Morning Joe counts down the Top 12 Trump administration controversial moments of 2025.

Morning Joe counts down the Top 12 Trump administration controversial moments of 2025.

https://freepressokc.com/new-doj-docs-suggest-deeper-trump-epstein-link/
Published Dec 25, 2025 – Merry Christmas Donald! đ
WASHINGTON â The U.S. Department of Justice early Tuesday released thousands more files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with several referencing President Donald Trump.
The latest trove â which features nearly 30,000 more pages of documents related to Epstein â includes a note implicating Trump purportedly written by Epstein that the department later declared to be fake and an email from a prosecutor claiming Trump flew on Epsteinâs private jet more times than previously reported.
In a social media post announcing the Tuesday release, the department issued a blanket denial that Trump was involved in Epsteinâs crimes, saying the evidence included in the files was discredited.
âSome of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,â the post said.
The agency added âthe claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.â
The department has faced backlash for its piecemeal rollout of the files beginning Dec. 19, despite a legal mandate to release the full set on that date.
Trump had a well-documented friendship with Epstein, but has maintained he had a falling out with the disgraced financier and was never involved in any alleged crimes.
A 2020 email from an assistant U.S. attorney in New York says flight records indicate that Trump âtraveled on Epsteinâs private jet many more times than previously has been reported.â
The email notes that Trump was âlisted as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996â and that this includes âat least four flightsâ on which Epsteinâs accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell âwas also present.â
The files also include a letter that Epstein appeared to have sent to convicted serial sex offender Larry Nassar in 2019 but that the Justice Department declared to be âfake,â pointing to several discrepancies.
The Justice Department said the handwriting did not match Epsteinâs, noted it was postmarked after his death in Northern Virginia, not New York, and did not include Epsteinâs jail name or inmate number â a requirement for outgoing mail.
The department said the âfake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual.â
The letter, which appeared to have been sent from Epstein to Nassar, a disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor, said Trump shared their interest in young girls.
The letter was postmarked Aug. 13, 2019, just three days after Epstein died in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
Another email in the Tuesday release references more potential co-conspirators, according to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Schumer called on the Justice Department to release more information on a note he said indicates the DOJ âwas looking into at least ten potential Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirators.â
The New York Democrat said the department âneeds to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute.â
He added: âProtecting possible co-conspirators is not the transparency the American people and Congress are demanding.â
The Justice Department has faced heat for opting to release the files in batches instead of adhering to the congressionally mandated full release of the files by mid-December.
The requirement comes from a bill Trump signed into law in November, which requires the agency to make publicly available âall unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJâs possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,â including materials related to Maxwell.
The measure â co-sponsored by GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California â gave the department 30 days after the bill was enacted into law to release the files, or Dec. 19.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yj4yvx80do
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) released its latest – and largest – tranche of files on Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday.
The 11,000-plus documents continue a stream of released information that began on Friday, the deadline mandated in a law that required the department to publicly release all of its investigative files into the late convicted sex offender.
Many of the documents released on Tuesday were redacted with names and information blacked out, including names of people who the FBI appears to cite as possible co-conspirators in the Epstein case.
The DoJ is facing criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle over the amount of redactions in its files. The new law specifically states that redactions can only be done to protect the identity of victims or active criminal investigations.
US President Donald Trump’s name appeared more in these new documents than in previous releases. Many were media clippings that mention him, but one notable email from a federal prosecutor indicated that Trump flew on Epstein’s jet.
The DoJ has said that some files “contain untrue and sensationalist claims” about Trump.
Being mentioned in the Epstein files does not indicate wrongdoing. The BBC has requested comment from individuals named in our reporting.
Of the thousands of pages included in this latest release, one 2001 email sent by a person identified as “A” stands out.
The message, to Epstein’s accomplice and close associate Ghislaine Maxwell, says that “A” is at “Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family”.
“A” then asks Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for sex trafficking of minors and other offences: “Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?”
In another email sent later that day, Maxwell writes back: “So sorry to dissapoint [sic] you, however the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends.”
The “A” email was sent from the address abx17@dial.pipex.com, with the sender’s name shown as “The Invisible Man”.
An image from a prior Epstein files release showed a different, but similar, email – aace@dial.pipex.com – listed in Epstein’s phone book under a contact titled “Duke of York”.
Another exchange in the new files between Maxwell and “The Invisible Man” discusses a trip to Peru.
In October, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lost use of his Duke of York title following scrutiny over his links with Epstein.
He has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, and said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his [Epstein’s] arrest and conviction”.
The BBC has contacted his team for a response.
Desi Lydic tackled the biggest stories from 2025, including presidential awkwardness at Jimmy Carter’s funeral, Trump’s pay-to-stay Gold Card scheme for immigrants, MAGA’s grievance against the first American pope, right-wing stanning for Sydney Sweeney amid her jeans ad controversy, and more. #DailyShow #DesiLydic #2025

Trump’s been extra busy this year with his corrupt and chaotic handling of DEI, immigration, the trade war, SNAP benefits, foreign bribes, and more, but Jon Stewart managed to sum it all up with one big, beautiful word: Bulls**t! #DailyShow #JonStewart #Trump #2025
Keith Edwards discusses growing calls from Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi accountable over the DOJâs handling of the Epstein files. He explains why Senator He pushes back on Tim Kaine saying impeachment talk is premature.
“we can affect their travel budget” — are you kidding me?
#TimKaine #isAnIdiot #shouldBePushedOutOfOffice #FTK
President Trump (James Austin Johnson) interrupts the season finale of survivor for an address to the nation on his renaming the Kennedy Center and the released Epstein files.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like the Trump claiming there have been âzero illegal aliensâ allowed into the country in the last seven months.
Keith Edwards discusses viral claims that newly released Federal Bureau of Investigation files exposed an unredacted encounter between Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and a minor.
#trump with a (purported) #14yearoldgirl
When Donald Trump cancels Christmas, sends ICE to the North Pole, and bulldozes Santa’s workshop to build his new Trumpmas Ballroom, Santa and friends must escape Alligator Elfcatraz and bring joy back to the world. Can they stop Trump before he overstuffs Santa’s sack with his big bribin’ ball? Will we ever learn the naughty names on the top secret Elfstein List? Does the special have a Celebrity Christmas Narrator? Yes! It’s Jolly Ol’ Nick Offerman, in COLBERT’S CANCELED CHRISTMAS: THE LAST NOEL!
President Trump’s pointless primetime speech disappointed even his most ardent fans, the DOJ is required by law to release the Epstein Files on Friday, and the Academy Awards will move to YouTube starting in 2029.
Jimmy closes out the year with our final show of 2025 and sends his appreciation and love to everyone who has supported the show, Trump offered his end-of-year message last night in prime time, he was shouting and racing through the script for eighteen minutes, tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, Trump took a victory lap over the unanimous vote to change the name of âThe Kennedy Centerâ to âThe Trump Kennedy Center,â RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz are finally putting a stop to something that almost never happens, it appears that Republicans in Congress are going to let Obamacare subsidies expire at the end of this month, and the Chanucorn returns with a new boy band!!!
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/19/us/epstein-files-release
The material includes thousands of documents related to past investigations of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as hundreds of images. Some depict politicians, pop stars and royals; others show women whose faces have been redacted.
An initial review of a trove of government files and photographs related to Jeffrey Epstein and released by the Justice Department on Friday produced new images, old investigative files and more questions about a scandal that has dogged the second Trump administration.
The full significance of the latest disclosure of the Epstein files was unknown, given the volume of the material and the Justice Departmentâs acknowledgment that it had chosen to withhold many more documents, citing the privacy of victims and an ongoing investigation. Given the incomplete picture â as well as the huge public interest in Mr. Epstein, his crimes and those who traveled in his orbit â the release is as likely to revive the furor over the so-called Epstein files as quell it.
New York Times reporters are sifting through the material and providing updates and analysis.
The latest release of Epstein material was mandated by an act of Congress, which set a deadline of midnight Friday. Though Republican leaders worked for months to stop the legislation, it passed the House and Senate nearly unanimously in November and was then signed by President Trump. Mr. Trump had opposed any release of new information for months and had pressed Republicans to block the bill requiring it. But, facing a revolt among his supporters, he reversed himself and urged its passage.
The files made public on Friday appeared to include only rare mentions of Mr. Trump, but they did feature numerous photographs of people known to have associated with Mr. Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton; Mr. Epsteinâs longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell; Prince Andrew of Britain and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson; and celebrities, journalists and musicians like Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and Diana Ross.
The context of the photographs, the locations where they were taken and their connection to Mr. Epstein was frequently unclear.
Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said Friday that the Justice Department had planned to release âseveral hundred thousandâ Epstein-related documents from its investigative files. But he also said the government would hold back an unknown amount of material while its lawyers continue to comb through it.
In a letter to members of Congress obtained by The Times, Mr. Blanche said that the Justice Department had identified 1,200 names of victims of Mr. Epstein or their relatives, and that its lawyers needed more time to redact or withhold materials that could reveal their identities.
In the letter, Mr. Blanche promised the release of more documents over the next two weeks, and said the Justice Department âwill inform Congress when that review and production are complete by the end of this year.â
Hereâs what else to know.
Document review:Â A preliminary review by Times reporters suggests that much of the Epstein materials derive from three investigations into his interactions with young women and girls: an initial inquiry opened by the police in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2005; a subsequent investigation conducted by federal prosecutors in Florida that ended in 2008 with a plea deal for Mr. Epstein; and a final inquiry by prosecutors in Manhattan in 2019 that was never resolved because he died in prison while the case was proceeding.
Focus on Clinton:Â The documents appeared to focus heavily on Mr. Clinton, at a time when Republicans are trying to shift public attention from Mr. Epsteinâs friendship with President Trump. Dozens of photos released on Friday include one of Mr. Clinton in a hot tub and another showing him swimming in a pool with Ms. Maxwell. Mr. Clinton is one of the few people whose faces were not redacted, along with Mr. Epstein himself and Ms. Maxwell.
Epstein and Trump: White House officials have acknowledged that Mr. Trump appears in the Epstein files, and his name appeared in a trove of emails released in November. But his name is rarely mentioned in Fridayâs release, and most of the photos in which he appears were already public, including shots of him and his wife, Melania, with Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell.
All of the major networks agreed to air President Trump’s surprise primetime address, the president confused White House partygoers with his telling of the Hanukkah story, the U.S. appears ready to attempt regime change in Venezuela, and New York City is bidding farewell to one of the quirkiest mayors the Big Apple has ever seen.
We had a surprise national address from Donald Trump tonight, former special counsel Jack Smith testified that his team gathered âpowerful evidenceâ to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump broke the law, Trump has been spending his time putting up plaques on the White House insulting and trolling other Presidents, there was a Senate hearing this morning about the little incident with the FCC that got us an unwanted vacation a couple of months back, Ted Cruz took the opportunity to call Jimmy âprofoundly unfunny,â the new footage from the soon-to-be released documentary about Melania came out today, the Oscars are now moving to YouTube starting in 2029, and we sent Mark Hamill out to Hollywood Blvd to stand on his star and see who noticed and who did not!
This last weekend was one that made you wonder if things will ever feel good again after a tragic shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia, a heartbreaking school shooting at Brown University and the murder of one of our greatest directors and patriots Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, instead of compassion and leadership from our President we got a hateful and vile post from a fool rambling about nonsense, Trump spent a Christmas celebration at the White House talking about snakes and how much Melania loves her son, Trump made history becoming the first sitting President to NOT know how to toss a coin, and Michelle Obama helps spread Christmas cheer by surprising an incredible family taking their holiday photo.
#trumpDementia #peru #perusnakes #TrumpSnakes #trumpboomwhapwhapwhap #fangs #blackmamba #vipers
President Trump kicked off his holiday celebrations with a speech about Peruvian vipers and the announcement of his latest building project, Miriam-Webster declared “slop” the word of the year, and Stephen checks in on a hard-partying furry friend.
OR, is this Merriam-Webster’s “theme” for the year? đ
(Sloppy spelling….)
This Trump speech has to be the most painful I’ve seen…
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like Trump saying the potential Netflix and Warner Bros. merger “could be a problem.”
President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) hosts a press conference aboard Air Force One.
Jon Stewart weighs in on Trump contradicting his phony FIFA Peace Prize by cracking down on Venezuela. Ronny Chieng covers Trump’s petty change to free-entry days at national parks, a $12 billion bailout for farmers, and Sean Duffy’s pitch to improve airports via pull-up bars. Desi Lydic dives into Trump’s professed love for miners (“minors”?) and his unhinged attacks on female reporters, and Michael Kosta tackles America’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and Marco Rubio’s crackdown on “woke” fonts. #DailyShow #FIFA #SeanDuffy #Venezuela
0:00 – Desi Lydic’s TDS Welcome
0:27 – Trump Slams Biden at Affordability Rally
3:00 – Desi Catches a Closed Captioned Freudian Slip During Trump’s Rally
3:53 – President Trump Slams Female Reporters
5:46 – Michael Kosta Weighs in on Trump’s Rampage Towards Female Reporters – “Mano-pause” << BEST PART!
#trump #stupidtrump #trumpcantadd #trumpisafactualidiot #trumpcantdo6thgradeMath
Jon Stewart weighs in on Trump contradicting his phony FIFA Peace Prize by cracking down on Venezuela. Ronny Chieng covers Trump’s petty change to free-entry days at national parks, a $12 billion bailout for farmers, and Sean Duffy’s pitch to improve airports via pull-up bars. Desi Lydic dives into Trump’s professed love for miners (“minors”?) and his unhinged attacks on female reporters, and Michael Kosta tackles America’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and Marco Rubio’s crackdown on “woke” fonts. #DailyShow #FIFA #SeanDuffy #Venezuela
Trump was in Pennsylvania today to unveil his fiscal plan, 76% of Americans have a negative view of the economy, the White House has been doing their best to put the blame on Biden, instead of actually trying to do something about affordability heâs just challenging the word itself, we got some new details about Trump planning to have a UFC fight on the White House Lawn on his birthday, everyone around him seems to treat him like a child, RFK Jr and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are very busy making air travel healthy again, Trump went to JD Vanceâs house for the annual Christmas party, and Jimmy goes through all the junk you can get from the characters in MAGAland for the holidays.
Trump has been boasting about hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, called Jimmy a âhorribleâ host and said if he canât beat out Jimmy in terms of talent then he shouldnât be president, Jimmy goes through all of Donaldâs many talents, he claims that he was 98% involved in selecting this years honorees, Trump was given the first ever âFIFA Peace Prizeâ in a deeply embarrassing display, the bombs keep dropping on our Secretary of War Crimes wonât say whether he will release video of the âdouble tapâ strike, the big story this weekend in Hollywood is Netflix buying Warner Brothers, Trump is mad at his buddy Larry Ellison who owns Paramount after Marjorie Taylor Greeneâs â60 Minutesâ Interview, and Jimmy announces that he has decided to extend his contract here at ABC for another year – until May 2027.
“Operation Inflation” gives out costumes at Portland ICE Protests
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery for $82 billion.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) holds a press conference to address the military strikes off the coast of Venezuela.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like DNA analysis showing Hitler had a genetic disorder that caused low testosterone levels and a micropenis.
2 weeks ago – but still good đ

“how many pedofiles do you know? Trump knows all the top ones”
Desi Lydic covers Melania getting into the mandatory Christmas spirit by decorating the un-bulldozed parts of the White House, Kash Patel refusing to do his job without a big girl FBI jacket, and Pete Hegseth responding to possible war crimes charges by throwing his admiral and a cartoon turtle under the bus. Plus, Jordan Klepper wants YOU to join Hegseth’s scapegoat army. #DailyShow #MelaniaTrump #PeteHegseth #Christmas
0:00 – Desi Lydic’s TDS Welcome
0:31 – Melania Trump Unveils the White House’s 2025 Christmas Decorations
1:56 – Trump Nods Off During Cabinet Meeting
2:34 – Kash Patel Refuses to Step Off FBI Plane Without Rage Jacket
4:32 – Hegseth Under Fire for Possible War Crimes
7:55 – Jordan Klepper Weighs in on Pete Hegseth Fallout
Jordan Klepper answers an audience member’s question (“Are we gonna be OK?”) with a story about how naked ICE protesters in Portland filled him with hope for the future while he filmed his new special. #AfterTheCut
Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize premieres Monday December 8 at 11:30/10:30c after The Daily Show on Comedy Central. #DailyShow #JordanKlepper
Afraid of the woke leftistsâ war against Christmas? Keep the sanctity of the holiday season alive with the brand-new Trump Tinsel, made from recycled shreddings of the Epstein files. The president promised he was going to release them, but he never said how! #DailyShow #WaronChristmas #EpsteinFiles