The Justice Department released more than 3 million Jeffrey Epstein records including his personal emails Friday, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche telling Fox News Digital that ‘in none of these communications, even when doing his best to disparage President Trump, did Epstein suggest President Trump had done anything criminal or had any inappropriate contact with any of his victims.’

‘During the course of our investigation, we seized years and years’ worth of Epstein’s personal emails,’ Blanche told Fox News Digital. ‘These are communications with hundreds and hundreds of individuals discussing intimate details of Epstein’s and others’ lives.’

‘In none of these communications, even when doing his best to disparage President Trump, did Epstein suggest President Trump had done anything criminal or had any inappropriate contact with any of his victims,’ Blanche told Fox News Digital Friday morning. 

Fox News Digital first obtained newly declassified emails from the Epstein case Friday morning. The Justice Department is expected to release more than 3 million pages of records from the files Friday, Blanche said. 

The new records mentioning the president largely show Epstein showing his disdain for Trump and criticizing him during his first administration.

But one email reviewed by Fox News Digital was from March 2016, between Epstein and author and reporter Michael Wolff. In the email, Wolff is encouraging Epstein to come up with an ‘immediate counter narrative’ to James Patterson’s book about him, ‘Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy.’

‘You do need an immediate counter narrative to the book,’ Wolff writes. ‘I believe Trump offers an ideal opportunity. It’s a chance to make the story about something other than you, while, at the same time, letting you frame your own story.’

‘Also, becoming anti-Trump gives you a certain political cover which you decidedly don’t have now,’ he continues.

In another email, three years later, in January 2019, Epstein writes to Wolff: ‘Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.’

In another email, in February 2019, Epstein writes a long email to Wolff, noting that (REDACTED) worked at Mar-a-Lago, and that ‘Trump knew of it and came to my house many times during that period.’

‘He never got a massage,’ Epstein writes.

Epstein then goes on to discuss a business arrangement involving Trump relating to a friend who was having ‘financial difficulty with assisted living homes.’

In another email to Wolff in January 2018, Epstein is complaining about the president, saying that he ‘doesn’t take advice,’ and that ‘his children have little experience and poor judgment.’ 

‘There are huge discrepancies re his real net worth,’ Epstein writes to Wolff. ‘Full disclosure would make it clear.’

Epstein, also in January 2018, continues mocking Trump, calling him ‘dopey Donald or demented Donald,’ and complains about his finances and acquisitions and relationship with Deutsche Bank.

Meanwhile, in emails between Epstein and Thomas Landon of The New York Times in January 2018, Landon asks if Epstein still is in touch with Wolf, who had published his book ‘Fire and Fury’ about Trump.

‘Yup,’ Epstein replies.

Landon writes: ‘Have to say, he is looking/sounding increasing unhinged—Are you tempted to take any money off the table in the markets?’

‘No. But no question Donalds statement is goofy,’ Epstein replies. It is unclear which Trump statement he is referring to. ‘Early dementia?’

Landon replies: ‘You be judge—wasn’t here a time when he at least completed sentences?’

Epstein writes back: ‘No, he was always stupid.’

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced Wednesday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison will testify under oath next month as part of a congressional investigation into a massive fraud scandal involving the state’s welfare programs.

Walz and Ellison will testify at a hearing on ‘Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part II’ on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 10 a.m. EST, the committee says.

Walz, who said this week he is not running for political office again, has become the public face of the fraud scandal which exploded under his watch and could total as much as $9 billion of taxpayer funds, according to prosecutors. 

‘Americans deserve answers about the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs that occurred on Governor Walz’s and Attorney General Ellison’s watch. The House Oversight Committee recently heard sworn testimony from Minnesota state lawmakers who stated that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison failed to act to stop this widespread fraud and retaliated against whistleblowers who raised concerns,’ Comer said in a press release. 

‘We look forward to questioning Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison under oath about this scandal to ensure transparency and accountability for the American people, and to advance solutions to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse and impose stronger penalties on those who defraud taxpayers.’

The House Oversight Committee launched its investigation in December 2025 after federal prosecutors uncovered what lawmakers say is extensive fraud and money laundering across Minnesota’s social services system. According to the committee, criminals have stolen an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer funds intended to feed children, support autistic children, house low-income and disabled Americans, and provide healthcare to vulnerable Medicaid recipients.

As part of the probe, Comer has demanded documents and communications from Walz and Ellison related to the alleged fraud. He has also requested that the U.S. Department of the Treasury provide all relevant Suspicious Activity Reports, or SARs, and ordered transcribed interviews with current and former Minnesota state officials. Those interviews are scheduled to conclude in February.

The investigation gained new momentum in January after the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor released a report finding that the Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Administration failed to comply with most requirements and lacked adequate internal controls to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

On Jan. 7, the Oversight Committee held the first hearing in the series, where Minnesota lawmakers testified about what they described as years of ignored warnings and systemic failures.

Ellison’s role and alleged lack of oversight in the developing fraud scandal has raised questions as well, including over a 2021 audio recording of him meeting with members of the Somali community who would soon be convicted of defrauding millions of dollars in taxpayer money.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz and Ellison’s office for comment.

The Senate has a deal to fund the government, but Republican anger over the nature of the deal, earmarks and what changes could come to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) derailed its progress Thursday night. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump agreed to strip out the much-maligned DHS funding bill from a broader, six-bill funding package, and instead fund the agency with a two-week continuing resolution (CR), while lawmakers haggled over tweaks to the bill. 

Even though there is a deal backed by the White House that has key Democratic buy-in, there will still be a partial government shutdown this weekend, given that the House must weigh in on the package. 

Toward the end of the night, Republicans had blasted through hold after hold, amendment request after amendment request, but one lawmaker stood in the way: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Without his buy-in, the package couldn’t move forward.

Graham told reporters as he walked into Thune’s office late Thursday night that the package was a ‘bad deal.’ 

He was angered by the treatment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Graham argued that ICE agents ‘are not infallible, but I appreciate what they’re doing. I’ve never been more offended than I am right now by what’s being said about these folks.’

Graham was just one of many Senate Republicans who were not unified in their view of the deal or the underlying original package, which failed a key test vote Thursday afternoon — seven Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to spike it.

Once the deal crystallized and Trump publicly announced his support of it, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and his leadership team went to work trying to quell resistance among their ranks Thursday night, but to no avail. 

‘Tomorrow’s another day, and hopefully people will be in a spirit to try and get this done tomorrow,’ Thune told reporters as he left the Capitol Thursday night.

Typically, when a package like the Trump-backed proposal is rushed to the Senate floor, it goes through what’s known as the hotline process in the Senate. That allows lawmakers to weigh in with approval, concerns, requests for amendments or, in some cases, outright block the package from moving forward. 

Sources familiar with Senate Democrats’ planning told Fox News Digital that as of Thursday night, their side of the aisle had not started the process as they waited for Senate Republicans to figure out their next move.

Part of the DHS funding bill included a repeal of a controversial provision that allowed senators whose phone records were subpoenaed during former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost probe to sue for up to $500,000 for each infraction.

Graham has been a strong proponent of the provision, scuttling several attempts by Senate Democrats to repeal it over the last few months. 

When asked if his hold was related to its expected repeal, Graham said no and noted that he had reached an agreement with the Senate Ethics Committee that wouldn’t allow him to financially gain from a lawsuit.

‘We can find out a way forward, but not this way,’ Graham said.

House conservatives are mounting a push that could extend the looming partial government shutdown if the Senate does not accept a key election integrity measure backed by many on the right.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital on Thursday evening that she and a ‘handful’ of House Republicans are pushing to get the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act added to the spending compromise that’s expected to pass the Senate and be sent to the House on Friday.

The legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and passed the House in April 2025, would require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.

‘I know for a fact that if the SAVE Act is a standalone vote in the Senate, just like every other good piece of legislation, it’s going to die,’ Luna told Fox News Digital.

She declined to say how many House GOP lawmakers supported her effort but said, ‘It’s definitely a number that’s big enough to completely halt all floor proceedings.’

‘There’s some Republicans that are just straight-up coming out saying, ‘We’re going to basically be with Luna, and we will not be voting for any piece of legislation, specifically on these appropriations, that does not include the SAVE Act because of the fact that we know it’s not going to survive in the Senate,” Luna said.

Rep. William Timmons, R-N.C., who is also backing the effort, told Fox News Digital, ‘If the Democrats can play this game and shut the government down yet again, I think that we need to hold their feet to the fire.’

‘The American people want us to do our job. Government shutdowns are terrible, and so if [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.] is going to shut the government down, I think it’s appropriate to…say this is your shutdown, and here’s the way to reopen,’ Timmons said.

The push could cause complications in the House, which is expected to consider the Senate’s federal funding compromise early next week.

Senate Democrats walked away from a bipartisan deal to fully fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2026 amid fallout over President Donald Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement in Minneapolis.

Federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in the Midwest city during separate demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown. In response, Democrats threatened to hold up a massive federal funding bill that also includes dollars for the departments of War, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation and others unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was stripped out.

The deal reached would fund all but DHS through Sept. 30, while funding DHS with a two-week extension of current spending levels to give Congress time to hash out a compromise that would include stricter guardrails on immigration enforcement agencies under the department’s purview.

With some conservatives already complaining about the deal, it’s likely that Democratic support will be needed to pass the legislation back in the House.

It’s not clear if attaching the SAVE Act to that package will alienate Democrats, however.

On the other side, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will need nearly all Republicans to move in lockstep for the package to survive a procedural hurdle called a ‘rule vote.’ It’s a House-wide test vote of sorts that allows for debate and final consideration of a measure, but normally falls along party lines.

Luna would only need a small group of Republicans to tank the rule, which could extend the partial shutdown that’s already expected to happen beginning Feb. 1.

House GOP leaders could sidestep the rule vote altogether, however, by putting the bill up under suspension — a mechanism for fast-tracking legislation in exchange for raising the threshold for passage from a simple majority to two-thirds.

‘I don’t think that they would do that. I mean, that would be really problematic for them,’ Luna said.

But if successful, the bill would have to be sent back to the Senate for another vote.

House Republicans are breaking fundraising records as they build resources to defend their razor-thin majority in November’s midterm elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is the campaign arm of the House GOP, on Friday highlighted its robust fundraising last year, as well as ‘record’ hauls by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

The fundraising surge is much needed, as Republicans face a rough political climate due to persistent inflation, which is fueling President Donald Trump’s negative approval ratings. And as the party in power in the nation’s capitol, the GOP is also up against traditional political headwinds in the midterms.

The Trump administration and Republicans are also facing political backlash following the fatal shootings this month by federal enforcement agents of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota who were protesting the government’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration.

Democrats, meanwhile, are energized following their ballot box successes last year as they rebound from their 2024 election setbacks and need a net gain of just three House seats in the midterms to capture the majority.

The NRCC showcased that it raked in $117.2 million last year, their best-ever off-election year haul other than 2021, when Democrats controlled the White House and Congress. The fundraising figures were first reported by Axios.

The committee also highlighted that Johnson brought in over $82 million for House Republicans in 2025, the most money ever raised in one year by a House speaker.

The NRCC also noted that Scalise’s $35.5 million haul marked his strongest off-year fundraising performance, and that Emmer brought in nearly $30 million, a record.

And the committee also noted that the Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network, the top two outside political groups aligned with the House GOP, combined raked in a record $136 million.

‘House Republicans are building an unprecedented war chest because voters are buying what we’re selling. We’re all in on growing the majority, and our fundraising numbers prove we have the resources to win across the map,’ NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella emphasized in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has yet to announce their fourth quarter fundraising figures.

But DCCC spokesperson Justin Chermol highlighted, ‘No amount of money can rescue this hopeless, directionless, and extreme House Republican majority.’