🔗 Share this article

On Friday, the Attorney General appointed interim US attorney Jay Clayton to lead an investigation into political adversaries of the President and their connections with Jeffrey Epstein. This action came hours after Trump directed her to initiate the investigation.

During an announcement, Bondi commended Jay Clayton as “one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country”. The official 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 July memo from justice department officials which declared that the Epstein files did not warrant additional investigations. According to the memo, investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”

The President Calls for Scrutiny of Democrats in Epstein Matter

This news comes as growing demands from Trump on congressional Republicans to block the full release of Epstein-related documents ahead of an key congressional decision next week. Several lawmakers are anticipated to back the release.

Newly public emails from Epstein have highlighted Trump’s previous connections with the sex trafficker, revealing details that he knew more about Epstein’s conduct than he has previously let on.

That same day, the President declared he would ask the Department of Justice to examine connections between Epstein and Democratic figures, including Bill Clinton, Larry Summers and Reid Hoffman. Paradoxically, he also described the “Epstein situation” as a “deception”.

Additional Updates from Friday

• Trump stated he would take legal action against the BBC, despite a formal apology from the network. Trump claimed the legal case could seek between a billion and $5bn.
• Jeffrey Epstein reportedly advised Steve Bannon during a pro-Trump effort to support Trump’s policies. Text messages released detail Epstein’s involvement in coaching Bannon.
• US military are planning for a partitioned Gaza, with a secure area under international and Israeli control and a restricted section unreconstructed.
• Georgia prosecutor have revived the sole ongoing legal case against Trump after appointing a replacement attorney.
• The President reversed tariff policy by cutting taxes on food imports like various food items to address rising costs.
• The two nations concluded a trade agreement to reduce import taxes on products from Switzerland from 39% to 15%.

Additional developments included calls to safeguard public lands, objections of an monitoring group, and a judge’s decision for a resolution in the Purdue Pharma case.