[EXTERNAL EMAIL) - FBI Daily News Briefing - July 21, 2025
Senator Says AG Bondi Instructed FBI Agents to Flag Epstein Files That Mentioned Trump The Washington Examiner (07/18, Hallas) reported that Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, has accused the Justice Department of ordering the FBI to "flag" files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case that mentioned President Donald Trump, with Durbin stating that AG Bondi instructed FBI agents to flag these files in February and March ahead of their promised release to the public. According to Durbin, AG Bondi pressured the FBI to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records on an arbitrarily short deadline, with around 1,000 personnel working on 24-hour shifts, and hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel were instructed to "flag" any records in which President Trump was mentioned. Durbin has called on AG Bondi, Director Patel, and Deputy Director Bongino, to answer a series of questions surrounding Trump's connections with Epstein, including why personnel were told to flag records mentioning President Trump, what happened to the flagged records, and whether there is a log of the records mentioning President Trump. Additional reporting on the story was provided by NBC News (07/18, Egwuonwu), Axios (07/18, Walker), The Daily Beast (07/18, Tomazin), Los Angeles Times (07/18, Wilner, Jarvie), The Hill (07/18, Bolton), CNBC (07/18, Mangan), Time (07/18, Popli), Forbes (07/18, Durkee), and MSNBC (07/18, Video).
Trump Administration Seeks Release OfEpstein GrandJury Records But Not Justice Department Files The Associated Press (07/19, Richer) reported that the Trump administration has asked a federal court to unseal grand jury records related to Jeffrey Epstein's case, in an effort to address criticism over the administration's handling of the case. Despite this, the administration has not committed to releasing other Justice Department files related to the case, which has sparked outrage and conspiracy theories among Trump's supporters and critics alike. NBC News (07/18, Haake, Dixon, et al.) reported that President Trump is frustrated with having to defend AG Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and wants her to take responsibility. Trump is no longer interested in taking heat for Bondi, but she is not in danger of losing her job due to her loyalty and the president's liking for her. "One thing that's been clear is his feelings about it," one White House official told NBC News. "This now resides within the DOJ." The Associated Press (07/18, Groves) also reported that House Republicans are considering a vote on a resolution related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, amid pressure from their own base for greater transparency. The resolution, which carries no legal weight, is an attempt to placate calls for transparency while also satisfying President Donald Trump, who has called the issue a "hoax". The article noted that Democrats have criticized the resolution as ineffective and are pushing for their own legislation, supported by nine Republicans, that would require the Justice Department to release more information on the case. The Rolling Stone (07/20, Wade) reported that twice reported Donald Trump's connection with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to the FBI, shining light on how the president may be mentioned in the Epstein files held by the Justice Department. Additional reporting on the story was provided by CNN (07/18, Rabinowitz), New York Times (07/18, Weiser, Broadwater), Newsweek (07/18, Whisnant), USA Today (07/18, Bagchi), Fox News (07/18, Baehr, Bream, Mears), Bloomberg (07/18, Strohm, Dolmetsch), CNBC (07/18, Breuninger), Washington Examiner (07/18, Deese), CBS News (07/18, Quinn), Washington Post (07/18, Roebuck, Berman), Axios (07/18, Walker), ABC News (07/18, Stoddart, Hutzler, Ibssa) (2), Politico (07/18, Orden, Cheney), NBC News (07/18, Grumbach, Gregorian, Rohde), Newsday (07/18, Fisher), Euronews (07/18, Fouda), Scripps News (07/18, Staff Writer), Forbes (07/18, Durkee) (2), Wall Street Journal (07/18, Ramey), NewsNation (07/18, Ramsey), and BBC (07/18, Staff Writer).
POTUS Sues The Wall Street Journal
The Associated Press (07/18, Richer, Neumeister, Colvin) reported that Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a story about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit claims the newspaper published "false, defamatory, and disparaging statements" about Trump, causing him financial and reputational harm. The Wall Street Journal story included a report on a sexually suggestive letter allegedly written by Trump, which he denies writing, and the newspaper's publisher has expressed confidence in the accuracy of their reporting and plans to defend against the lawsuit. Additional reporting on the story was provided by USA Today (07/18, Ramaswamy, Anderson, Garrison), CBS News (07/18, Watson, Walsh), The Guardian (07/18, Smith), Newsweek (07/18, Sheth, Whisnant), and The Times (07/18, Grylls, Stubley).
Joe Rogan Rips Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino for Letting Him Down on Epstein The Daily Beast (07/19, Boykin-Patterson) reported that Joe Rogan criticized Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino for not delivering on their promises to reveal information about Jeffrey Epstein. Rogan expressed frustration that, despite initial claims of having evidence, FBI leadership has failed to provide any bombshell revelations about Epstein's case. He stated: "That's why people are cynical. People are cynical because you had all this hope for change, and then you realize, 'Oh the same people that are pulling the strings are still pulling the