In a recent appearance on the renowned show ‘Meet The Press’, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his substantial doubt concerning the idea of providing a pardon to Ghislaine Maxwell, notorious associate to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Currently, Maxwell is fulfilling a two-decade incarceration sentence due to her guilt in a sex-trafficking crime. Johnson voiced his opinion, ‘I consider her 20-year sentence merely a small portion of what it should have been.’ He underscored the fact that the decision of a pardon wasn’t under his jurisdiction, still accentuating his significant apprehension towards such an idea, as any sensible individual would harbor.
Another television appearance on ABC’s ‘This Week’ brought Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, into the spotlight, who claimed to still possess the backing from 12 fellow Republicans on exerting pressure towards a vote for disclosing the Epstein files on the congressional floor. ‘We are expecting the pressure to substantially intensify,’ Massie expressed. He mentioned that evading such a vote could be viewed as a political liability for the Republicans and might even lead to their loss of House majority in the forthcoming midterm elections next year.
Distinguishing himself from Speaker Johnson, Massie expressed a lack of firm opposition towards a possible presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. The preceding week, Maxwell had faced a comprehensive questioning procedure by the upper echelons of the Department of Justice. ‘As long as it aids in extracting honest testimony, I am open to whatsoever methods deemed necessary,’ Massie voiced.
President Trump had plans of engaging in crucial discussions in Scotland on this past Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. The intense shadow of an impending trans-Atlantic trade war had been looming large. However, hopes of progress being achieved through this meeting on the contentious issue of United States trade with the 27 member European Union were rekindled with the Friday announcement regarding the upcoming meeting.
In the past, various officials from the bloc expressed their strong belief about the possibility of striking a deal with the United States. They envisioned it as a way to circumvent the impending 30 percent tariffs on European goods, which President Trump had threatened to impose by the start of August. However, the White House exhibited a more cautious approach regarding the likelihood of an agreement before the aforementioned deadline. President Trump himself predicted the chances of such an outcome at being equally likely and unlikely as he departed for his visit to Scotland.
However, European delegates showed a glimmer of optimism towards the potential of an agreement which could set the tariffs to a reduced rate of 15 percent on a majority of goods, encompassing cars and car parts as well. Even though they demonstrated preparedness to retaliate in case the negotiations broke down. As the world watched the unfolding of this diplomatic dance, President Trump spent his Saturday immersed in a round of golf at his course located in Turnberry, Scotland.
The tranquil Scottish golf course wasn’t the only location buzzing with activity relating to President Trump. As the president enjoyed his game, hundreds of people took to the streets to express their opposition. Their discontent wasn’t confined to the president’s visit alone but spanned the breadth and depth of his administration’s policies mattering a range of issues including, but not limited to, immigration and the ongoing struggles in Gaza.
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