After showdown with Greene, Trump OKs Republican vote to release Epstein files - National & International News - MON 17Nov2025 -

After showdown with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump tells Republicans to vote to release Epstein files.

US to label alleged Maduro-led Venezuelan “cartel” as terrorist organization.

Trump reverses course, urges Republicans to vote for Epstein files release

Yesterday, President Trump posted on TruthSocial calling on House Republicans to vote ‘yes’ on a resolution calling for the Department of Justice to release all its files on the late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In his post, Trump referred to the Epstein scandal as a “Democrat Hoax” and declared “we have nothing to hide”.

The abrupt about face came after several House Republicans had already signaled they would be voting to release files this week. This would have put Senate Republicans and potentially Trump himself in the awkward position of having to vote against the release or veto it. The vote may now take place as soon as tomorrow.

Back in July, the DOJ essentially declared the Epstein case closed. This announcement was heavily criticized by the public who saw it as a cover-up to protect prominent individuals connected to Epstein. Since then, Trump has been fighting against a bipartisan push to release all the files.

Why change his mind now?

Trump went to war on social media with one of his most prominent and loyal surrogates, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Greene has long been a strong proponent of releasing the files and prosecuting anyone found to have committed a crime.

On Friday, NBC published an interview in which Greene questioned whether Trump was living up to his “America First” promises. Soon after, Trump posted on TruthSocial that he was withdrawing his endorsement of Greene. Greene then fired back on Twitter, saying it was “astonishing” how hard Trump was fighting against releasing the Epstein files and claiming that was the source of their rift.

Greene has since suggested that Israeli officials were pressuring Trump to not release the files. Epstein had well-documented ties to prominent Israeli political figures and potentially to some Israeli spies.

Greene bucking Trump on this issue signaled a growing unease among Republican members of both chambers. Recent polling shows an overwhelming bipartisan consensus among Americans that Trump has handled the Epstein matter poorly and that all the DOJ’s files should be released. Reportedly, at least 100 Republicans in the House were set to defy Trump by voting in favor of the resolution to release the files. Such a huge defection would not have looked good for Trump.

Even if the resolution goes through and makes it to Trump’s desk, the DOJ’s recent decision to re-opening the Epstein case to target prominent Democrats may give them an excuse to withhold some of the most sensitive material.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) calls on Harvard to sever ties with its former president Larry Summers after Epstein ties revealed.

Greene blames Trump for inciting threats against her and her son.

Rubio: US to label alleged Maduro-led Venezuelan “cartel” as terrorist organization

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that the US would label the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns) as a terrorist organization. The US alleges that the Cartel of the Suns is led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his generals. However, many experts believe that the Cartel of the Suns doesn’t even exist.

Rubio’s declaration is the latest in an escalating pressure campaign on Maduro, which has included dozens of US military strikes on boats allegedly used by narcotraffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to Trump administration officials, Rubio is the driving force of the campaign against Maduro within the White House. Since May, Rubio has also been serving as Trump’s interim National Security Advisor, giving him outsized influence within the administration.

However, despite Rubio’s hawkish stance, Trump signaled he may be seeking a diplomatic off-ramp. The same day Rubio announced the terror designation, Trump told reporters he was considering talks with Maduro. US officials also say that Trump has not yet approved plans for a land invasion of Venezuela.

The White House has received an unusual amount of bipartisan pushback from members of Congress who are concerned about the administration’s legal justifications for the boat strikes. Last week, the UK announced it was pausing intelligence sharing with the US in the Caribbean, indicating that the British government also believes the boat strikes are illegal.