All posts tagged: bill clinton

Goldman Sachs’ Ruemmler to face House over Epstein ties

Goldman Sachs’ Ruemmler to face House over Epstein ties

Published by Sam Flores

FILE PHOTO: White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler listens as President Barack Obama speaks at an installation ceremony for FBI Director James Comey at FBI Headquarters in Washington, Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. Charles Dharapak | AP Goldman Sachs’ former top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler told the House oversight committee on Wednesday that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein lied to her about his conduct and used his relationships with prominent people to legitimize himself. Ruemmler said in an opening statement that she never saw evidence of ongoing criminal conduct by Epstein and would have reported him to law enforcement if she had seen signs that he was abusing women or girls. She called her decision to deal with him a mistake and said she regretted ever knowing him. “Epstein was a masterful liar, and he clearly lied to me,” Ruemmler said. She added that she now believes he used her and other “respectable people” to bolster his standing. Before entering the closed-door, transcribed interview, Ruemmler told CNBC she was “happy” to answer lawmakers’ questions about her relationship with …

Florida DeSantis Stop WOKE Act violates First Amendment, court rules

Florida DeSantis Stop WOKE Act violates First Amendment, court rules

Published by Sam Flores

Florida’s “anti-woke” law restricting how professors can teach about race and gender at public colleges and universities violates the First Amendment, a divided federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. It’s a major blow to one of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature culture war policies. The 2-1 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit keeps Florida from enforcing the higher-education provisions of the so-called Stop WOKE Act, a 2022 law DeSantis championed as part of his broader campaign against critical race theory, diversity programs and what he called “woke” ideology in schools and workplaces. Judge Britt Grant, an appointee of President Donald Trump, rejected Florida’s argument that professors’ classroom speech belongs to the state because they are paid by the government. “If the First Amendment offers any boundary of protection at all for public university classrooms, this statute crosses it,” Grant wrote. The majority said the case forced the court to address a question the Supreme Court has left open: how much First Amendment protection public university professors have when teaching. “Hearing an …

Obama Center brings Democratic politicos to Chicago ahead of elections

Obama Center brings Democratic politicos to Chicago ahead of elections

Published by Sam Flores

The Barack and Michelle Obama statue outside The Obama Presidential Center in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, May 29, 2026. Joshua Lott | The Washington Post | Getty Images The opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Thursday will be a celebration of the legacy of former President Barack Obama and his accomplishments. The star-studded event that will feature an address from Obama and performances by Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Jennifer Hudson is also expected to be the biggest gathering of donors, fundraisers and business leaders aligned with the Democratic Party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. “It’s a celebration of Obama’s historic candidacy and a celebration of the extraordinary work he did on behalf of our country,” said John Rogers, a co-founder of Ariel Investments and a long-time Obama supporter who donated to the center and will attend the opening. In addition to the nostalgia, insiders expect conversations on the sidelines between large donors, business leaders, electoral candidates and hopefuls in the next presidential cycle about fundraising and the …

Jes Staley interview about Jeffrey Epstein with House Oversight set

Jes Staley interview about Jeffrey Epstein with House Oversight set

Published by Sam Flores

Former CEO of Barclays, Jes Staley, arrives at the High Court in London, United Kingdom, on March 14, 2025. Staley is challenging his ban from the UK finance sector over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Tayfun Salci | Anadolu | Getty Images Jes Staley, the former JPMorgan Chase executive and ex-Barclays CEO, has agreed to be interviewed on about his relationship with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on July 23 by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a spokesman for the panel confirmed Sunday. The Financial Times first reported that Staley accepted the invitation for a voluntary transcribed interview extended to him three weeks ago by Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. The Oversight panel has been conducting a series of interviews with high-profile people about Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was interviewed by the committee on Friday about the Department of Justice’s handling of the release of its files about Epstein. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is …

Former Attorney General Bondi to testify about Epstein on May 29

Former Attorney General Bondi to testify about Epstein on May 29

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche arrive for a closed-door briefing for members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026. Nathan Howard | Reuters Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on May 29, the committee announced Wednesday. The panel’s majority announced the appearance the same day its Democratic members said they had begun the process to hold Bondi in civil contempt of Congress after she skipped scheduled testimony earlier this month. The committee had called Bondi in to testify on the Department of Justice’s handling of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “This is all theater and completely unnecessary. They were happy giving the Clintons a free pass for months. We have secured Bondi’s appearance for May 29,” the House Oversight committee majority posted to X, in response to Democrat’s …

10 of the best political excuses ever – POLITICO

10 of the best political excuses ever – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In the scene, the Trump ally followed an actress — who was impersonating a reporter — into a hotel bedroom, then laid back on the bed and put his hands down his trousers.  Not everything was exactly as it seemed, however, according to Giuliani.  “The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment,” Giuliani posted on social media. “At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise he is a stone-cold liar.” Rudy Giuliani pictured in December 2007. | Eric Thayer/Getty Images The lottery tickets were for my grandchildren In 2023, Didier Reynders, former European commissioner for justice and former Belgian deputy prime minister, came under investigation over allegations of money laundering. The probe centered on suspicions that he had purchased large quantities of lottery tickets and used any winnings to reintroduce “clean” money into his bank accounts. In early 2025, Belgian media reported that when a shopkeeper questioned why he was buying so many …

Howard Lutnick set for House Oversight interview

Howard Lutnick set for House Oversight interview

Published by Sam Flores

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appears at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing to examine a review of broadband deployment funding at the Department of Commerce, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 10, 2026. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is scheduled to appear May 6 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for an interview about notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC on Monday. “It’s a voluntary transcribed interview,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the appearance hasn’t yet been announced. Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said March 3 that Lutnick had agreed to the interview about the crimes of Epstein and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, but did not announce what day that would happen. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Lutnick’s scheduled appearance. Lutnick, during testimony on Feb. 10 to the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he and his family had lunch with Epstein in …

DOJ plans to release new batch of documents

DOJ plans to release new batch of documents

Published by Sam Flores

Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images The Department of Justice, which has been criticized for withholding files about Jeffrey Epstein from the public, plans to release a new batch of documents related to the notorious sex offender “fairly soon,” MS Now reported Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The development comes a day after the House Oversight Committee approved a motion to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to be questioned about the DOJ’s handling of its investigations of Epstein, and documents about him that it is required by law to release to the public. “AG Bondi claims the DOJ has released all of the Epstein files. The record is clear: they have not,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a post on X on Thursday, when she submitted that motion. “The Epstein case is one of the greatest cover-ups in American history. His global sex trafficking network is larger than what is being revealed,” Mace said. “Three million documents have been released, and we still don’t have the full truth,” she wrote. …

‘I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong’: Bill Clinton testifies in Epstein probe

‘I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong’: Bill Clinton testifies in Epstein probe

Published by Sam Flores

Bill Clinton vowed he had “no idea” of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes as he faced questions from members of Congress investigating the late sex offender’s offending. The former president was giving evidence to the House Oversight Committee on Friday over his connections to the disgraced paedophile financier from more than two decades ago. The closed-door deposition in Chappaqua, New York, marks the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress. It comes a day after Mr Clinton’s wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, gave her her own deposition to lawmakers. ‘I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,’ Mr Clinton told them as he fumed at Republicans for dragging his wife to testify when she repeatedly told lawmakers she never met Epstein. Republicans were relishing the opportunity to scrutinise the former Democratic president, who appears in the Epstein files, under oath. Republican James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, before the former president’s deposition began, said: “No one’s accusing anyone of any wrongdoing but I think the American people …

Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein: ‘I did nothing wrong’

Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein: ‘I did nothing wrong’

Published by Sam Flores

Photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department showing Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein. Date and context is unclear. U.S. Department of Justice Former President Bill Clinton was set to tell the House Oversight Committee on Friday morning in testimony about Jeffrey Epstein that “I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong” during their times flying together or socializing. “First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” Clinton planned to say during his closed-door deposition, which was underway in Chappaqua, New York. “No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos. I know what I saw, and more importantly, what I didn’t see,” Clinton said to say. “I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn’t do,” he planned to say. “I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong.” “As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown …