Mike Johnson calls Massie, Khanna Epstein files effort ‘reckless’

BY TARA SUTER

© AP

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Sunday called an effort from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “reckless” as controversy over the disgraced financier roils Washington.

“House Republicans insist upon the release of all credible evidence and information related to Epstein in any way,” Johnson told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.” 

“But we are also insisting upon the protection of innocent victims. And our concern is that the Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented. It does not adequately include those protections,” he added.

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Thomas Massie says Epstein controversy ‘going to hurt Republicans in the midterms’

BY TARA SUTER

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Sunday said that the current controversy over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is “going to hurt Republicans in the midterms.”

“This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms, the voters will be apathetic if we don’t hold the rich and powerful accountable,” Massie told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” in an interview alongside Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

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Ro Khanna a ‘no’ on pardoning Maxwell: ‘This is why we need the files’

BY RACHEL SCULLY

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday said Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of the disgraced late-financier Jeffrey Epstein, should not be pardoned, adding pressure to release more information from the late financier’s criminal files.

During a joint interview with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Khanna said he was growing concerned about Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meeting with Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of the disgraced financier.

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Mike Johnson on Gaza hunger crisis: 'Hamas has stolen the food'

BY RACHEL SCULLY

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the images of people, including children, starving in Gaza “disturbing and heartbreaking,” but insisted that Hamas “has stolen the food,” despite reports from the Israeli military that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid.

Johnson, during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” was shown images emerging out of Gaza of children starving and was asked about Israel’s decision to enact a “tactical pause” on the fighting amid mass starvation concerns. He noted that Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., and other Israeli officials told him that Hamas has stolen “a huge amount” of food since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.

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Non-profit director in Gaza: 'Children are literally starving'

BY RACHEL SCULLY

Gaza humanitarian director for Save the Children Rachael Cumming said that the situation for people in Gaza is “catastrophic,” emphasizing that children “are literally starving.”

“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic for children and increasingly now for adults. There is no food available in the market. Children are literally starving,” she told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” She noted that her team is “seeing an exponential line in the number of children attending our clinic,” adding that the number is expected to increase.

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Russell Vought accuses Fed of ‘fiscal mismanagement’

BY TARA SUTER

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought accused the Federal Reserve on Sunday of “fiscal mismanagement” amid tensions between the White House and the Fed.

“The President has been very clear that all he’s asking from the Fed is lower interest rates, because he thinks it’s important,” Vought said in an interview with CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.”

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