Bondi Discloses Inquiry into President's Opponents and Epstein Ties

On Friday, Pam Bondi appointed interim US attorney Jay Clayton to head an investigation into opponents of Donald Trump and their links with the late financier. This move came hours after Trump instructed her to begin the investigation.

In a statement, Bondi commended Clayton as “among the nation’s top prosecutors”. She remarked, “This case will be addressed with speed and honesty to ensure public transparency.”

This development contrasts with a July memo from federal authorities which indicated that documents related to Epstein did not warrant further inquiries. As per the memo, authorities “lacked sufficient evidence to pursue cases against other parties.”

Trump Calls for Focus on Political Opponents in the Epstein Case

This news comes as growing demands from Trump on lawmakers to block the public disclosure of Epstein-related documents ahead of an upcoming House vote in the coming days. Several lawmakers are expected to support the release.

Newly public emails from Epstein have brought attention to the president’s past involvement with the convicted criminal, revealing details that his knowledge of Epstein’s behavior exceeded prior admissions.

On Friday, Trump announced he would direct the Department of Justice to examine Epstein’s ties with Democrats, specifically naming Bill Clinton, Larry Summers and Reid Hoffman. Interestingly, he also referred to the “Epstein situation” as a “deception”.

Additional Updates from Friday

• The President announced he would take legal action against the British broadcaster, despite a formal apology from the network. He claimed the legal case could seek between a billion and $5bn.
• Jeffrey Epstein allegedly advised former Trump aide Steve Bannon during a pro-Trump effort to defend Trump’s policies. Communications released detail Epstein’s involvement in advising the influencer.
• US military are planning for a partitioned Gaza, with a “green zone” under joint military oversight and a “red zone” unreconstructed.
• State officials have revived the last remaining criminal case against Trump after appointing a replacement attorney.
• Trump reversed trade measures by reducing duties on food imports like various food items to combat inflation concerns.
• The two nations reached a trade agreement to reduce tariffs on products from Switzerland from 39% to 15%.

Additional developments included calls to protect national parks, criticism of an antisemitism watchdog, and a court approval for a settlement in the Purdue Pharma lawsuit.