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On Friday, the Attorney General designated Jay Clayton to head an investigation into political adversaries of the President and their relationships with Jeffrey Epstein. This move came just after Trump ordered her to initiate the probe.

In a statement, Bondi commended Jay Clayton as “among the nation’s top prosecutors”. She remarked, “As with all matters, the department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.”

This development appears to contradict a July memo from justice department officials which indicated that the Epstein files lacked grounds for additional investigations. As per the memo, investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”

Trump Calls for Focus on Democrats in the Epstein Case

This news comes as increasing pressure from Trump on lawmakers to resist the public disclosure of files concerning Epstein ahead of an key congressional decision next week. Many Republicans are expected to back the disclosure.

Newly public emails from Epstein have highlighted Trump’s previous connections with the convicted criminal, including information that he knew more about Epstein’s conduct than he has previously let on.

That same day, the President announced he would direct the DOJ to examine Epstein’s ties with Democrats, including prominent individuals such as Clinton, Summers, and Hoffman. Paradoxically, he also referred to the “Epstein situation” as a “deception”.

Additional Developments from Friday

• The President stated he would file a lawsuit against the British broadcaster, despite a formal apology from the media outlet. Trump claimed the lawsuit could seek between a billion and $5bn.
• Jeffrey Epstein allegedly advised former Trump aide Steve Bannon during a 2018 media campaign to defend the president’s agenda. Text messages released show Epstein’s role in advising the influencer.
• US military are planning for a divided Gaza, with a “green zone” under international and Israeli control and a “red zone” left in ruins.
• Georgia prosecutor have reopened the last remaining criminal case against the President after naming a new lead prosecutor.
• The President reversed tariff policy by reducing duties on food imports like beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas to address rising costs.
• The two nations reached a trade agreement to lower tariffs on products from Switzerland from 39% to 15%.

Other notable events included calls to protect national parks, objections of an antisemitism watchdog, and a court approval for a settlement in the Purdue Pharma lawsuit.