TRUMP REVEALS HE SPOKE TO BONGINO AMID RIFT WITH BONDI OVER EPSTEIN FILES: ‘HE’S IN GOOD SHAPE’

This forces Republicans into a corner: do they support Trump, or the MAGA base that has loudly and forcibly transformed and driven the GOP over the last few years? 

It also gives Democrats a golden opportunity to message on the fracturing of the opposing political party over the Epstein files, of which the release has evolved into a bipartisan push over the recent weeks. And they are, surprisingly, standing in solidarity with the most conservative bloc of the GOP.

“I think it makes sense that MAGA feels betrayed,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner. “He did betray them and all Americans. He promised the truth on this case. Once again, he lied.”

Several House Democratic lawmakers hope to put the GOP on record by introducing long-shot legislation to make Bondi release all the Epstein-related records. 

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) said in a post to X on Sunday that he would introduce a resolution to compel the DOJ to release the files, despite the department’s memo saying the agency had no further information to release on Epstein’s criminal activity or his death while in federal custody.

“Either [Trump] and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there! That’s why on Monday, I’ll introduce a resolution demanding the Trump Administration release all files related to the Epstein case,” Veasey said. “Put up or Shut up!”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is filing an amendment to the cryptocurrency-focused GENIUS Act that would require Bondi to “retain, preserve, and compile any records or evidence related to any investigation, prosecution, or incarceration” of Epstein, per a copy obtained by the Washington Examiner. 

Bondi would have to “release and publish” on a publicly available website within 30 days of the bill becoming law, if it makes it into the legislation. The House Rules Committee will vote on bill amendments in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. 

Given the committee’s GOP-heavy balance, 9 to 4, it is unlikely to be included in the bill unless Khanna can rally support from Republican colleagues. Veasey’s resolution is unlikely to come to the floor for a vote, though it can be an effective messaging tool if he gets any Republican co-sponsors.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dodged on Monday whether he’d allow a vote on Veasey’s resolution.

“We’ll have to talk about all that,” Johnson told reporters. “Not sure, not something I thought through because I just got to town and we’ve been inundated with everything.”

Other Democrats have come out in support of releasing the files, including speculated 2028 recruits like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and members of leadership, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Deputy Minority Whip Brian Schatz (D-HI).

Jeffries said on Monday during his weekly press conference that if Trump is “trying to hide something” related to Epstein, “then the Congress should actually work hard to try and uncover the truth for the American people.”

When asked about handling the situation, Jeffries said, “Option one, they lied for years,” or “option two, they engaged in a cover-up.”

“This is very likely exactly what it looks like,” Schatz said.

Some House Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Mike Collins (R-GA), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have also pushed for the Epstein files’ release or a more thorough investigation into his case this year.

Burchett said over the weekend that he believed the files existed at one point, but the Biden administration destroyed them. He also does not think Trump is named in the files, speculation that escalated after Elon Musk alleged it during a public spat with the president.

“I think if they’d ever had anything on Trump, it would have been out Day 1 under the Biden administration,” Burchett said, echoing a talking point from many GOP lawmakers during the Musk-Trump social media feud.

“I think there’s some very prominent people,” he added. “There’s Hollywood people. I mean, I think there’s world leaders too. And would it have caused economic disruption around the globe? Maybe. But I don’t really care. I want to bury those dirtbags.”

Luna posted on July 8 that she wanted to see the files released.

“The American people deserve to know truth ref. Epstein, regardless of who it impacts,” Luna said. 

Greene, a staunch Trump supporter and MAGA firebrand, said she thinks Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have “some explaining to do.” 

“People are absolutely not going to accept just a memo that was written that says there is no client list,” she said last week on the Real America’s Voice show, America’s Sunrise. 

MAGA influencers are warning Republicans that the handling of the Epstein files could cost the party politically. Former White House aide Steve Bannon said Republicans could lose “10% of the MAGA movement” over the case.

If we lose 10% of the MAGA movement right now, we ain’t gonna … we’re gonna lose 40 seats in ’26,” Bannon said to a live audience on his “War Room” podcast. “We’re gonna lose the president.”

Republicans don’t have 40 seats to lose in the 2026 midterm elections; in fact, Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to take back the majority. 

The split over the Epstein case is causing headaches for Trump at a time when the administration is already under scrutiny for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and the handling of illegal immigration. MAGA infighting over the Epstein files could give Democrats, who virtually hold no political power, a messaging boost as they seek to wrest control back in the midterm elections.

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“I think House Dems on Judiciary and MAGA ought to be able to find common cause in not protecting pedophiles, child abuser and traffickers,” Balint said.

‘Trump is either protecting himself or other rich, powerful men,” she added. “We know he’d previously considered pardoning [Ghislaine] Maxwell. It’s all rotten and we need to get all the relevant information released.”