House Speaker Mike Johnson Questions Possible Maxwell Pardoning
In a recent appearance on ‘Meet The Press’, the esteemed House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced serious reservations concerning the possible pardoning of Ghislaine Maxwell, who has long been known as the associate of the discredited financier, Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is currently in the throes of a two-decade prison term due to her conviction on sex-trafficking charges. Johnson put forth his opinion candidly, claiming that the severity of the crimes completely justified the sentence, even going so far as to suggest that 20 years was relatively lenient. The possibility of a pardon was a concept that he regarded with a high degree of skepticism, opining that any rational individual would share his hesitations.
In a parallel televised discussion on ABC’s ‘This Week’, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a key figure in the Republican party, assured viewers that he still had 12 dependable Republican advocates backing his cause to instigate a vote in the House pertaining to the disclosure of the Epstein documents. In his view, the mounting momentum will eventually lead to a vote. Should the Republicans attempt to shy away from such responsibility, he warned, it could spell detrimental consequences for their party’s future prospects including the loss of the House majority in the ensuing midterm elections.
Massie made clear that while he was opposed to the idea of pardoning Maxwell, he had no objections per se to a prospective presidential pardon for her. This statement came after Maxwell was questioned by high-ranking figures within the Justice Department in the week prior. Unveiling his stance, Massie articulated his support for whatever course of action would encourage honest testimony – it mattered little to him what form this action took.
Ahead of President Trump’s deliberations scheduled on Sunday in Scotland, speculative voices echoed a looming detrimental trans-Atlantic trade dispute. He was set to meet with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. With their rendezvous being confirmed on Friday, expectations rose high that Trump’s visit might yield forward movement on the contested matter of U.S.’s trade relationship with the expansive European Union, which comprises 27 nations.
Following a series of communications, the bloc’s officials began to demonstrate their belief that the possibility of reaching an understanding with the U.S. before the stipulated deadline seemed feasible enough to ward off the punitive 30% tariffs on European imports that President Trump threatened would be activated on the 1st of August.
However, an air of cautious optimism wafted from the White House. While still harboring hope for a resolution ahead of the deadline, they refrained from asserting any definitive outcomes. In fact, even the President himself, as he jetted off for Scotland, estimated an even 50-50 probability of brokering a worthwhile deal.
The European officials, however, are anchoring their hopes on an agreement that could see tariffs established at 15% specifically on a multitude of goods such as cars and their constituent parts. They have, however, communicated their readiness to fight back should the negotiations fall through, suggesting that the trade relations between the two entities remain tense and unpredictable.
Saturday saw President Trump escape his administrative duties temporarily for a round of golf at his widely renowned Turnberry course in Scotland. Outside the confines of the course, though, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Britain, publicly decrying Trump’s presence in the country. Their grievances were wide-ranging, focusing on various contentious policies implemented by his administration, ranging from their approach to immigration to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, amongst numerous other concerns.
