Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, confirmed in writing on Sunday night that the Justice Department would abandon elements of the deal it struck with President Trump to resolve his lawsuit against the I.R.S., conceding to demands from Republican senators who had threatened to block his nomination as attorney general.
The Republican holdouts, Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, had vowed that they would not confirm Mr. Blanche for the role unless he provided written assurances that the Justice Department had formally killed a planned $1.8 billion fund to pay those who claim they were unfairly persecuted by the government.
The senators also insisted that Mr. Blanche narrow the scope of the sweeping immunity from I.R.S. scrutiny that was granted to Mr. Trump, his family and their businesses under the same agreement.
In sum, finding an “out” to confirm Blanche (which now seems all but assured) would only slam the door shut on any accountability for Epstein enablers (including Trump’s minions) and the corrupt Trump DOJ that has bottled up evidence. In evaluating this entire despicable exercise, let’s dispense with the plaudits for Tillis and Cornyn, who have doggedly tried to facilitate a deal to ram through the most morally objectionable AG nominee in history.
And while we are taking stock, let’s not forget that nearly all other Republican senators have supported Blanche, demonstrating their own unfitness for office, contempt for the rule of law, and utter disregard for not only those who Epstein sex trafficked but for all such survivors — who will now think twice or three times before coming forward to implore authorities to investigate the predators who traumatized their lives.
If Blanche gets through, no one would have any doubt that the DOJ under his watch will be nothing more than Trump’s personal vendetta machine — a crumbling shell of its former self, and a disgraceful symbol of the Trump regime’s attack on democracy, the rule of law, and simple decency.
As Jeffrey Epstein survivors and their supporters continue searching for justice and transparency in the US, a bipartisan group of politicians is trying to rework legislation that heralded the release of long-hidden investigative files on the scandal.
While the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), signed into law by Donald Trump on 19 November, mandated that the justice department release all investigative files within 30 days with limited exceptions, survivors and their supporters have repeatedly grappled with missed deadlines and what they say are incomplete disclosures.
They have also accused the justice department of disclosing survivors’ personal information while withholding names of men involved in Epstein’s sexual abuse of teen girls and young women.
So now politicians from both the Senate and the House and both main political parties announced on 15 July the introduction of the Epstein Files Transparency Act II (EFTA II). The planned law addresses what legal observers and public records advocates have described as shortfalls in the original EFTA – namely, a lack of an hearty enforcement mechanism. Under the EFTA II, state attorneys general, local district attorneys, Epstein survivors and Congress members would have standing to fight the justice department in court if it doesn’t release files as required.
If the proposed legislation becomes law, survivors would also have the right to “full, unredacted records concerning themselves or the harm they suffered”, including transcripts of FBI interviews. The justice department would also have to provide “state and local prosecutors with unredacted records needed for investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings, including secure access to classified materials”.
The EFTA II would also “enforce compliance with the existing law by subjecting [justice department] and FBI officials to existing federal criminal penalties for knowingly concealing, destroying, falsifying, withholding or misrepresenting files,” supporters said.
“I know that sounds unbelievable. So let’s walk through it,” reads a report published Saturday co-authored by Princeton University associate professor Katie Chenoweth and writer Bekah Day.
Daniel Siad worked for MC2 Model Management, an international modeling agency that operated out of New York, Florida and Tel Aviv, Israel, that was founded by Jean-Luc Brunel, a French model scout who launched the agency with considerable financial backing from Epstein. Brunel was later accused of being involved in sex trafficking in association with Epstein, and died by apparent suicide while awaiting sex-trafficking charges in 2022.
Siad's name appears well over 1,000 times in the Justice Department's release of Epstein-related files, and in June he sweat through his shirt when pressed on his Epstein ties in an interview with CNN. He was under investigation in France over accusations of rape and human trafficking, all of which he denied. Siad was never formally charged, as prosecutors said they had not gathered enough evidence to arrest him. His lawyer said he died an innocent man. He was found dead at his home near Paris on July 20, with an autopsy pending.
As to the link between Trump and Siad, Chenoweth and Day managed to stumble across archived online posts from a now-deleted X account with the username “Thiley,” one they described as a “Donald Trump fan account.”
“Before his death, Daniel Siad was operating a X/Twitter account called ‘Thiley.’ On multiple occasions, Daniel Siad posted videos showing his face, including one uploaded in February 2026 – just months before his CNN interview,” reads the report.
Since Friday morning's snapshot, Chump's claims regarding vandalism destroying The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have been exposed as lies. He lies the whole time. Over and over. The fault was his and the people he employed. Glenn Thrush (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:
Jeanine Pirro faced the cameras on July 2 with characteristic self-assurance to announce the indictment of the 67-year-old ex-Olympian David Hearn for trashing “sacred” government property, President Trump’s highly prized but shoddily renovated Reflecting Pool.
“This is not only a priority for the president, but for myself,” said Ms. Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, disclosing felony vandalism charges against Mr. Hearn for touching the lining of the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. She added: “We will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn willfully destroyed property.”
This was not the case.
Ms. Pirro’s office dramatically reversed course on Friday, not only withdrawing the charge against Mr. Hearn but blasting the Interior Department for the rushed and “botched” renovation, along with U.S. Park Police officials who fed bad information that led her to publicly cite “tremendous evidence” against Mr. Hearn. In the process, intentionally or not, she skated perilously close to contradicting Mr. Trump — and he noticed.
Ms. Pirro’s 20-page filing did not refer to, much less rebuke, Mr. Trump for claiming the damage was caused by left-wing vandals rather than his administration’s missteps. But it raised innate doubts about his assertion that criminals had slashed the pool’s lining with a “knife or blade.”
Chump took to social media Saturday to insist that it was "VANDALISM" (in all caps). Poor Chump, exposed as a liar and not smart enough to keep his head down. No, he needs to attract attention to himself and his lies. He is so sick and disgusting.
And he's destroying the government's standing. As with Homeland Security, the Justice Department has been caught lying in court too many times. They are not to be automatically given the benefit of the doubt. They've destroyed that. Thrush notes:
It is now much more common for grand juries around the country, particularly in Washington, to reject indictments brought by the department. In years past, this almost never happened.
Last December, grand jurors in Virginia rejected the department’s effort to indict Letitia James, the New York attorney general, on mortgage-related charges for the second time in a one-week period. Earlier, a jury in the district halted an attempt by Ms. Pirro’s office to prosecute a Justice Department employee who tossed a sandwich at federal officers. Around the same time, she thrice tried and failed to indict a woman who pushed an F.B.I. agent during a protest.
Kyla Guilfoil (NBC NEWS) adds:
Hearn’s lawyer said in a statement Friday that the Trump administration owes Hearn an apology.
“The Government’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought,” Steven Levin, Hearn’s attorney, said in a statement. “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American. The government’s approach was ready, shoot, aim. The federal government owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”
“Another embarrassment to Donald Trump as he weaponizes the Justice Department to go after those he perceives to be his enemies — only to have to drop the charges,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) wrote on the social platform X.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) argued Hearn, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, should have legal recourse after being prosecuted.
“Maliciously prosecuted clearly innocent people like David Hearn should have remedies against federal officials who unconscionably target them,” Blumenthal wrote on X.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) accused Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who doubled down on claims that the damage to the pool was caused by vandals, of misrepresenting the facts of the case.
“You are lying when it comes to Olympian David Hearn. The court filing from trump’s own Justice Dept proves it,” Lieu said in response to Burgum’s comments. “The DOJ admitted the Reflecting Pool failed because of shoddy contracting work. This calls into question how much of what you said are lies.”
In a separate post, Lieu alleged that Hearn’s prosecution was politically motivated, calling it “unethical” behavior from interim Attorney General Todd Blanche and the department he helms.
“The only reason @TheJusticeDept charged Olympian David Hearn was to sooth trump’s fragile ego,” he wrote. “The Justice Dept knew they were indicting an innocent person. This is unethical, radical, criminal behavior by @DAGToddBlanche and his thugs at the Department.”
Chump got a fact check on NBC's MEET THE PRESS today -- from Republican Senator John Kennedy:
KRISTEN WELKER:
Okay. Let me ask you about another big topic this week, senator. The Justice Department just this week dropped its charges against the Olympic canoeist that it accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. The DOJ admitted that the damage was caused by, quote, “botched installation and not vandalism.” This was a case that the DOJ had said was open and shut. They said they could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. Does this reversal undercut the public’s faith in the Justice Department, senator?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY:
Well, the whole thing is a multiple vehicle pile-up. Let me start with the president. The president says it was caused by vandals. I don’t know whether he really believes that, or it’s part of his political messaging, or he’s just thinking out loud. You and I both know the president well. He exists loudly, and he grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought. I’m not saying he doesn’t really believe it, I just don’t know. Now, the stakes are a lot higher for U.S. Attorney Pirro. You can’t lie to a federal judge. If she can’t prove her case, she was right to pull back. Because if you fool around with a federal judge, you will find out. When I was in private practice, one time I put my briefcase on a brand new conference table bought by a federal judge. And he got so mad, I’ll never forget, I thought I was going to get to spend overnight with Bubba in central lockup. Federal judges will not tolerate. And so I don’t know why she filed the suit without having a — doing a full investigation. She says she relied on the Department of Interior. But she was smart to pull it back.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Very quickly, senator. Given that — because I have one more question on the shutdown — should the grand jury records be released so the public can see the evidence for themselves, senator?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY:
Fine with me. Let the whole world see.
Chump is such a liar. He claimed a cease-fire in Gaza last week. We didn't even bother with it because it was obvious he was lying yet again. Aaron Boxerman (NEW YORK TIMES) notes today, "Israeli strikes in Gaza on Saturday killed at least two people and damaged warehouses for medical supplies, Palestinian officials said, despite a recent deal between President Trump’s Board of Peace and Hamas to advance the Gaza cease-fire." He's a liar and he keeps getting exposed so he finds new lies to tell.
Murray: “If Trump had simply done nothing, and left the seven percent cap in place, some of these families would have ended up saving as much as $15,000 a year for their family. This is really a slap in the face to moms and dads all over the country.”
ICYMI: Murray, Bonamici, Scott, Jacobs Introduce Legislation to Overturn Harmful Child Care Rule
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s floor speech***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), spoke on the senate floor ahead of a vote on her Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval on the Trump administration’s May 2026 rule to remove regulations for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program. As of July 13, 2026, the rule reverses critical provisions that cap families’ copayments for their child care subsidy at no more than 7% of income; pay child care providers prospectively and based on enrollment; and ensure more child care slots for children in underserved geographic areas, infants and toddlers, and children with disabilities.
Republicans ultimately voted against the resolution, showing the stark contrast between Trump and Republicans’ making costs rise for families across the country and Democrats’ efforts to expand access to affordable child care.
““How about instead of a $1.5 trillion war budget, we make sure every working family in America can afford child care? Well, Trump’s tariffs already tax diapers, formula, and the car seat. Now he is coming for common-sense child care policies, taking us in the wrong direction, at a time when families need affordable child care more than ever. If Trump had simply done nothing, and left the seven percent cap in place, some of these families would have ended up saving as much as $15,000 a year for their family. This is really a slap in the face to moms and dads all over the country, and to child care providers who are already stretched thin to make budgets work and keep their doors open, and keep qualified employees in a field that has very high turnover,” said Senator Murray. “Trump just wants to use our taxpayer dollars to fund war and tax cuts for billionaires. Trump says we can’t afford child care. But he is wrong. The truth is we can’t afford to ignore child care. I know that an investment in child care is an investment in our families and an investment in a stronger economy.”
This effort builds on a previous letter
to HHS to halt the rollback of the CCDF rules. Representative Suzanne
Bonamici (D-OR) is leading a companion resolution in the House.
Senator Murray is Congress’ top advocate for child care, and is the author of the Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive
legislation to address the child care crisis, cosponsored by 44
Senators. Senators Murray and Warren announced the launch of a new Child Care for America Working Group in March. In June, Senator Murray and Senate Democrats released a new “Broken Promises” report revealing how Trump has accelerated the child care crisis.
Over the last ten years as a top appropriator, Murray has led efforts in Congress to more than triple funding for Child Care Development Block Grants (CCDBG). A cumulative $31 billion more has been provided for CCDBG than if funding had just kept pace with inflation over that same period. Every single year for the last decade essentially, Murray has made sure there is at least a modest increase in federal child care funding. As then Chair of the HELP Committee, Murray also helped write the American Rescue Plan where she pushed Congress to take action and deliver the largest ever one time investment in child care to date, this funding was widely credited with saving a fraying national child care system from collapse.
Senator Murray has pressed to deliver investments in child care across government. She founded the VA child care pilot program and continues to fund and expand the pilot. She consistently ensures funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which helps low-income parents pursue a higher education by supporting campus-based child care programs. She has also worked to greatly expand DOD’s child care initiatives and worked to build child care centers on military installations to support military families, and more—she has even worked to expand child care options for Congressional staff on capitol hill.
The resolution is endorsed by Caring Across Generations, Center for American Progress, Child Care for Every Family Network, CLASP, Community Change Action, Council for Professional Recognition, Home Grown, Molly Moon’s Handmade Ice Cream, MomsRising, National Association for Family Child Care, National Indian Child Care Association, National Women’s Law Center, SEIU, Small Business Majority, ZERO TO THREE.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“While President Trump’s top priorities are $1.5 trillion in war spending and a golden ballroom. Those are not the priorities that American families are focused on. Everywhere I go, I hear from families about the crushing cost of child care. So, it is no surprise to me that eighty percent of voters say the high cost of child care is a major problem. This is at the beating heart of our economy. If mom and dad don’t have affordable, high quality child care—mom and dad can’t go to work. But Mr. President, while Trump has plunged us into an affordability crisis, a war no one asked for, all the while families are struggling to get by. He is hellbent on making our country’s child care crisis even worse.
“Right now, Trump’s HHS ended a seven percent co-payment cap on child care costs for very low-income families who already receive federal child care support. This is already a very modest federal program that needs to be supersized in order to meet the needs of every child who needs it. Even with this program, many households are paying more than twenty percent of their household income on child care costs. When Democrats put forward this policy, we said no family who qualifies for this subsidy should pay more than seven percent of their income for child care. Trump tore that up. We should be having a debate about how we increase child care funding.
“How about instead of a $1.5 trillion war budget, we make sure every working family in America can afford child care? Well, Trump’s tariffs already tax diapers, formula, and the car seat. Now he is coming for common-sense child care policies, taking us in the wrong direction, at a time when families need affordable child care more than ever. If Trump had simply done nothing, and left the seven percent cap in place, some of these families would have ended up saving as much as $15,000 a year for their family.
“This is really a slap in the face to moms and dads all over the country, and to child care providers who are already stretched thin to make budgets work and keep their doors open, and keep qualified employees in a field that has very high turnover. The good news? Congress can now force Trump to reverse course on this today, right now. Very soon, we will be voting on my resolution to overturn Trump’s anti-child care rule and bring back that seven percent income cap.
“This shouldn’t be controversial. You are either voting to lower child care costs or to increase them. Now, not too long ago President Trump said openly that he believes—and I’m going to quote him: ‘we can’t afford daycare—we have to pay for the war.’ Mr. President, we can afford child care. Trump just wants to use our taxpayer dollars to fund war and tax cuts for billionaires.
“Trump says we can’t afford child care. But he is wrong. The truth is we can’t afford to ignore child care. I know that an investment in child care is an investment in our families and an investment in a stronger economy. To my colleagues: if you vote to let this rule stand, own it. Go home and tell the parents in your state you voted to raise their child care bill. You cannot call yourself pro-family while voting to make it more expensive to raise one—you just can’t. And that’s why, Mr. President, I am calling on my colleagues to join me and pass this resolution. Now every Senator is going to cast a vote on one simple question: should working parents pay more for child care, or less? Donald Trump wants them to pay more. More at the pump, more at the grocery store, and now to drop your child off at day care.
“Now the Senate will give its answer. And I promise you this: parents are watching. And parents remember. To my colleagues: Vote for the moms. Vote for the dads. Vote for the kid in the back seat at the 7 a.m. drop-off. When child care costs as much as the mortgage, whose side are you on?
“So again, I urge my colleagues, vote yes to lower child care costs.”
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