Attorney General Reveals Probe into Trump Rivals and Jeffrey Epstein Connections

On Friday, the Attorney General designated interim US attorney Jay Clayton to oversee an probe into political adversaries of Donald Trump and their links with Jeffrey Epstein. This decision came just after Trump directed her to launch the investigation.

In a statement, Bondi praised Clayton as “a highly skilled and reliable legal expert”. She stated, “As with all matters, the department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.”

This action appears to contradict a recent memorandum from justice department officials which stated that documents related to Epstein lacked grounds for further inquiries. As per the memo, investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”

The President Calls for Focus on Democrats in the Epstein Matter

This news coincides with increasing demands from Trump on lawmakers to resist the full release of files concerning Epstein before an upcoming House vote in the coming days. Several lawmakers are anticipated to support the release.

Newly public communications from Epstein have brought attention to Trump’s previous connections with the convicted criminal, including details that he knew more about Epstein’s conduct than he has previously let on.

On Friday, Trump announced he would ask the DOJ to investigate Epstein’s ties with Democrats, specifically naming Bill Clinton, Larry Summers and Reid Hoffman. Paradoxically, Trump also described the “Epstein situation” as a “scam”.

Additional Developments from the Day

• Trump stated he would file a lawsuit against the British broadcaster, even after a formal apology from the media outlet. Trump said the lawsuit could seek billions in damages.
• Epstein allegedly guided former Trump aide Steve Bannon during a pro-Trump effort to defend Trump’s policies. Text messages released show his involvement in advising the influencer.
• US military are developing plans for a partitioned Gaza, with a “green zone” under joint military oversight and a “red zone” left in ruins.
• State officials have revived the sole ongoing legal case against the President after naming a new lead prosecutor.
• Trump reversed trade measures by reducing taxes on food imports like beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas to address rising costs.
• US and Switzerland concluded a deal to lower tariffs on products from Switzerland from a significant decrease.

Other notable events included calls to protect national parks, objections of an monitoring group, and a court approval for a settlement in the OxyContin case.