented predictions.”

    “Within days of those statements, Judge Boasberg began acting on his preconceived belief that the Trump Administration would not follow court orders. First, although he lacked authority to do so, he issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Government from removing violent Tren de Aragua terrorists, which the Supreme Court summarily vacated.

    Taken together, Judge Boasberg’s words and deeds violate Canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, and, erode public confidence in judicial neutrality, and warrant a formal investigation.” 

    Federal Judge James Boasberg became a key figure in the fight over border security this year, after issuing a controversial temporary restraining order on March 15 that blocked President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to speed up deportations of hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador.

    Boasberg went so far as to demand that all flights bound for El Salvador be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil—an order that was not carried out. His emergency action set off a chain of legal challenges around the country, beginning with the March 15 case in his court, and eventually drew in the Supreme Court. The high court would later rule—twice—that the Trump administration’s expedited removals did not violate constitutional due process.

    Despite these rulings, Boasberg and his handling of the matter have been sharply criticized by Trump administration officials, who say his order interfered with the executive branch’s authority to secure the border. President Trump himself suggested earlier this year that Boasberg could be impeached over his conduct, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public statement.

    The current complaint against Boasberg—originally appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002—comes just as he may once again play a decisive role in a major class-action case involving the same group of former CECOT migrants.

    Trump Calls For Speedy Deposition From Rupert Murdoch Because He May Die Before Trial

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    David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    President Trump’s lawyers are moving to depose Rupert Murdoch, and quickly.

    The president’s attorneys in a new court filing Monday said they wish to speak with the conservative media mogul as part of evidence-gathering efforts in connection with Trump’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, citing concerns about Murdoch’s waning health and advanced age. Murdoch is 94 years old.

    This lawsuit arose from The Wall Street Journal’s article that described an album allegedly compiled by Epstein’s former girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday in 2003.

    According to the report, Trump contributed a letter for the birthday collection that included a lewd drawing and referenced the two men sharing a “wonderful secret.” President Trump has dismissed the letter as fake.

    The letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is crude—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.

    Trump filed the complaint in federal court in Miami earlier this month against the Journal, the Journal’s publishing firm Dow Jones, parent company News Corp, owner Rupert Murdoch, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and the two Journal reporters, Safdar and Palazzolo. He alleges two claims, defamation per se and defamation per quod, and demands $10 billion in damages.

    On Monday, Trump filed a motion to compel the expedited deposition de bene esse of Murdoch, a de bene esse deposition is also sometimes called a “preservation deposition,” and is intended to be taken to preserve testimony for trial.

    Law and Crime reports:

    “[T]here is good cause to expedite Murdoch’s deposition, and the Court should exercise its discretion to authorize the same,” the motion for fast-tracked discovery says.

    “Murdoch is 94 years old, has suffered from multiple health issues throughout his life, is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares, and is presumed to live in New York, New York,” wrote Trump lawyer Alejandro Brito. “Taken together, these factors weigh heavily in determining that Murdoch would be unavailable for in-person testimony at trial.”

    In the meantime, though, Trump is demanding crucial testimony from the owner of the Journal, whom Trump apparently failed to persuade not to publish the Epstein exclusive in the first place. The plaintiff insists that Murdoch has an “advantage” that Trump does not have, but that the scales would even out were an expedited deposition to occur.

    “Murdoch has an advantage over President Trump as Murdoch is able to defend himself because he has access to all the information and documents related to the below-defined malicious and defamatory Article, and the decision behind deciding to publish it,” the motion continued. “On the other hand, President Trump has very limited information related to the Article. For these and other reasons that follow, Murdoch would not suffer any prejudice significant enough to outweigh the good cause that exists to grant this Motion.”

    Read Trump’s motion here.

    Trump Cabinet Member Opens Up On VP Vance 2028 Possibility

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    Secretary of Defense Marco Rubio signaled he’s in favor of Vice President JD Vance’s potential 2028 run for the White House during a recent interview.

    In an interview on Fox News’s “My View with Lara Trump,” Rubio sidestepped a question about his own presidential ambitions when asked by the president’s daughter-in-law whether his own sights are “set outside the State Department.” Last week, Trump announced she would not run for Senate in North Carolina after considering jumping inot the race.

    “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee… if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said during the Saturday interview.

    “I think he’s doing a great job as vice president. He’s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it,” Rubio added.

    Pivoting back to his own political future, Rubio said he loves his job as Secretary of State and intends to serve out his full term. He noted that would likely preclude him from running for president in 2028.

    “I know it’s kind of early, but being in the role that I’m in here, as the secretary of State, I really don’t play in politics. There’s actually rules against me being involved in domestic politics,” Rubio said.

    “And I want to do this job, as long as the president allows me to do it, and stay in that job, which would keep me here all the way through January of 2028,” he added.

    By Office of Vice President of the United States – @VP on X, Public Domain,

    Rubio, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2016, did not shut the door to a future White House bid, but he said he would be satisfied if his career of public service peaks with his tenure at the State Department.

    “I feel, honestly, you never know what the future holds. You never rule things out or anything, because you just don’t know. Things change very quickly,” Rubio said. “But that said, I believe that if I am able to be here through the duration of this presidency — and we get things done at the pace that we’ve been doing the last six months — I’ll be able to look back at my time in public service and say, ‘I made a difference, I had an impact, and I served my country in a very positive way.’”

    “And I would be satisfied with that as the apex of my career,” Rubio said. “And so that’s what I’m focused on right now because what we’re doing some special things that I think are going to bear dividend and fruit for a generation.”

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    AOC Campaign Office Vandalized With Anti-Israel Message

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    Police responded after a campaign office for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized with a painted anti-Israel slogan in New York City.

    The slogan, written in red paint, read “AOC funds genocide in Gaza.” The vandals had also spread the paint all over the entrance to the campaign office before police arrived at roughly 1 a.m. Monday.

    The incident came just days after Ocasio-Cortez voted against legislation from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would have cut funding for the Israeli Defense Forces.

    The lawmaker, who has been vocally critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, said she voted against the bill because it only cut funding for the defensive “Iron Dome” and did nothing to cut off the “actual bombs killing Palestinians.”

    Greene’s legislation would have cut off roughly $500 million in funding for Israel. Her proposed amendment, which failed on Thursday, came after Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.

    “Israel bombed the Catholic Church in Gaza, and that entire population is being wiped out as they continue their aggressive war in Gaza,” Greene said.

    Voting alongside Greene on the amendment were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) members of the progressive so-called “squad” to which Ocasio-Cortez also belongs.

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