Republican claims Trump’s Epstein investigation is hiding a far greater bombshell: Live updates

Representative Thomas Massie called Donald Trump’s efforts to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to top Democrats a ‘smokescreen’ to prevent the release of the files.

‘If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can’t be released,’ Massie told ABC News on Sunday.

‘So this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files.’

Massie also slammed the president for only linking the investigation to Democrats and questioned why he wants to prevent the release of the files.

‘I mean, it is extraordinary to hear him demand an investigation and only mention Democrats, only mention his political opponents, but you’re saying he doesn’t really, may not really, even want any investigation,’ he said.

‘He wants to prevent the release. Why does he want to prevent this? What is he afraid of?’

House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted that Democrats are using the Epstein files to go after Donald Trump, and the vote this week will ‘take that weapon out of their hand.’

‘They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,’ Johnson told Fox News.

He said that Democrats are using Epstein as ‘their entire game plan’ and the vote this week will ‘take that weapon out of their hand.’

‘Let’s just get this done and move on. There’s nothing to hide,’ Johnson said.

‘President Trump has clean hands. He’s not worried about. I talk to him all the time; he has nothing to do with this. He’s frustrated that they’re turning it into a political issue, and it’s not surprising, because the Democrats have nothing else to talk about.’

The Federal Aviation Administration is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the nation’s longest government shutdown.

‘I want to thank the FAA’s dedicated safety team for keeping our skies secure during the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history and the country’s patience for putting safety first,’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

‘Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, controllers have returned to their posts and normal operations can resume.

‘Now we can refocus our efforts on surging controller hiring and building the brand new, state-of-the-art air traffic control system the American people deserve.’

California Governor Gavin Newsom has relentlessly trolled the White House over the weekend after the House released a trove of Epstein Files.

The documents revealed that the disgraced financier had repeatedly discussed Donald Trump for years.

On Monday morning, Newsom replied to a post on X from the White House, featuring a picture of the president and first lady alongside a photo of Trump and Epstein.

Here is Donald Trump’s public schedule for Monday.

At 2pm ET, Trump will meet with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the Oval Office.

Then he will deliver remarks at the McDonald’s Impact Summit at 6pm ET.

Donald Trump urged Republicans to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case as the House is set to vote on the matter on Tuesday.

The vote comes as Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and California Democrat Ro Khanna introduced a discharge petition in July to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.

Massie said he is aiming for a veto-proof majority with 100 or more Republican votes in favor.

The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison.

Information about Epstein´s victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted.

Lawmakers who support the bill have been predicting a big win in the House this week with a ‘deluge of Republicans’ voting for it, bucking the GOP leadership and the president.

A billboard in Times Square on Monday highlighted Jeffrey Epstein’s comment about Donald Trump that ‘of course he knew about the girls.’

The disgraced pedophile billionaire claimed that the President had often visited his home in Palm Beach, in the email sent to himself in February 2019.

‘[REDACTED] worked at Mar-a-Lago. Trump knew of it, and came to my house many times during that period,’ Epstein wrote, six months before he was found hanged at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

‘He never got a massage,’ the financier said.

Paris Hilton has addressed reports Ghislaine Maxwell tried to recruit her for Jeffrey Epstein after it was claimed she thought the heiress would be ‘perfect for him.’

The claims about Maxwell’s plans for Hilton were made by a former friend of the British socialite in 2020.

Christopher Mason said Maxwell stopped in her tracks and said ‘oh my god’ when she saw a young Hilton at a party.

Maxwell said she would be ‘perfect for Jeffrey’ and told a friend: ‘Can you introduce us?’

Thousands of pages of material from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have been made public, revealing how the disgraced financier repeatedly discussed Donald Trump in private correspondence dating from 2011 to 2019.

The content spans years before and during Trump’s presidency and includes claims, speculation, and personal remarks that Epstein shared with associates, journalists, and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.

In a correspondence with a contact in 2018, while Trump was facing scrutiny from politicians, Epstein wrote: ‘They’re really just trying to take down Trump and doing whatever they can to do that!’

He then added: ‘Its wild, because i am the one able to take him down.’ In another 2018 conversation, Epstein describes Trump as ‘borderline insane.’

Megyn Kelly was torched during Saturday Night Live’s cold open yesterday after she seemingly attempted to justify Jeffrey Epstein’s actions by suggesting he was into the ‘barely legal type’ and was not a pedophile.

The skit resembled a White House press conference, where an SNL cast member portrayed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answering questions from reporters about President Donald Trump’s connection to Jefferey Epstein.

As the bit continued to poke fun at the irony of several situations involving the president, the spoof Trump eventually took the place of the secretary to answer questions himself.

After the Trump impersonator answered another question about his relationship with Epstein, he defended himself and noted Kelly’s remarks: ‘I thought Megyn Kelly made a terrific point this week, she said Epstein’s not a pedophile.

‘Terrific thing to just say out of nowhere. Great Job Megyn, we love Megyn, they should put her back on TV. Legalize Megyn!’

The in-studio audience erupted with laughter at the sarcastic remarks, which ended shortly after a few more jokes were made.

Donald Trump told Republicans to vote for the release of files pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein in a Sunday Truth Social post.

He made the shocking U turn shortly after landing at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday following a weekend in Florida. Trump claimed he had ‘nothing to hide’ while insisting the entire saga was a ‘hoax.’

‘House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files,’ he posted on Truth Social.

‘We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.’

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has said her life is in danger after she publicly split with the president over the Epstein files.

In a blistering post on Truth Social, the president branded her ‘a ranting lunatic’ and ‘Marjorie Traitor Greene’, accusing her of betraying the Republican Party by ‘turning Left.’

Greene said on Saturday that Trump’s attack had triggered a wave of threats against her, insisting she was not a traitor and calling his comments ‘hurtful.’

‘Those are the types of words that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger,’ Greene said.

But Trump doubled down on Sunday, dismissing her warning and telling reporters he did not believe anyone was targeting her.

Five Jeffrey Epstein survivors released a video on Sunday urging Congress to release all of the sex trafficking investigation files ahead of their vote this week.

In the clip, published by World Without Exploitation, the women share photos of their younger selves when they met Epstein.

‘This was me when I met Jeffrey Epstein,’ one victim said. ‘I’ve suffered so much pain,’ said another.

‘It’s time to bring the secrets out of the shadows, it’s time to shine a light into the darkness,’ one victim said.