President Trump's administration is reviewing whether to allow federal government contracts for Elon Musk's xAI company, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt stating today that Trump "doesn't want" such contracts. This comes as the Justice Department informed Trump in May that his name appeared in Jeffrey Epstein's files, according to The Wall Street Journal. Separately, House Oversight Chair James Comer "issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition" at the Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on August 11, 2025, with the Department of Justice cooperating to facilitate the deposition. Regarding the Epstein files, FBI Director Kash Patel has privately informed government officials that Trump's name was found within the documents, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. "When Justice Department officials reviewed what Attorney General Pam Bondi called a ‘truckload’ of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year, they discovered that Donald Trump’s name appeared multiple times," senior administration officials told The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, stated that Maxwell "looks forward to her meeting with the Department of Justice, and that discussion will help inform how she proceeds" with the congressional subpoena issued by Chairman Comer. In response to Speaker Johnson questioning Maxwell's credibility, Markus stated, "If Ms. Maxwell agrees to testify before Congress and not take the 5th—and that remains a big if—she would testify truthfully." He added that "No previous prosecutor from the Southern District of New York or elsewhere has had the courage to meet with Ms. Maxwell and ask her these important questions." Democrats have been attempting to force votes related to Epstein and Trump in multiple House committee meetings today. A federal judge in Florida denied the DOJ's bid to unseal Epstein grand jury materials, citing strict secrecy rules, though courts in New York have more flexibility due to different precedents. House Republicans are moving to establish a Jan. 6 select subcommittee, which will be led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk. This effort received direct support from Trump. Separately, Tulsi Gabbard has referred Barack Obama to the DOJ for criminal prosecution, alleging evidence shows he "led the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment." Gabbard stated there is "irrefutable evidence that detail how President Barack Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false," calling it a "coup and a treasonous conspiracy." In political news, Roy Cooper is expected to announce his Senate bid next week, a significant recruitment for Democrats in North Carolina. CPAC announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi will not attend a discussion about human trafficking due to a "torn cornea."
