Butler one year later: Revisiting the historic assassination attempt against Donald Trump
Presidential candidate Donald Trump took the stage at a routine campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, exactly a year ago, on July 13, 2024, one of hundreds he’d appeared at since announcing his first presidential campaign in 2015. But this rally turned out unlike any other of his political career. As Trump stood at the podium, with supporters holding signs that said “Joe Biden, you’re fired!” directly behind him, the president pointed to a chart detailing low illegal immigration numbers at the end of his first term and how they’d risen under the Biden administration. “That chart’s a couple of months old, and if you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened,” Trump said, halting as the sound of gunshots pierced the air. TRUMP REVEALS CRUCIAL, SPLIT-SECOND MOMENT THAT SAVED HIS LIFE DURING BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Moments later, Trump ducked, and Secret Service agents rushed to his side. More gunshots followed, and attendees fearfully screamed while Trump remained covered, waiting for the all-clear sign. Once given the green light, Secret Service personnel rose alongside Trump to escort him from the stage. But Trump didn’t hide himself from his supporters. Instead, he emerged from the huddle, raised his fist high in the air, and said “fight” three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant “U-S-A!” as he exited. Ultimately, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop during the rally, with a bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman also killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, and injured two others. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks during the shooting, and an FBI investigation remains in progress. No motive has been determined for why Crooks conducted the attack. Classmates of Crooks have described him as a “loner” subjected to bullying, and the FBI told reporters in August 2024 that Crooks likely suffered from an undiagnosed disorder. FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, TRUMP RALLY “It was unforgettable,” Trump said during an exclusive interview clip that aired Thursday on “My View with Lara Trump.” “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got a whack. “People were screaming, and I got down quickly, fortunately, because I think they shot eight bullets.” Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles, who then served as Trump’s campaign co-chair, said she initially believed Trump had been killed. “You think the worst,” Wiles said in an interview that dropped Wednesday with Miranda Devine on “Pod Force One.” “You cannot – it’s human – you can’t think otherwise. And when he stood up, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’” Wiles recounted that, due to the immigration chart, Trump had just moved his head slightly at the time of the ambush, a key adjustment in Trump’s posture as Crooks started to fire at him. TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST “So, to have him ask for that chart, eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that was opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher, and that just doesn’t happen because it happened,” she said. “But it was a scary time, and it changed everything for us. The security became front and center, which it hadn’t been before.” The attack led to an overhaul of the Secret Service in the past year to prevent another attack like the one in Pennsylvania. The Department of Homeland Security issued a report in October 2024, which determined that if the Secret Service didn’t enact reforms, another episode like the one in Pennsylvania was possible. “The Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission,” the report said. “The Secret Service has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved.” Since then, the Secret Service has ushered in several key reforms to bolster its security measures and suspended six of its agents due to their response at Butler. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH, REACTIONS FROM INNER CIRCLE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK Trump spoke about the attempt on his life days later at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, wearing a bandage on his ear and telling audience members he was “not supposed to be here tonight.” In response, the crowd started to chant back, “Yes you are!” “Many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was,” Trump said at the convention. “When I rose, surrounded by Secret Service, the crowd was confused because they thought I was dead. And there was great, great sorrow. I could see that on their faces. “As I looked out, they didn’t know I was looking out. They thought it was over. But I could see it. I wanted to do something to let them know I was OK. I raised my right arm, looked at the thousands and thousands of people that were breathlessly waiting and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight.’” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Today, a painting depicting Trump’s fist raised with blood smeared across his face stands in the White House’s entrance hall. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital Friday that “God spared President Trump’s life by a miraculous millimeter.” “Now one year later, President Trump is standing stronger than ever as he continues to ‘fight, fight, fight’ for the American people,” Leavitt said.
Kash Patel torches ‘conspiracy theories’ about Bondi feud amid MAGA furor over Epstein files
FBI Director Kash Patel on Saturday squashed rumors of a rift inside the Trump administration’s law-and-order team, just hours before the president himself defended Attorney General Pam Bondi amid Jeffrey Epstein probe backlash. The criticism came after the FBI and Department of Justice on Sunday released a memo shutting down theories about an alleged Epstein client list, finding a tell-all document exposing his associates did not exist. Fueling the fire was a one-minute gap in a surveillance video from Epstein’s cell, which was part of the evidence the DOJ released. The review found the disgraced financier died by suicide in jail in 2019. INSIDE DAN BONGINO’S TENSE MEETING WITH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN FALLOUT Fox News reported Friday that Patel’s No. 2, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, was considering resigning if Bondi stayed on as head of the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. There were unconfirmed reports that Patel might step down as well, but he shot that down with a social media post Saturday, saying “conspiracy theories” about a potential resignation over Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files “just aren’t true.” “The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been,” Patel wrote. “It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.” Hours after Patel’s post, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express unhappiness with his follower’s reaction. Trump supporters posted videos to social media Saturday afternoon charring MAGA hats in protest. “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB,” Trump wrote. “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” FBI’S DAN BONGINO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI CLASH OVER HANDLING OF EPSTEIN FILES He went on to describe Epstein as a “guy who never dies” and shifted blame to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, and the Biden administration. “They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?” The president claimed that one year ago, the country was “DEAD,” but is now “the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. “Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,” Trump wrote. Rumors about a change in leadership were triggered by Patel’s apparent X biography change, where his title as FBI Director was removed to only read, “Fmr Chief of Staff @DeptofDefense.” 10 REASONS THE DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH OVER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP Multiple sources told Fox News Digital Bongino and Bondi butted heads at a White House meeting Wednesday, with Bongino accusing Bondi of a “lack of transparency from the start” in the Epstein files probe. The former Secret Service agent-turned FBI official allegedly raised his voice at Trump’s White House chief of staff before storming out, and has since been weighing resignation over the episode, insiders said. Bondi and Patel, however, have presented a united front. Sources close to Bondi claim she has “no intention of stepping down” and the pair are in constant communication. “Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital, emphasizing that Trump’s law-and-order lineup is working “seamlessly and with unity.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims,” Fields added. “This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.” The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ David Spunt, Amanda Macias, Jake Gibson, Ashley Oliver and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Border czar Tom Homan’s message to anti-ICE protesters: ‘You want some? Come get some’
Trump administration border czar Tom Homan fired up the crowd at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit Saturday night when a heckler asked Homan, “Are you an MS-13 member?” But the heckler’s comments added fuel to Homan’s fire as he delivered fiery closing remarks, saying, “Tom Homan is going to run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen. Take it to the bank.” “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A,” the crowd chanted as Homan exited the stage. About five minutes into Homan’s speech, he was interrupted by a heckler who was escorted out by security, lighting a fire for the rest of the speech. HOMAN ACCUSES DEMS, MEDIA OF PUSHING ‘FAKE’ STORIES ABOUT ICE AFTER AGENTS CLASH WITH CALIFORNIA RIOTERS Homan had a message to the anti-ICE protesters across the United States, including to those who gathered outside the summit in Tampa, Florida, Saturday night. “You want some? Come get some,” Homan said. “I’m tired of it. For the men and women of ICE, I deserve your respect. They’re the finest 1% this country has. And Tom Homan isn’t going anywhere. Tom Homan isn’t shutting up.” When the heckler asked Homan if he was an MS-13 member, referencing the Salvadoran transnational criminal gang that has been targeted through Trump’s deportation rollout, Homan said federal immigration officers are dealing with these types of detractors on a daily basis. BORDER CZAR HOMAN DEMANDS DEMOCRATS STOP COMPARING ICE TO ‘NAZIS’ AFTER OFFICER SHOT BY DETENTION FACILITY “This guy wouldn’t know what it’s like to serve this nation. This guy ain’t got the b—- to be an ICE officer. He hasn’t got the b—- to be a border patrol agent,” Homan continued, as the crowd cheered him on. As the heckler was escorted out, Homan added, “This guy lives in his mother’s basement. The only thing that surprised me is [he] doesn’t have purple hair and a nose ring. Get out of here, you loser.” While the crowd continued cheering Homan’s fiery speech, he assured that those protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not intimidate agents because “we’re going to do the job that President Trump gave us to do.” Homan said he has never seen “such hate against the men and women of ICE and in the Border Patrol,” and those protesting don’t have the courage to put on a badge and stand in their place. While Homan said he was disappointed he didn’t see any protesters when he arrived at the summit, protesters had lined the streets outside Saturday afternoon, rejecting Trump’s agenda and his crackdown on illegal immigration. The demonstrations on Saturday followed protests that deteriorated into riots in Los Angeles last month as rhetoric against ICE agents has reached a boiling point. Federal immigration law enforcement officers have been targeted since Trump signed his “big, beautiful bill,” which includes legislation for robust immigration reform, into law last Friday. There have been at least two ambushes in Texas, and protesters clashed with federal officers at the Portland, Oregon, ICE center. The brazen border czar had made it clear his speech might contain some profanity Saturday night, telling the crowd at the top of his remarks, “Sometimes, I’m harsh. But if I offend anybody here tonight, I don’t give a s—.” Homan also applauded Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, telling the crowd, “Under his leadership, we got the most secure border in the history of nation, and we did that in seven weeks. President Trump did in seven weeks what Joe Biden couldn’t or wouldn’t do in four years.” Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
The Doctor was in (and out): Biden’s physician invokes Fifth Amendment during deposition
Dr. Kevin O’Connor made a house call this week. Specifically to the House of Representatives. O’Connor served as President Biden’s physician. The House Oversight Committee wanted to talk to O’Connor about whether Biden was fit to serve as president. So House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., issued a subpoena for O’Connor. The doctor was in. But not for very long. After 20 minutes behind closed doors with Comer and company, the deposition concluded. Committee attorneys peppered O’Connor with questions about whether he thought former President Biden was up to the job and if he was asked to lie about the commander in chief’s health. But Comer got the same response each time. Even when committee lawyers posed a simple question, asking O’Connor if he understood the proceedings. REPUBLICANS NAVIGATE POST-VICTORY AGENDA AFTER TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ BECOMES LAW O’Connor deployed his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination each time. The committee even took the rare step of releasing a video from most of the deposition the same evening. “Most people invoke the Fifth when they have criminal liability. And you know, that’s what it would appear (to be) on the surface here,” said Comer after the deposition concluded. “The American people have a right to know the health condition of the president. Both physical and mental.” Comer observed that O’Connor’s silence “adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up.” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Tex., was the only Democrat who showed up for the deposition. Crockett just bowed out a few weeks ago from a bid to become the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee after the death of late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. “It was important to make sure that a Democrat was in the room. Because unfortunately, sometimes people like to cherry pick and make sure that they can give whatever fits their narrative,” said Crockett. But the video revealed O’Connor repeatedly citing the Fifth Amendment “on the advice of counsel.” That’s why Comer hoped to shape one narrative about the health of former President Biden. Comer also suggested the potential lengths that O’Connor was willing to go to in order to protect the former president. And perhaps himself. Crockett was incredulous at Comer’s assertions. “It’s kind of astounding to hear someone say, if you invoke the Fifth Amendment, that is only because you are guilty,” said Crockett. “(Republicans) have been very good at rallying people up and getting them emotional because they don’t fully understand some of our processes.” Crockett added that patients “have the right to confidentiality when it comes to your health care.” The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the use of the autopen by Biden. O’Connor’s lawyers say that led their client to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights. RACE AGAINST TIME: HOW CONGRESS BARELY MADE JULY 4 DEADLINE ON ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “We want to emphasize that asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege does not imply that Dr. O’Connor has committed any crime,” said his legal team. And the statement also indicated there was concern about O’Connor keeping medical information of the First Patient in confidence. “The Committee has indicated that it will demand that Dr. O’Connor reveal, without any limitations, confidential confirmation regarding his medical examinations, treatment and care of President Biden,” read the statement. “Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of a physician.” His attorneys went on to say that O’Connor could face “civil liability” and “revocation” of his medical license. Regardless, O’Connor wasn’t answering any questions anywhere. Inside the meeting room. Heading to the meeting room. Or heading home. “Will you invoke the Fifth? What about patient doctor confidentiality?” yours truly asked O’Connor as he navigated a third-floor hallway in the Rayburn House Office Building with a small coterie of attorneys. “Do you think (President Biden) was up to the job? Do you think he was up to serve?” No response. O’Connor reprised his reticence on the way out. “Did you take the Fifth because you’re trying to cover up what the President’s state was?” I asked as he departed down a Rayburn stairwell. Nothing. The statement from the physician’s counsel declared that the pact between doctors and patients “require that Dr. O’Connor refuse to testify.” This is a question which vexes even doctors who double as lawmakers. Such is the case with Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. He’s an OB-GYN. IS THE VOA, DOA? WITH KARI LAKE IN CHARGE OF THINGS, IT MIGHT BE “I can see both sides of it. I can certainly see, as a physician, you take an oath of confidentiality with every patient. If there’s a national security issue, does that outweigh that relationship?” pondered Marshall. “I would really have to think about that. I want to get a couple of consults myself and talk to some constitutional lawyers.” But aside from the Constitutional, ethical and medical questions, Democrats reverted to defending the former president. I asked Crockett if she ever perceived health problems with the president. “No. None. No. None. I had none. Now, granted, I didn’t see Joe Biden every single day. But I did have an opportunity to interact with the president. I never had a concern,” said Crockett. “He may get fumbled up by words. But that’s not anything new. And it’s not anything that (didn’t come) with age.” There had been discussion about getting O’Connor to cooperate without a subpoena. Comer contends his investigation isn’t about plowing some of the same Biden political fields explored a couple of years ago when it was thought the former president might seek a second term. This isn’t about business dealings or Burisma or “influence peddling.” But Comer is posing a legitimate question here about the fitness of a president. Any president. Regardless of what Crockett says, there are plenty of questions about Mr. Biden’s acuity and whether staff made decisions – in lieu of the president. And these questions aren’t new when it comes to presidential health. President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke during his time
Protesters clash with conservatives at Turning Point’s Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay
Protesters lined the streets outside Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Saturday afternoon, rejecting President Donald Trump’s agenda and his crackdown on illegal immigration. The Tampa Police Department (TPD) disrupted a brief scuffle between the protesters and TPUSA attendees, after they began counter-protesting and chanting “USA” to the swarm of protesters shouting about a myriad of issues. Police officers were on the scene when a conflict with counter-protesters left one protester bloody in the street. The multi-day conservative conference has featured remarks by co-founder Charlie Kirk, Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, border czar Tom Homan and Donald Trump Jr., among other conservative leaders. RILEY GAINES SAYS ‘LITERAL HUMAN FECES’ THROWN IN PROTEST OF TURNING POINT USA AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON As Saturday afternoon’s summit continued inside, protesters marched outside, chanting, “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,” and “TPD, KKK, ICE – they’re all the same.” CAR DRIVES THROUGH ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS AS CHICAGO JOINS NATIONWIDE ANTI-ICE UNREST AMID TRUMP CRACKDOWN The protesters held large signs that said, “Defeat the Trump agenda,” and one man, wearing a “public school strong” T-shirt, held a large, oversized model of a toilet paper roll over his head. Messages reading, “TP for the USA: When history gets messy, FLUSH IT” and “100% whitewashed,” plastered the protest sign, trolling the ongoing conservative convention. The demonstrations on Saturday followed protests that delved into riots in Los Angeles last month, as rhetoric against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has reached a boiling point. But the message was much broader this weekend as protesters held signs and chanted about a range of issues, from “Free Palestine” chants, rejecting the war in Gaza, to a “No ICE on campus” poster, speaking out against ICE raids targeting illegal immigrants. One woman held a sign that said, “Due process,” one of the Democratic Party’s leading arguments against Trump’s deportations. Many signs equated those attending the conservative gathering to “Nazis.” After marching outside the TPUSA summit and confronting young conservative attendees, protesters moved back to City Hall for speeches. According to the protest flier via Mobilize, the protest titled, “Turn the Tide Against TPUSA – Reject SAS 2025!” was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a student activist organization, and volunteers were organized by Indivisible. The protesters accused TPUSA of “turning our city into the staging ground for its largest youth indoctrination summit of the year … to spread an extremist agenda across schools, universities, and communities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The protesters organized to “defend LGBTQ+ & reproductive rights”, reject censorship in schools, “demand an end to deportations & U.S. aid to apartheid,” and “reject white nationalism,” according to the flier.
Trump administration’s Texas flood disaster response ‘fundamentally different’ from Biden’s approach: Noem
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday that the federal response to the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country last weekend was a good indication of the improved disaster response the Trump administration is committed to providing. Devastating floods on the Fourth of July claimed at least 119 lives, and more than 150 others are missing. Among those killed were 27 girls attending Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. “What you saw from our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President [Donald] Trump envisions what [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] (FEMA) would look like in the future,” Noem said during a news conference Saturday. “We did things in Texas, in response, very different than Joe Biden.” PRESIDENT TRUMP, FIRST LADY HEAD TO VISIT KERRVILLE, TEXAS FOLLOWING FATAL FLOODS In response to the 2023 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, the Biden administration said the chemical disaster did not meet legal requirements for a FEMA disaster declaration, waiting two weeks to deploy a team to assist. In the 2023 Maui fires, more than 100 people were killed, and historic Lahaina was reduced to rubble. Survivors were left without food, water and shelter. At the time, FEMA Administrator Michael Brown called President Joe Biden’s response to the deadly fires “an abject failure.” Slow responses and inadequate aid were also widely reported after Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina in late 2024. “I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” Trump said in January while visiting North Carolina. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.” DEADLY TEXAS FLOOD EXPOSES ‘NEGLECTED’ WEATHER ALERT SYSTEM TRUMP AIMS TO MODERNIZE Noem noted that, during the most recent disaster, federal assistance was on the ground in Texas as soon as the flooding hit. “We deployed our Coast Guard, helicopters, [aircraft] and swift water rescue teams out of Customs and Border Protection,” she said. “Our [Border Patrol Tactical Unit] (BORTAC) teams, which I like to call the Department of Homeland Security’s ninjas, are specifically trained for situations like that, where the unprecedented is happening.” After the floods, Noem said she immediately met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and spoke with him about getting a major disaster declaration signed. Within an hour or two of the request, she said, it was approved by the White House. “We pre-deployed dollars right to Texas so that they can make the best decisions responding to their people,” Noem said. “FEMA has never done that before — pre-deployed dollars to a state so that they could use that to save their people, so they could use that to go out and save lives.” Noem said the president wants the states to be empowered during emergencies. GOV. ABBOTT DEMANDS COMPREHENSIVE OVERHAUL OF TEXAS FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS AS DEATH TOLL RISES “Emergencies are locally executed,” she said. “They are state-managed and then the federal government comes in and supports you. [No one] ever wants to sit back and wait for someone from the federal government to show up and rescue you out of your house because that, in the past, has not served people well under the Biden administration. Under President Trump, Noem said, federal officials were there immediately to help local and state officials manage the response. She added her belief that FEMA “will cease to exist the way that it is today.” “We are fundamentally reforming that agency,” Noem said. “President Trump may want to, in his prerogative, as he likes to do, rename things. He may come up with a new name for this agency that reflects the fundamental change that’s going to happen there. But this agency will no longer be the bureaucratic agency where people have to wait 20 years for their claim to be paid. “It will be an agency that immediately says to that state, and to that local emergency management director, ‘What do you need? How can we support you?’ And then trains them to have the skill set that they need to be serving their people immediately, because they’re always there faster. They’re right there on the streets.” It is unclear what the new agency name might be. When asked about reports of calls to FEMA from Texas residents going unanswered, Noem said she was “throwing the bull—- flag,” claiming she did not think that was true. “I will get rid of any contract that doesn’t respond to people because they know they are empowered to do it,” she said. FEMA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump defends embattled AG Pam Bondi, says ‘nobody cares about’ Jeffrey Epstein
President Donald Trump on Saturday defended Attorney General Pam Bondi as doing a “fantastic job” after she came under fire from some Trump supporters over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social on Saturday. “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” He referred to Epstein as the “guy who never dies,” adding, “For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again.” He continued to question why people were “giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden administration.” DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP IS FLUNKING HIS MAGA BASE’S JEFFREY EPSTEIN TEST “They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?” The president said the FBI “must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein.” “LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more,” he wrote. “One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.” FBI’S DAN BONGINO THINKING OF RESIGNING AFTER CLASH WITH AG PAM BONDI OVER EPSTEIN FILES: SOURCE His comments mirrored what he told a White House reporter during a recent Cabinet meeting, in which he called the late sex criminal and financier a “creep.” “Can I just interrupt for one second?” Trump said after a reporter directed an Epstein question at Bondi. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” “This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking.… We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people are still talking about this guy, this creep?” Trump asked. “That is unbelievable.” Some MAGA supporters have criticized Bondi or even called for her resignation after the DOJ and FBI on Sunday released a joint review that ended theories about an alleged Epstein client list, concluding there was no such roster of names of the world’s elite who allegedly took part in Epstein’s history as a sexual predator. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The DOJ also concluded the disgraced financier committed suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly clashed with Bondi over her handling of the Epstein matter and has told confidantes that he may resign if Bondi remains in her post. Fox News’ Amanda Macias, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Bondi says all charges against doctor who allegedly destroyed COVID vaccines have been dropped
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that charges against a doctor accused of destroying COVID-19 vaccines and giving children fake shots at their parents’ request have been dropped. “At my direction @TheJusticeDept has dismissed charges against Dr. Kirk Moore,” Bondi wrote on X. “Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so. He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.” Moore, whose trial got underway Monday, was facing decades in prison for allegedly destroying more than $28,000 in COVID-19 vaccines and fraudulently completing and distributing hundreds of vaccination record cards. The Utah-based plastic surgeon was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023. FBI’S DAN BONGINO THINKING OF RESIGNING AFTER CLASH WITH AG PAM BONDI OVER EPSTEIN FILES: SOURCE Prosecutors say Moore and his three co-defendants ran a scheme out of Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. to “defraud the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).” On Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she was writing a letter to the Justice Department to urge it to drop charges against Moore. “This man is a hero, not a criminal,” she contended on X. “The charges were filed under Biden’s DOJ, not Trump.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also praised Moore on X in April, writing, “Dr. Moore deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!” Greene thanked Bondi on Saturday. “Thank you AG Pam Bondi for dropping the WRONGFUL charges against Dr. Kirk Moore!” she wrote on X. “We can never again allow our government to turn tyrannical under our watch. Thankfully, as soon as I told Pam Bondi about Dr. Moore’s case she swiftly moved to drop the charges against him. This is a big win!” Bondi wrote that getting the charges against Moore dropped would not have been possible without Greene, “who brought this case to my attention. She has been a warrior for Dr. Moore and for ending the weaponization of government.” Bondi’s actions come as some supporters of President Trump are calling for her resignation after the Justice Department and FBI on Sunday released a joint review that ended theories about an alleged Jeffrey Epstein client list, concluding there was no such list detailing the names of the world’s elite who allegedly took part in Epstein’s history as a sexual predator. PROSECUTORS TIED TO JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT CASES FIRED BY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: REPORTS The DOJ also concluded the disgraced financier committed suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges. Public outrage ensued after the release of a prison surveillance video that the administration used to prove that no one entered Epstein’s cell in the hours leading up to his death. The 10-hour video, though, has one minute missing, which has fueled conspiracy theories that the administration is participating in a cover-up involving Epstein’s death. “President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime. The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is also considering resigning over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files after a heated argument with Bondi this week, a source told Fox News Digital this week. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Bongino has not been seen in his office since Wednesday, a source said, adding he has yet to make a final decision about his future. Fox News’ Amanda Macias, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Meet ‘China’s man in Lima’ who jetted over to US to collect trains donated by Biden admin
A key China ally with presidential ambitions in Peru traveled late last month to California to participate in a sending-off ceremony for a batch of trains donated by the Biden administration, according to reporting by Peruvian news outlets. Peruvian outlet Justo Medio reported at the time that Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, who is rumored to be considering a run for president of Peru in 2026, was in California late last month to discuss the transport of a batch of CalTrain locomotives, which were donated to Lima by the U.S. government under the Biden administration. Nate Picarsic and Emily de La Bruyère, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), recently published a study on Lopez Aliaga’s “deep” financial ties to China through his company PeruRail, which has seen its revenue rise to over $65 million per year due to increased shipments from Minera Las Bambas, a Chinese-owned joint venture counting state-owned mining giant China Minmetals as its majority backer. The report alleged that China has been “cultivating” Lopez Aliaga for higher office in Peru in hopes of growing its mineral and battery supplies harvesting in South America. The report goes so far as to dub Lopez Aliaga “China’s man in Peru.” CHINESE EDUCATOR WITH SEVERAL CCP TIES COZIES UP TO TOP NEW YORK DEMOCRATS: ‘OUR OLD FRIEND WHO LISTENS’ “China’s mining presence in Peru is a direct boon for López Aliaga,” the report said, giving Beijing “a powerful beachhead in Peru.” The report said, “This leaves an influential Peruvian political leader aligned with and linked to China, its resource project, and the broader Belt and Road Initiative of which it is part.” In the last several years, Chinese investment in South America, and Peru especially, has significantly increased. According to NBC News, China invested $1.3 billion in a massive deepwater port in Chancay, Peru, just north of Lima. Chinese President Xi Jinping participated in the port’s opening ceremony in 2024, during which he called the port the start of China’s 21st-century maritime Silk Road, according to the outlet. FLORIDA AG SUBPOENAS CHINESE COMPANY OVER ‘COMPROMISED’ MEDICAL DEVICES THAT CAN TRANSMIT PRIVATE DATA According to Picarsic, China has also been investing heavily in Lima’s infrastructure, most notably dominating its electricity industry, all of which Lopez Aliaga has been a “linchpin” piece in moving Chinese dominance forward. Now, with Lopez Aliaga possibly entering Peru’s presidential race, Picarsic explained that this all “looks like a telltale sign of China’s handiwork.” He also called the U.S.’s donation of trains to Peru “too little, too late” to combat China’s growing influence in the region. SENATORS RICKETTS, FETTERMAN UNITE AGAINST CHINA’S QUIET INVASION OF US FARMLAND “We’re coming with a donation of some number of decommissioned rail cars. But this guy, who is in cahoots with China, who’s coming to take them and he’s taking them back to run on Chinese rail feeding into a Chinese port, helping to move goods from a Chinese mine.” Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in a train-donation ceremony last November in Lima, Peru, where he praised the project as an opportunity to “strengthen the ties between Peru and the United States” and said the trains “are not just a symbol, but the practical manifestation of possibilities – the possibilities that come when we connect to each other.” “This agreement is a testament to the strength and durability of the U.S. and Peru’s longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship,” he added. “I am so proud to have Caltrain be a member of that mutually beneficial relationship.”
Inside Dan Bongino’s tense meeting with White House officials over Jeffrey Epstein fallout
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was outraged this week during a closed-door White House meeting about the Department of Justice’s review of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case files, according to multiple sources. Bongino raised his voice during a discussion with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles before storming out of the meeting, according to two sources close to DOJ leadership. Bongino also exchanged heated words with Attorney General Pam Bondi during the meeting, and the whole ordeal has led him to consider resigning from the FBI, another source said. Another person with knowledge of the meeting disputed the characterization that Bongino yelled at Wiles or Bondi during the sitdown. However, that person agreed that Bongino was “enraged.” The source said the deputy director was angry about the Epstein memo rollout and what he viewed as Bondi’s “lack of transparency from the start.” The memo, a joint product of the DOJ and FBI, said the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case, a revelation that sparked fury among the MAGA base. The memo first appeared in Axios over the weekend, and then the DOJ and FBI published it Monday. FBI’S DAN BONGINO THINKING OF RESIGNING AFTER CLASH WITH AG BONDI: SOURCE Asked about the claim that Bongino yelled at Wiles, a White House official said it was “100% false.” Wiles is a veteran of Florida politics who led Trump’s campaign, and the president has described her as “universally admired.” The fracture in DOJ and FBI leadership spilled into the public on Friday amid fallout from the memo. The memo stated that the DOJ and FBI concluded their review of Epstein’s files and did not find any information that could lead to charges against anyone new. Despite Bongino reportedly now breaking with leadership over the memo and weighing resignation, people familiar with the matter said as of Friday that FBI Director Kash Patel and Bondi remained in communication and that Patel is happy with his job. A DOJ spokesman and an FBI spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. JEFFREY EPSTEIN DIED BY SUICIDE, DID NOT HAVE CLIENT LIST: DOJ MEMO Bongino, a former Secret Service agent with no prior FBI experience, hosted a popular podcast before Trump tapped him to serve in the No. 2 role at the bureau. On his show, Bongino repeatedly raised alarm over Epstein’s “client list,” saying “there’s a reason they’re hiding it” and that its release would “rock the political world.” But in the memo released on Monday, the FBI and DOJ said they uncovered no such list. Bongino, Bondi and Patel are all facing blowback over the Epstein files from a faction of their supporters, who say they reneged on repeated vows to open the curtain on details of Epstein’s case. Epstein, a financier who was known to engage with wealthy, well-known figures, was indicted in 2019 over allegations he recruited dozens of women, including minors as young as 14, and had sexual relations with them or sexually abused them. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of conspiring to sexually abuse minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. She has an appeal pending. The DOJ and FBI said in their memo that much of the nonpublic information related to Epstein’s case is under court-ordered seals or contains child pornography and private information about victims. 10 REASONS DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH AFTER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP Before joining the bureau, Patel and Bongino both advanced theories that the government was hiding information about the case, including a supposed “list” of unindicted sexual predators. The DOJ and FBI’s memo poured cold water on that idea by noting that the agencies found “no incriminating ‘client list.’” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that DOJ and FBI leadership, including Bongino, were in lockstep during the compilation and release of the memo. The idea that “there was any daylight” between the FBI and DOJ was “patently false,” Blanche said. Bongino was not at work on Friday because he was so upset by the fallout from the Epstein memo, sources said. One said Bongino had not anticipated the backlash from his supporters. Fox News’ David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.