𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

House Republicans have brought legislative business to a near-standstill after the Rules Committee recessed earlier this week amid a heated bipartisan clash over the release of the so-called Epstein files.

Democrats threatened to force a vote on the issue, derailing planned floor action for the week and throwing House Republicans into disarray.

The House will adjourn today, a day earlier than expected, at the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson for its five-week recess from Washington.

The House floor won’t see a move to release the files until at least September, if ever.

The House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell, the onetime girlfriend of pedophile and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, by voice vote on Tuesday.

Lawmakers voted to compel Maxwell’s testimony before the committee as the issue of whether a so-called “client list” of Epstein’s co-conspirators exists continues to consume Washington and much of American political discourse across X, Truth Social and other social platforms.

In the House of Representatives, the investigation provoked a rare moment of unity between some of Donald Trump’s closest supporters in the GOP, some of his strongest critics on the left, and even a Republican representative who has become one of the biggest thorns in the president’s side.

Donald Trump has lashed out at CNN after they unearthed photos and footage of the president with Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Trump said in a phone call with the outlet, before branding it a “fake news” organization and hanging up.

At least two black and White photos confirm, for the first time, that Epstein attended the president’s December 1993 wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

A third photograph taken two months earlier shows the pair together during the opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York.

The outlet also broadcast footage from a 1999 Victoria’s Secret runway event in New York, showing Trump, accompanied by Melania Trump, “laughing and chatting” to Epstein. Both the photos and video predate any of Epstein’s known legal issues.

After President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of treason, branding him the “ringleader” of the Russia investigation, Obama’s office issued a rare response, calling the “bizarre allegations” both “ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”

Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said: “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”

Rodenbush noted that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan examination by the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirmed Russia had meddled in the 2016 election. That committee was led by then Senator Marco Rubio, now Trump’s Secretary of State.

Here’s the statement in full:

Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.

Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.

John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.:

Donald Trump hastily changed the subject to his years-long bid to seek revenge against Barack Obama as he was questioned about the Jeffrey Epstein files during a meeting Monday with the president of the Philippines at the White House.

The U.S. president accused his predecessor of “sedacious [sic]” behavior and ranted about an imaginary “coup” after Ed O’Keefe of CBS News asked him about the Justice Department reaching out to attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell to request a new interview about Epstein and the sex trafficking ring for which her involvement earned the socialite a 20-year prison sentence in 2022.

President Donald Trump’s signature law will simultaneously cause 10 million people to lose their healthcare while at the same time causing the nation’s deficit to skyrocket, due to the fact it also includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, a new analysis has found.

Eric Garcia takes a close look at what is to come…

When Donald Trump pushed back against a report alleging he drew a “bawdy” sketch to celebrate convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday, the president insisted he doesn’t draw pictures.

Despite the president’s claims, multiple sketches by Trump have been made public over the years.

When confronted with poll numbers that found a vast majority of Republicans want all the documents related to the Epstein case to be published, the pro-Trump businessman and self-described “Mr. Wonderful” doubled down while continuing to shrug off the controversy.

Justin Baragona has the story.

The 70-year-old Emmy-winning actor, who on numerous occasions has criticized Trump and the GOP, spoke to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on the latest episode of her The Best People podcast about the current political climate under the Trump administration, including tariffs and the state of the Republican party.

Inga Parkel has the story.

Social media users are mocking the GOP after a tweet from its official X account, stating President Donald Trump is “Making Straws Great Again” as the White House continues to deal with fallout over the Epstein files investigation.

Posted Tuesday morning, the tweet includes a photo of Trump looking celebratory with his fist in the air and an inset of paper straws, celebrating the current president’s cancellation of paper straw mandates under the Biden administration.