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‘Our memo speaks for itself’: Bondi breaks silence on Maga furore over Epstein case
Talking to NBC Information earlier, the embattled lawyer normal Pam Bondi was in fact requested concerning the frustration from Trump’s Maga base surrounding her division’s dealing with of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
She mentioned (on a special subject):
We’re going to battle to maintain America secure once more.
We’re preventing collectively as a group. That’s what’s so essential proper now. We’ve obtained a struggle on medicine. We’ve obtained a struggle on human trafficking, we’ve obtained cartels on this nation … now we have obtained overseas adversaries round this world as effectively, and we’re all going to work collectively as a group.
Requested concerning the president’s earlier remarks that she ought to launch no matter recordsdata she thinks are “credible”, Bondi added:
At the moment, our memo speaks for itself. We’ll get again to you on anything. I haven’t seen all of his statements in the present day.
At a press convention earlier on drug enforcement, Bondi had refused to reply questions on Epstein. She informed reporters:
At the moment is about fentanyl overdoses all through our nation and individuals who have misplaced family members to fentanyl. That’s the message that we’re right here to ship in the present day. Not Epstein. Not going to speak about Epstein.
She additionally wouldn’t reply a query about Dan Bongino and whether or not he ought to keep in his function (although that has since been considerably put to mattress).
Bondi, who has confronted calls to resign from some conservatives due to the memo, together with from Bongino, additionally mentioned she has no plans to go.
I’m going to be right here so long as the president needs me right here.
Key occasions
Democrats goal Home Republicans who voted towards measure to launch Epstein recordsdata
The Home Majority PAC, which is working to elect a Democratic majority within the 2026 midterms, is attempting arduous to make a difficulty of Republicans in congress voting on Tuesday to dam a procedural movement that will have pressured a vote on a Democratic-sponsored modification to drive the discharge investigative recordsdata on the late convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, who as soon as claimed that he had been Donald Trump’s closest buddy for a decade.
The modification calling for “the total launch of the Epstein recordsdata” was launched on Monday by Ro Khanna a California Democrat.
In a press launch despatched to reporters on Tuesday, the Home Majority PAC unveiled what it referred to as “the GOP Epstein Simps Goal Record”, figuring out Home Republicans “who’ve remained complicit within the wake of the Trump administration’s push to bury the Epstein case.”
The political motion committee lists 43 Republicans it hopes to defeat subsequent 12 months, however attracts specific consideration to 5.
“For years, Home Republicans had been transfixed by Jeffrey Epstein’s community of exploitation. Nancy Mace demanded the shopper checklist, Anna Paulina Luna clamored for data, Cory Mills questioned the circumstances of his loss of life, and Scott Perry insisted that the general public has a proper to know”, the Democratic group writes.
“However now that Trump’s administration refuses to launch the checklist—claiming it doesn’t exist, releasing selectively edited footage, and stonewalling transparency—those self same Republicans don’t have anything to say. Some, like Rep. Mike Lawler, at the moment are even dismissing protection of Epstein altogether, calling it ‘nonsense’”, the assault advert within the type of a press launch provides.
The US Secret Service mentioned in an announcement that at about 11.30am native time in Washington on Tuesday:
Officers responded to a person who threw an object over the White Home fence alongside Pennsylvania Avenue. As a precaution, officers cleared the North Grounds, Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park. A navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal group responded to the scene and cleared the item. One particular person was transported to an space hospital for a psychological well being analysis.
Home speaker Mike Johnson and different Republicans name for Epstein’s confederate Ghislaine Maxwell to testify to Congress
In a collection of livestreamed interviews with the far-right podcaster Benny Johnson on Monday, Home speaker Mike Johnson and different main Republicans appeared to interrupt with the president by supporting requires testimony to congress from Ghislaine Maxwell, the previous socialite who conspired with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually exploit underage ladies.
The query to the speaker was relayed by the podcast host (who shares his final identify however is not any relation) from a viewer of the podcast’s dwell stream, who requested if there will likely be a vote in congress on having Maxwell testify.
“I’m for transparency,” Johnson mentioned earlier than including that he trusts Donald Trump and his hand-picked lawyer normal. “They’re doing an ideal job; it’s a really delicate topic, however we must always put the whole lot on the market and let the individuals resolve” Johnson mentioned. “The White Home and the White Home group are aware of details that I don’t know,” Johnson added, “however I agree with the sentiment that we have to put it on the market.”
Three of the podcast host’s visitors, senator Mike Lee and congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert additionally mentioned they supported having Maxwell testify, regardless of Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to persuade his supporters to cease asking for extra details about the investigations of his late buddy, Epstein.
After Maxwell’s arrest in 2020, when Trump was requested at a White Home briefing if he thought she was “going to show in highly effective males”, Trump he urged that he didn’t know a lot a few girl he had been photographed socializing with previously.
“I don’t know. I haven’t actually been following it an excessive amount of. I simply want her effectively, frankly,” the president mentioned. “I’ve met her quite a few occasions over time, particularly since I lived in Palm Seaside and I suppose they lived in Palm Seaside, however I want her effectively.”
Trump repeats false declare that China has just one wind farm
In a rambling set of remarks at an AI and power funding summit at Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Donald Trump veered wildly off-topic to reward two partisan, conservative reporters in attendance and made false claims about China having only one wind farm and about his uncle having as soon as taught Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
After boasting that he had made it simpler for US companies to burn coal to generate electrical energy, Trump returned to a debunked false declare he has made beforehand, about China missing wind farms.
“China makes windmills however what number of wind farms do you see in China? I haven’t seen any these days,” Trump mentioned. “It’s form of loopy, they purchase – they construct the windmills, promote them into our nation, they promote them all around the world and so they spoil their fields and spoil their valleys.”
He then imagined a dialog with China. “And then you definitely take a look at China. ‘The place’s your wind farm?’ ‘Effectively, now we have one, we’re interested by one … ” Trump mentioned.
Actually, China is the world’s largest producer of wind generators, producing greater than half of the availability, however can be putting in them at dwelling at a file tempo. Because the Related Press reported final week, to debunk Trump’s false declare on this topic at a cupboard assembly:
China has 1.3 terawatts of utility-scale wind and photo voltaic capability in growth, which may generate extra electrical energy than neighboring Japan consumed in all of 2023, in line with a report from the World Power Monitor launched final week. The report highlighted China’s offshore wind growth, calling China the undisputed chief within the offshore wind sector, although it additionally mentioned coal and fuel are nonetheless on the rise throughout China.
Trump then moved on to reward two of the journalists ready to interview him after the occasion. The primary was the New York Put up reporter Salena Zito, who has simply printed a e book concerning the tried assassination of Trump final 12 months that he took time to advertise final week.
“Now we have an ideal girl right here, Salena Zito, she’s the author, she writes on the rust belt and the midwest actually however the rust belt, something having to do with rust and belt,” Trump mentioned.
“And likewise Miss McAdams,” the president added, referring to Alexis McAdams of Fox. “The place is Miss McAdams? We’re going to do one along with her too, and she or he’s nice, with Fox. And he or she’s been improbable.”
Recognizing the Fox correspondent within the crowd, Trump addressed her straight with phrases of reward: “Rise up! Rise up! Younger and sensible and vibrant. You’ve achieved an ideal job, so I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
The president’s remarks additionally included an apparently new false declare that his late uncle, John Trump, who was an completed a professor of engineering on the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how, taught Kaczynski, the previous College of California arithmetic professor who despatched a collection of letter bombs.
Whereas Trump recounted a dialog together with his uncle about what sort of pupil Kaczynski was, there seems to be no proof that the murderous mathematician, who was educated at Harvard, ever studied with Trump’s uncle, a physicist at MIT.
Trump veered into the topic of his uncle’s scientific brilliance for a similar cause that he normally does, to recommend that he has some form of innate, genetic predisposition to grasp science.
‘Our memo speaks for itself’: Bondi breaks silence on Maga furore over Epstein case
Talking to NBC Information earlier, the embattled lawyer normal Pam Bondi was in fact requested concerning the frustration from Trump’s Maga base surrounding her division’s dealing with of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
She mentioned (on a special subject):
We’re going to battle to maintain America secure once more.
We’re preventing collectively as a group. That’s what’s so essential proper now. We’ve obtained a struggle on medicine. We’ve obtained a struggle on human trafficking, we’ve obtained cartels on this nation … now we have obtained overseas adversaries round this world as effectively, and we’re all going to work collectively as a group.
Requested concerning the president’s earlier remarks that she ought to launch no matter recordsdata she thinks are “credible”, Bondi added:
At the moment, our memo speaks for itself. We’ll get again to you on anything. I haven’t seen all of his statements in the present day.
At a press convention earlier on drug enforcement, Bondi had refused to reply questions on Epstein. She informed reporters:
At the moment is about fentanyl overdoses all through our nation and individuals who have misplaced family members to fentanyl. That’s the message that we’re right here to ship in the present day. Not Epstein. Not going to speak about Epstein.
She additionally wouldn’t reply a query about Dan Bongino and whether or not he ought to keep in his function (although that has since been considerably put to mattress).
Bondi, who has confronted calls to resign from some conservatives due to the memo, together with from Bongino, additionally mentioned she has no plans to go.
I’m going to be right here so long as the president needs me right here.
The day to date
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Mike Waltz had his affirmation listening to to change into UN ambassador, the place he mentioned he has plans to “make the United Nations nice once more”. Democrats slammed Waltz over his function in Signalgate, saying he lied about points of the leaked chat, and excoriating him for “cowardice” and appearing in a way that’s “disqualifying” for this place. Republican senators had been far much less crucial of Trump’s nominee, as an alternative confirming that his ideas and decision-making would align with the president’s Maga agenda.
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Donald Trump and Republican senator Dave McCormick are set to announce $90bn in AI and power investments at a summit at Carnegie Mellon College, close to Pittsburgh, as his administration prepares extra measures to energy the US growth of synthetic intelligence.
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The Trump administration is reportedly searching for to bar thousands and thousands of immigrants who allegedly arrived within the US with out authorized standing from receiving a bond listening to as they attempt to battle their deportations in courtroom.
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The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, mentioned that he has requested Israel to “aggressively” examine the homicide of an American citizen who was overwhelmed to loss of life within the occupied West Financial institution.
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Trump has continued to defend Pam Bondi, who has come underneath livid fireplace from the president’s Maga base, together with from FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, who returned to work yesterday and was anticipated on the workplace in the present day, days after he had threatened to stop over Bondi’s dealing with of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
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Trump mentioned he’s set to fulfill the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, throughout his upcoming journey to Scotland and refine the commerce framework agreed upon by the 2 leaders.
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The Nato secretary normal, Mark Rutte, mentioned secondary sanctions may hit international locations similar to China, Brazil and India if Russia will not be severe about peace talks to finish its struggle on Ukraine. He additionally mentioned Europe would “discover the cash” for Ukraine to proceed defending itself from Russian aggression forward of any peace talks.
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Inflation shot up in June because the impacts of Trump’s tariffs slowly began to point out in US costs.
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A bunch of Republican lawmakers complained that smoke from Canadian wildfires is ruining summer season for Individuals, simply days after voting for a serious invoice that may trigger extra of the planet-heating air pollution that’s worsening wildfires.
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A Biden-era plan to implement a gas-powered blast furnace at a metal mill in Ohio, which might have eradicated tons of greenhouse gases from the native atmosphere 12 months over 12 months and created greater than a thousand jobs, was placed on maintain indefinitely by the Trump administration.
Trump to announce $90bn in AI and power investments for Pennsylvania
Donald Trump and Republican senator Dave McCormick are set to announce $90bn in AI and power investments at a summit at Carnegie Mellon College, close to Pittsburgh, shortly.
Trump will reveal particulars of the brand new initiatives on the occasion in Pennsylvania the place McCormick is internet hosting the summit.
Dozens of business leaders are anticipated to attend, together with heads of ExxonMobil, BlackRock, Palantir and Google. Additionally anticipated are senior members of Trump’s cupboard and Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro.
We’ll deliver you any key traces right here.
Trump administration seeks to finish bond hearings for immigrants with out authorized standing
Eric Berger
The Trump administration is reportedly searching for to bar thousands and thousands of immigrants who allegedly arrived within the US with out authorized standing from receiving a bond listening to as they attempt to battle their deportations in courtroom.
The brand new coverage would apply throughout removing proceedings, which may take years, for thousands and thousands of immigrants who entered the nation from Mexico in latest a long time, in line with a report from the Washington Put up, which reviewed paperwork from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).
Such immigrants had beforehand been allowed to request a bond listening to earlier than an immigration choose, however Todd Lyons, Ice’s appearing director, said in a memo reviewed by the Put up that the homeland safety and justice departments had “revisited [their] authorized place on detention and launch authorities”. The departments decided that such immigrants “will not be launched from Ice custody”, Lyons reportedly wrote within the memo.
That new restriction, which is predicted to face authorized challenges, was issued on 8 July shortly after the Republican-controlled Congress offered Ice $45bn over the following 4 years to detain immigrants for civil deportation proceedings.
“To be clear, [Ice’s] place right here is laughable and is being rejected by immigration judges all around the US, and can quickly be dismissed by precise federal courtroom judges in habeas proceedings,” Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer and Emory College regulation professor, wrote on X in a submit that alluded to challenges towards one’s detention.
The coverage change would mark the newest important departure for Ice, which throughout Joe Biden’s presidency offered a information on how immigrants who’re detained can submit bond.
US ambassador asks Israel to research homicide of American citizen in occupied West Financial institution
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, mentioned that he has requested Israel to “aggressively” examine the homicide of an American citizen who was overwhelmed to loss of life within the occupied West Financial institution.
Family members of Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet have been calling for the Trump administration to arrest and prosecute these chargeable for his killing.
“There should be accountability for this felony and terrorist act. Saif was simply 20 yrs outdated,” Huckabee mentioned in a submit on X.
The 20-year-old from Tampa, Florida, was visiting his household in an space close to Ramallah, and was killed final week attempting to guard their farm from invaders, they mentioned at an emotional press convention in Florida yesterday.
Musallet was overwhelmed with golf equipment and bats, and died in the identical assault that killed a 23-year-old Palestinian man. Razek Hussein al-Shalabi was shot and left to bleed to loss of life, the Palestinian well being ministry mentioned.
Hasem Musallet, Sayfollah’s uncle, mentioned the settlers prevented ambulances from reaching the injured males, and {that a} brother watched Sayfollah take his final breath.
The assaults come amid a wave of accelerating Israeli settler violence focusing on Palestinians within the occupied West Financial institution – greater than 1,000 Palestinian individuals have been killed there and no less than 9,000 injured for the reason that Hamas raid into southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Trump says Bondi dealt with Epstein case ‘very effectively’
On that notice, Donald Trump has continued to defend Pam Bondi, who has come underneath livid fireplace from the president’s Maga base over the perceived lack of transparency surrounding the justice division’s dealing with of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
“The lawyer normal has dealt with that very effectively,” Trump mentioned of Bondi. “She has actually achieved an excellent job.”
Requested whether or not she had informed him if his identify appeared in a file associated to Epstein, Trump mentioned “no,” including that Bondi has “given us only a very fast briefing”.
Trump claimed that the recordsdata had been “made up” by his predecessors, although beforehand he has mentioned the recordsdata, and his allies – from the vice-president, JD Vance, to Bondi herself – have referred to as for his or her launch.
“She’s dealt with it very effectively, and it’s going to be as much as her,” Trump mentioned. “No matter she thinks is credible, she ought to launch.”
Bongino again at FBI after threatening to stop over Epstein row
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino returned to work yesterday and was anticipated on the workplace in the present day, a federal regulation enforcement supply informed NBC Information this morning, days after he had threatened to stop over a justice division memo that successfully ended the federal government’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The supply informed NBC that Bongino was anticipated to remain on in his function, however that tensions remained excessive with the FBI, justice division and White Home trying to climate the storm within the hope that the controversy may die down over the approaching days.
A supply informed NBC final week that the previous podcaster was “out-of-control livid” after the memo was made public and had gotten right into a heated confrontation with lawyer normal Pam Bondi over his frustration with how the justice division had dealt with the case.
He didn’t present as much as work final Friday and had threatened to stop until Bondi was fired, NBC Information reported.
However Trump has repeatedly backed Bondi and likewise expressed assist for Bongino over the weekend, saying they’d spoken and he sounded “terrific”.
Associated: How the Jeffrey Epstein row plunged Maga world into turmoil – a timeline
Republicans transfer to dam Democratic effort to drive launch of Epstein recordsdata
Edward Helmore
Republican lawmakers have moved to dam a Democratic effort to drive the discharge of the so-called Epstein recordsdata, a near-mythological trove of undisclosed details about the convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein on the heart of an inner political struggle amongst US conservatives.
Democrats had been urgent for an modification to cryptocurrency laws that will have pressured the discharge of data and reveals itemized in a listing of proof held by the justice division from the 2019 youngster sex-trafficking case towards disgraced financier Epstein.
Donald Trump’s lawyer normal, Pam Bondi, teased a full accounting of the Epstein proof, together with a purported shopper checklist earlier this 12 months. However 10 days in the past, she modified course when she introduced that the Trump administration had reviewed the proof, concluded that Epstein had certainly killed himself in jail, and determined to not launch the contents that the justice division mentioned included a thousand hours of video depicting youngster sexual abuse.
That set off a firestorm inside Trump’s conspiracy-minded Maga motion that the president has since tried to calm.
Democrats had weighed in on the difficulty, hoping to drive a launch of the paperwork. “The query with Epstein is: Whose aspect are you on?” California Democratic US Home member Ro Khanna, the writer of the Epstein measure, informed Axios. “Are you on the aspect of the wealthy and highly effective, or are you on the aspect of the individuals?”
Khanna promised to introduce the modification “time and again and once more”.
However Republicans on the US Home guidelines committee voted down the modification that will have allowed Congress to vote on whether or not the proof – which incorporates micro cassettes, DVDs, CDs together with one labelled “woman pics nude e book 4”, laptop arduous drives and three therapeutic massage tables in inexperienced, beige and brown – ought to be launched.
But the federal case towards Epstein, which dates again to 2005 and entails a mysterious plea deal that allowed to the financier to plead responsible to Florida state costs of solicitation of a minor, continues to problem what political hardliners on the suitable and left imagine is proof of a nefarious nexus of worldwide energy.
Trump to fulfill UK’s Starmer in Scotland to refine commerce deal
Donald Trump mentioned he’s set to fulfill the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, throughout his upcoming journey to Scotland and refine the commerce framework agreed upon by the 2 leaders.
“We’re going to have a gathering with him, in all probability in Aberdeen. And we’re going to do quite a lot of various things, additionally refine the commerce deal that we’ve made,” Trump mentioned.
Trump plans to go to each his Turnberry and Aberdeen golf properties, and formally open a brand new 18-hole golf course at his resort on the North Beach at Menie, north of Aberdeen, on a visit anticipated to final from 25 to 29 July.
Rutte: Secondary US sanctions may hit China, Brazil and India ‘very arduous’

Jakub Krupa
The Nato secretary normal, Mark Rutte, has mentioned secondary sanctions may hit international locations similar to China, Brazil and India if Russia will not be severe about peace talks to finish its struggle on Ukraine.
Talking on the ultimate day of his go to to Washington DC, Rutte additionally mentioned Europe would “discover the cash” for Ukraine to proceed defending itself from Russian aggression forward of any peace talks.
He mentioned:
“What occurred yesterday was essential. To begin with that the US will now provide, massively, Ukraine with weapons out of [the] US; not simply air defence, additionally missiles, additionally ammunition, paid for by the Europeans.
“And, secondly, that President Trump mentioned principally if Russia will not be severe about peace talks, [then] in 50 days, he’ll slam secondary sanctions on international locations like India, China and Brazil.
“My encouragement to those three international locations is … you may want to have a look into this as a result of this may hit you very arduous. Please make a cellphone name to [Russian president] Vladimir Putin and inform him he must get severe about peace talks.”
He added:
“We’ll discover the cash in Europe to ensure Ukraine is in the absolute best place as quickly as these peace talks begin.”
Abstract: Mike Waltz’s Senate affirmation listening to
In case you’re simply catching up, listed here are a number of the prime traces from Mike Waltz’s Senate affirmation listening to to change into the US ambassador to the United Nations:
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Waltz was crucial of the UN’s method to China and “antisemitism” in his opening remarks. He mentioned the UN had drifted from its authentic peacemaking targets and will return to its founding rules – “peacemaking, not nation-building”.
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Waltz additionally pledged to “make the UN nice once more”, echoing Trump’s message for revamping America.
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It took over an hour earlier than the Sign group chat leak was talked about. The leak, which occurred when Waltz was nationwide safety adviser and inadvertently added an Atlantic journalist into a gaggle chat about US strikes on Yemen, led to his removing from that function in Could and present nomination as ambassador to the UN.
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Waltz mentioned utilizing Sign was “not solely licensed, it was beneficial” for presidency and private units. He additionally repeatedly claimed no categorised data was disclosed.
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Democratic senators Chris Coons, Tim Kaine and Cory Booker had been those to press Waltz about Signalgate. Booker particularly excoriated Waltz for “cowardice” and appearing in a way that he mentioned is “disqualifying” for this place.
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Republican senators had been far much less crucial of Trump’s nominee, as an alternative confirming that his ideas and decision-making would align with the president’s Maga agenda.
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Waltz confused that the Trump administration’s diplomatic technique could be targeted on chopping prices to what he referred to as “waste, fraud and abuse which can be endemic to the UN system”.
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Democratic senator Jacky Rosen then cited that technique when asking whether or not Waltz was nonetheless on White Home payroll, regardless of being faraway from his former function months in the past, and mentioned that might be perceived as a waste of taxpayer {dollars}.
Waltz denounces UN international experiences that examined US home coverage
Earlier within the listening to, the Related Press reported that Mike Waltz confused that the Trump administration’s diplomatic technique could be targeted on chopping prices to what he referred to as “waste, fraud and abuse which can be endemic to the UN system”.
“It’s price remembering, regardless of the cuts, the US is by far essentially the most beneficiant nation on the earth,” mentioned Waltz, responding to considerations that the administration’s cuts to international applications damage US affect.
Waltz added that some UN-funded analysis and initiatives had been anti-American and acquired enter from some UN members whom the administration considers adversaries.
“The UN’s radical politicization, such experiences as ‘Stolen Native American Land’ experiences and investigations, referred to as the ‘George Floyd mechanism’, labeling American police and America systemically racist with enter from international locations like Cuba and Venezuela, is unacceptable,” mentioned Waltz.
Mike Waltz’s listening to has formally concluded.