Trump administration live updates: Lawmakers view unredacted Epstein files at Justice Department
Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment at a House deposition today. Her attorney later suggested she would provide a "complete account" if granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
What to know today ...
- UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES: Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are among the members of Congress viewing unredacted versions of the Justice Department’s files on Jeffrey Epstein today. Starting this morning, lawmakers are being allowed to review those files, two sources familiar with the Justice Department’s plans told NBC News last week.
- GHISLAINE MAXWELL DEPOSITION: Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at a House Oversight Committee deposition this morning, which she attended virtually, the committee’s leaders said. Her attorney later said she would speak “honestly” if she were granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
- STEVE BANNON: The Justice Department today moved to dismiss its long-running criminal case against Steve Bannon, tied to his refusal to testify before the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6 riot. The Justice Department step s part of a multipronged approach that aims to vacate Bannon's 2022 conviction, which led to his serving four months in federal prison.
Raskin says some of the Epstein files redactions were 'very suspicious and baffling'
After reviewing the unredacted version of the Epstein files, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, spoke to reporters about what he viewed. Raskin criticized the DOJ for both failing to redact survivors’ names and, conversely, redacting individuals who were not victims of Epstein’s abuse.
The Maryland Democrat said that there were “3,000 pages” in the files where survivors' names were not redacted.
“There were lots of examples of people’s names being redacted when they were not victims," he said. He added, "I can tell you that I saw a whole bunch of them that seemed very suspicious and baffling to me."
He said that among the names redacted were billionaire Leslie Wexner and Trump. The redactions "struck me as strange, because he’s not a victim, and also his name has appeared elsewhere, so I don’t know if that’s just sloppiness and negligence in some way."
He added, "Donald Trump’s name was redacted in a number of different places, and I saw one conversation between Epstein lawyers and Trump lawyers relating to the 2009 investigation, which had been redacted, and I don’t see any particular reason that it should have been, but we’ll get some explanation forthcoming from it."
NBC News reached out to Wexner and the White House for comment. Neither Wexner nor Trump has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Raskin also said that he saw "references to 17-year-old girls, 16-year-old girls, 14-year-old girls, 11-year-old girls, 10-year-old girls, and I saw a reference today to a 9-year-old girl. So it is a really gruesome and grim story."
Raskin's office declined to comment on those references.
Federal funding for NY-NJ tunnel project doesn't have to be restored immediately, judge rules
The Trump administration does not have to immediately restore funding to the $16 billion Gateway rail project between New Jersey and New York, U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled this afternoon.
Vargas last week ordered funds to be restored after the two states sued the federal government following the suspension of funding in the fall, which led to a construction shutdown. There are some 11,000 construction jobs at risk should the funding be cut off.
The judge's short pause on her own order allows the Justice Department to seek a longer pause with a federal appeals court. The Trump administration said it was going to have to make a payment of $200 million to the states, without any obvious mechanism to get that money back if it prevailed on appeal.
Last week, the administration asked Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for Dulles International Airport in Virginia and Penn Station in New York to be renamed after President Donald Trump in exchange for the restoration of funds for the rail project, multiple sources told NBC News.
DOJ moves to dismiss case against Steve Bannon
The DOJ moved to dismiss the long-running criminal case against Steve Bannon.
Bannon, a longtime ally of Trump, was convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Bannon served four months in federal prison in 2024.
British police ‘assessing’ claims former Prince Andrew shared sensitive reports with Epstein
British police are looking into a claim that former Prince Andrew shared confidential trade documents with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy.
Thames Valley Police, which serves the area west of London, including Windsor, one of the British royal family’s residences, said it was assessing new allegations against the younger brother of King Charles III.
“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” the police said in a statement.
The recent release by the Justice Department of millions of documents related to Epstein has intensified a storm that has raged around the former prince, now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and his relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright previews trip to Venezuela and says oil was not reason for invasion
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Politico in an interview published this morning that he will travel to Venezuela shortly, the first senior U.S. government official to do so since the U.S.’ capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Wright said on the news outlet's energy podcast that he plans to meet with the country’s interim leadership and oil and gas industry officials and will travel to oil fields to see the operations on the ground.
Wright also claimed that Maduro's capture was not “a move for more oil supply,” saying the country’s oil was coincidental and “not a meaningful part of the decision-making.” Trump, however, has repeatedly referred to the country's oil as a key benefit of the invasion.
“This was basically a geopolitical move," Wright said. "We’ve watched Venezuela collapse and become an increasing problem in our hemisphere, as I said, for 26 years. So this was an attempt to fix that problem. It is maybe a nice coincidence, but it is coincidental that Venezuela’s main product and giant resource is oil. So that gives us, in the Trump administration, this ability to impact Venezuela, not with troops and boots on the ground, but by controlling the flow of one product coming out of that country.”
Rubio calls for humanitarian parole for Jimmy Lai
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Hong Kong authorities to grant Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist and media tycoon who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier today, parole on humanitarian grounds in a post on X.
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Anthony Wallace / AFP - Getty Images
"The sentencing of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case," Rubio wrote. "We urge the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole."
Lai, 78, has been one of the most prominent critics of China's ruling Communist Party and denied all the charges against him. His trial on national security-related charges symbolized Beijing's crackdown on dissent in the Chinese territory, and the U.S. has criticized the case as politically motivated.
Hong Kong authorities arrested and charged Lai in 2020, not long after Beijing imposed a broad national security law in response to anti-government protests in 2019.
Maxwell's lawyer says she'd speak 'honestly if granted clemency'
Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus released a statement saying he'd advised her to take the Fifth during her appearance before the committee, but "Ms. Maxwell is prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump."
Ghislaine Maxwell outside her townhouse in New York in 2015. Andrew Savulich / New York Daily News via Getty Images file
"Only she can provide the complete account" of Epstein's actions, Markus said. "Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. Ms. Maxwell alone can explain why, and the public is entitled to that explanation."
Markus said he delivered that statement to the Oversight Committee and told members his client "would very much like to answer your questions," but she "must remain silent because Ms. Maxwell has a habeas petition currently pending that demonstrates that her conviction rests on a fundamentally unfair trial."
Under questioning by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last year, Maxwell denied having ever seen Epstein or those around him act inappropriately. She was moved to a lower-security facility in the days after the unusual interview.
Reacting to Markus' statement, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., posted on social media: "Here is my conclusion after sitting through Maxwell’s deposition with her refusing to answer a single question about the men who raped underage girls, saying she would only do so for clemency.
"She must immediately be sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs."
State officials say the Trump administration has been absent on election security
State election officials got an unusual invitation from the Trump administration last week: a late February call about midterm preparations organized by the FBI.
The surprise email came at a tense moment. The Justice Department has sued dozens of states for unredacted voter rolls, the FBI raided an Atlanta-area elections office, and President Donald Trump has called for nationalizing at least some elections.
Some state election chiefs said the invitation was also the first time they have heard from anyone in this Trump administration about election security in months — or ever. Seven Trump officials — including as many as three Cabinet secretaries — were expected to appear at a National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) conference in Washington, D.C., last month, but ultimately just one White House aide showed up.
Family of late Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre blasts Ghislaine Maxwell in letter to lawmakers
The brother and sister-in-law of the late Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre blasted Ghislaine Maxwell in a letter this morning as she invoked her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination during her deposition before the House Oversight Committee.
Virginia Giuffre (then Roberts) with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell at Prince Andrew's London home in a photo released with court documents.
"Ghislaine Maxwell, you were not a bystander. You were not 'misled.' You were a central, deliberate actor in a system built to find children, isolate them, groom them, and deliver them to abuse," they wrote in a letter obtained by NBC News. "You used trust as a weapon. You targeted vulnerability and turned it into access. That is not a mistake. That is not poor judgment. That is predation."
Giuffre's relatives are also urging Congress to look more deeply into Maxwell’s previous transfer into a lower-security prison, as well as her potential inconsistencies in prior sworn testimony.
"We’ll end this letter with Virginia’s last wishes for you: “Ghislaine, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. Trapped in a cage forever just like you trapped your victims," they wrote, addressing Maxwell.
Giuffre was among the most vocal survivors of Epstein's alleged sexual abuse. She died by suicide in April 2025.
Oversight chair says Maxwell invoked 5th Amendment, refused to answer questions in Epstein investigation
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters just before 10:30 a.m. ET that Epstein co-conspirator and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her 5th Amendment rights and refused to answer questions during her virtual deposition this morning.
In a statement, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., ranking member on the committee, said, “After months of defying our subpoena, Ghislaine Maxwell finally appeared before the Oversight Committee and said nothing. She answered no questions and provided no information about the men who raped and trafficked women and girls."
Comer said the panel still has five more depositions scheduled as part of its probe. He said Les Wexner, a financial client of Epstein's, would testify Feb. 18. He also said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton would sit for depositions Feb. 26 and 27, respectively, though representatives for the Clintons have said they want to testify publicly.
Comer said Epstein's accountant will sit for a deposition March 11 and Epstein's lawyer will testify March 19.
Trump says it’s ‘terrible’ Bill Belichick wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot
Trump thinks Bill Belichick should have been elected to the Hall of Fame — hinting that a “controversial” recent history may have led voters to snub the celebrated coach.
Bill Belichick, former head coach of the New England Patriots and current head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Alex Grimm / Getty Images file
In an exclusive Super Bowl interview, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas asked the president for his thoughts on Belichick — who won six Lombardi trophies as head coach of the New England Patriots — not securing election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot.
Belichick’s failure to secure the honor has been a hot topic of discussion in the run-up to this season’s championship game.
“I thought it was terrible,” Trump said. “I mean, he’s won so much, won so many Super Bowls. Great coach. Became a little bit controversial, I guess, after that, this little period after that. During it, he was just a great coach. I thought it was very inappropriate.”
Donald Trump calls Bad Bunny’s halftime show a ‘slap in the face’ to the U.S.
Trump was not a fan of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Bad Bunny performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday. Ishika Samant / Getty Images
Trump posted on Truth Social, ripping the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican musician’s 13-minute performance, which was entirely in Spanish, as all of his music is recorded in the language.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump posted. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This 'Show' is just a 'slap in the face' to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Toward the end of the performance, Bad Bunny shouted, “God bless America!” — one of the only English phrases in the performance. Then he gave a roll call of the nations of North, South and Central America, including Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, the United States and Canada.
A parade of flags from those nations marched through the sugar plantation fields that functioned as the show’s centerpiece.
After the list of nations, and at the end of the show, he declared, “Mi Patria Puerto Rico, seguimos aquí,” or “My homeland Puerto Rico, we are still here.”
Bad Bunny closed the performance by carrying a football with the message “Together We Are America” printed on it.
Primary field narrows in Democratic House race featuring two incumbents in Texas
Congressional candidate Amanda Edwards announced this morning that she's suspending her campaign for Texas' 18th Congressional District, three weeks before the March 3 Democratic primary that also includes Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee.
Menefee recently defeated Edwards in a January special election for the current version of the 18th district, which had been vacant since Rep. Sylvester Turner died in March 2025. But the district lines shifted for the 2026 election after Texas Republicans redrew the boundaries last year.
That included combining portions of the 18th district and Green's longtime 9th Congressional District, pushing them into a member-versus-member primary.
Rep. Jerry Nadler endorses former aide Micah Lasher to be his successor
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., today endorsed New York State Assembly member Micah Lasher, his former longtime aide, in the crowded House primary to serve as the congressman’s successor in the deep blue Manhattan-area district.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., left, and State Assemblyman Micah Lasher. Getty; AP
“I’m proud and excited to endorse @micahlasher for Congress,” Nadler said in a post on X. “He’ll bring a sense of urgency, creativity, and fearlessness to Washington.”
Lasher said in a post on X that “this endorsement means so much to me.”
“Jerry Nadler has set an incredibly high bar for decades for smart, principled, progressive leadership on issue after issue,” he continued. “I’m honored beyond words to have his support.”
Lasher has received endorsements from a string of prominent New York politicians, including New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and state Sen. Brian Kavanagh.
Trump criticizes Olympic skier who said representing the U.S. ‘brings up mixed emotions’
Trump called U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess “a real loser” yesterday after Hess said he had “mixed emotions” about representing the United States in this year’s Games.
Trump said on Truth Social that if Hess doesn’t want to represent the U.S. at the Winter Olympics, “he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it.”
“Very hard to root for someone like this,” Trump added.
Hess — who is competing in freestyle skiing — was asked at a news conference Friday how it feels to be representing the U.S. with “things going on back home.”
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
Epstein survivors urge Oversight panel to approach Maxwell testimony 'with the utmost skepticism'
Survivors of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are urging lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee not to allow Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony at her virtual deposition today to rewrite history.
"To this day, Ms. Maxwell has refused to identify the many powerful men involved in the trafficking operation," they wrote in a letter to members of the committee. "She has also been dishonest about the vast sums of money she received as a result of her role in facilitating sexual abuse. This continued refusal to disclose the full truth has actively impeded accountability and prolonged harm to survivors."
The survivors urged the committee to approach Maxwell's testimony "with the utmost skepticism, to rigorously scrutinize any claims she makes, and to ensure that this process does not become another vehicle through which survivors are harmed or silenced."
Maxwell is expected to invoke her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination during the deposition, her lawyer previously told the committee.
Ghislaine Maxwell to appear virtually for deposition before House Oversight Committee
The House Oversight Committee is scheduled to hold a deposition with Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell this morning.
Maxwell will appear virtually, a source familiar with the planning previously told NBC News.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, wrote to committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., in January that Maxwell will invoke her 5th Amendment “privilege against self-incrimination and decline to answer questions. That is not a negotiating position or a tactical choice; it is a legal necessity. Testimony under oath while a habeas petition is pending would risk irreparable prejudice to her constitutional claims and expose her to further criminal jeopardy.”
Trump congratulates Japanese leader on snap election win
Trump congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on her party’s landslide win in a snap election less than four months after she became the U.S. ally’s first female leader.
Takaichi’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party won a two-thirds supermajority in the Japanese parliament, the largest victory for any party in Japan since the end of World War II.
“Sanae’s bold and wise decision to call for an Election paid off big time,” Trump said in a social media post, calling her a “highly respected and very popular” leader.
Trump, who seemingly hit it off with Takaichi when he visited Japan days after she took office in October, endorsed her last week, breaking with U.S. presidential tradition of refraining from publicly backing foreign political candidates. Takaichi is set to meet with Trump at the White House on March 19.
Rep. Thomas Massie says he will view unredacted Epstein files today
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said in a post on X that he plans to view unredacted versions of the Jeffrey Epstein case files today at the Justice Department.
NBC News previously reported that lawmakers would be allowed to view the unredacted documents in person.
Massie asked his followers on X which documents he should view, requesting they reply to his post and like any comments on specific files that readers think are important.
Border czar had warned immigration operations should be targeted to ‘keep the faith of the American people’
Long before border czar Tom Homan took over in Minneapolis, he warned that a targeted approach to immigration enforcement would be needed to “keep the faith of the American people.”
Any immigrant in the U.S. illegally can be arrested and deported but Homan, who has served as a Homeland Security official under the Obama and both Trump administrations, has long said immigrants who have committed additional crimes should be prioritized for arrest and deportation.
In an exclusive interview in June for the forthcoming book “Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Program,” Homan warned that a failure to prioritize those arrests could cost the Trump administration support with the public.
“I think the vast majority of the American people think criminal illegal aliens need to leave. And if we stick to that prioritization, I think we keep the faith of the American people,” Homan said June 16, as Border Patrol agents, under the direction of commander Greg Bovino, were conducting their first large-scale raids in Los Angeles.
“And I think the more we do that, the more the American people will support what President Trump’s doing. We got to do it and we’ve got to do it in a humane manner.”
Trump accepts ownership of the current economy: ‘I’m very proud of it’
President Donald Trump says it’s his economy now.
In an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas that aired during the Super Bowl yesterday, the 47th president said the country is already experiencing the Trump economy.
“At what point are we in the Trump economy?” Llamas asked.
“I’d say we’re there now,” he replied. “I’m very proud of it.”
His remarks come at a time when most Americans tell pollsters they are not satisfied with the state of the economy and as Trump executes a barnstorming strategy to bring his economic message to political battlegrounds before the November midterms.
An NPR/Marist/PBS News survey released last week showed that 36% of adults say they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 59% disapprove. In off-year elections last November, Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and New York hammered away at “affordability” on their way to victory.
In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in the Oval Office, Trump said the economy is doing so well that Democrats are abandoning that message — and also blamed his predecessor, President Joe Biden, for stubbornly high prices on some staples.
Members of Congress will be able to view unredacted Epstein files this week
Members of Congress will be able to begin reviewing the unredacted version of the Justice Department’s files on Jeffrey Epstein this morning, two sources familiar with the DOJ’s plans told NBC News last week.
The review process will take place in person at the DOJ, according to a letter to members of Congress obtained by NBC News. The members will be able to review the material on computers at the DOJ offices but not the physical documents themselves.
The letter states that members can review the documents in person, provided they give the DOJ 24 hours’ notice. The option at this point is only available to members of Congress — and not their staff. They may take notes but can’t bring in any electronic devices, the letter said.
The review will only be of the 3 million files currently available to the public, not the extensive trove of more than 6 million documents in total that the DOJ says it has in its possession.
