Today in Politics, Bulletin 250. 11/14/25

… Mike Johnson and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) tried to fool people immediately after the Epstein discharge petition got the 218th signature forcing a vote on the floor next week. They sought “unanimous consent”, which would have passed the bill to the Senate without a roll call vote - allowing Republicans to avoid having to vote yes or no on it while Trump is threatening them. It didn’t work.

… Johnson: “I have not seen many stories written yet about the fact we put the discharge petition up for unanimous consent on the floor tonight. The Democrats objected to the unanimous consent. Nobody has written a story about that. That is stunning to me.”

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) responded: “Speaker Johnson wants a story. Unanimous consent allows a bill to pass anonymously, with no Member’s vote being recorded individually. A recorded vote, which is what Democrats successfully sought, puts each Member’s vote on the record. Light is a great disinfectant.”

… Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA): “FACT CHECK: Democrats didn’t object. It was the Republican chair who ruled your unanimous consent request out of order. Democrats do not control the House of Representatives. You tried to do something that was out of order and a Republican Member of Congress said your request was improper.”

… McGovern: “Now that I’ve had time to think through what you sprung on everyone, I caught some big procedural loopholes: 1) You would have given the speaker the authority to postpone the vote. 2) You would have allowed the speaker to NEVER send the bill to the Senate (which Johnson did a dozen times last Congress). Finally—you DIDN’T EVEN SIGN the discharge petition! Now you act like we aren’t going fast enough? Why didn’t you care before we got 218 signatures?”

… He wasn’t done: “UPDATE: It’s somehow *even worse* than I thought. I thought the Speaker could delay a vote—turns out, if Rep. Burchett had prevailed, there wouldn’t even BE a vote. He wanted to shield his Republican colleagues from having to take ANY up-or-down vote on releasing the files.”

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): “After months of fighting and disparaging my Epstein legislation, now that my discharge petition has succeeded, Speaker Johnson says he tried to pass the law by unanimous consent. If that’s so, he should have no problem voting YEA next week.”

… Sky Roberts (brother of Virginia Giuffre) responded to Karoline Leavitt’s comments: “It felt very disrespectful for the WH to unredact her name when she’s not here to speak for herself. If my sister was here today, she would be appalled by this admin. She would not refer to Trump as a gentleman. He’s not acknowledging survivors. Just stop the nonsense, this political bullshit that keeps coming out of his mouth and the admin’s mouth. It needs to stop.”

… Meidas: “24 survivors of Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes—joined by members of Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family—have issued an emotional and urgent appeal to the House, demanding that Congress vote to release the long-awaited Epstein files. In a letter delivered to lawmakers today, the signatories call on Congress to ‘deliver a promise the American people have awaited for far too long’ by voting YES on the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”

… The survivors argue that releasing the files is critical to achieving true accountability for the vast network of individuals who enabled Epstein and Maxwell’s abuse: “Look into the eyes of your children, your sisters, your mothers, and your aunts. Imagine if they had been preyed upon. Imagine if you yourself were a survivor.”

… MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin: “The letter to Congress from the family of Virginia Giuffre and survivors of Epstein, Maxwell, and ‘their co-conspirators’ was signed by at least 4 women who’ve accused Trump of sexual assault or misconduct: Natasha Stoynoff, Amy Dorris, Alva Johnson, and Karena Virginia.”

… Trump was melting down on Truth Social today, making multiple deranged posts about Epstein: “The Democrats are doing everything in their withering power to push the Epstein Hoax again. Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish. Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem! Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Summers about Epstein, they know all about him, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!”

… “Now that the Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, not Republicans, to try and deflect from their disastrous SHUTDOWN, and all of their other failures, I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him. This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats. Stay tuned!!!”

… Attorney Mark Elias: “This may be Trump’s perfect social media post. A true work of art. He confirms: 1. He personally directs criminal investigations; 2. He is targeting opponents; 3. Epstein records exist and he knows the contents. Bonus points for connecting it to the investigation of his fondness for Putin.”

… Ann Coulter: “I remember Trump promising us a wall. I don’t remember the stonewall part.”

… Mike Johnson on Fox: “This is just Democrats trying to manufacture some sort of hoax that the president something to do with Epstein. It is absurd. They have Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

… Business Insider: “Employees at Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison have been fired for leaking attorney-client emails to Rep. Jamie Raskin, her lawyer says. Maxwell plans to file a habeas petition soon challenging her incarceration.”

… Mike Johnson on Republican senators inserting a provision in the CR allowing 8 of them who had their phone records subpoenaed by Jack Smith to get $1 million each from the taxpayers: “The optics of it are terrible. I don’t think you should do it retroactively. For sitting lawmakers to vote themselves an ability to cash in on something like that, to me it was just a really bad look.”

… After taking over two months off, Johnson adjourned the House again yesterday so his members can have another long weekend after working two whole days.

… Trump also left for another long weekend of golf and parties in Palm Beach today.

… NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer reported that Trump intends to do rallies next year leading up to the midterms: “Trump set to hit the road to focus on affordability. A WH official says Trump will travel the country with a focus on the economy.”

… I think a president with mid-30s approval ratings should definitely be out there in the district of every key race. He is the best campaigner for Democrats right now.

… An internal National Republican Campaign Committee poll showed that for the first time in two years, voters whose top priority is inflation and the economy now prefer a generic Democrat for Congress (D+13) over a Republican. On the Generic Ballot it is now: Dem: 50% GOP: 44%.

… That is a poll commissioned by the Republicans. Ouch.

… ProPublica: “On Oct. 2, the 2nd day of the govt shutdown, Kristi Noem arrived at Mt. Rushmore to shoot a TV ad. Sitting on horseback in chaps and a cowboy hat, Noem addressed the camera with a stern message for immigrants: ‘Break our laws, we’ll punish you.’ Noem has hailed the more than $200 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign as a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration.”

… “Her agency invoked the ‘national emergency’ at the border as it awarded contracts for the campaign, bypassing the normal competitive bidding process designed to prevent waste and corruption. DHS has kept at least one beneficiary of the 9-figure ad deal a secret: a Republican consulting firm with long-standing personal and business ties to Noem and her senior aides at DHS.”

… “The company running the Rushmore shoot, called the Strategy Group, does not appear on public documents about the contract. The main recipient listed on the contracts is a mysterious Delaware company, which was created days before the deal was finalized. No firm has closer ties to Noem’s political operation than the Strategy Group. It played a central role in her 2022 SD gubernatorial campaign. Corey Lewandowski, her top adviser at DHS, has worked extensively with the firm. And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS, Tricia McLaughlin.”

… “The Strategy Group’s ad work is the first known example of money flowing from Noem’s agency to businesses controlled by her allies and friends.” Charles Tiefer, expert on federal contract law: “It’s corrupt, is the word. Hiding your friends as subcontractors is like playing hide the salami with the taxpayer.”

… It is absolutely outrageous that taxpayers are paying Republican political consultants millions of dollars to make hype videos for Kristi Noem’s 2028 campaign for president or VP, which is what this is all about.

… NBC: “A top housing official in Trump’s admin has referred Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to DOJ for a potential federal criminal probe, based on allegations of mortgage and tax fraud related to a DC home. He is the fourth Democratic official to face mortgage fraud allegations in recent months. Bill Pulte alleged in a letter sent to AG Pam Bondi that Swalwell may have made false or misleading statements in loan documents.”

… Swalwell on MSNBC: “As the most vocal critic of Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me. These allegations are false. Just like the allegations against Adam Schiff are false and Letitia James are false and Lisa Cook are false. And a spoiler alert for you: there will be allegations next week against somebody that’ll be false.”

… “When we’re in the majority, we will have subpoena power and accountability will happen. So any lawless official who is carrying out these political prosecutions on behalf of Trump, they should familiarize themselves with the Judiciary Committee room, because they’re going to be spending a lot of time there answering questions. And I sure hope everything they did was above board.”

… AP: “A confidant of Bill Pulte, the Trump admin’s top housing regulator, provided confidential mortgage pricing data from Fannie Mae to a principal competitor, alarming senior officials of the govt-backed lending giant who warned it could expose the company to claims that it was colluding with a rival to fix mortgage rates. Fannie Mae executives were unnerved about what one called the ‘very problematic’ disclosure of data by Lauren Smith, the company’s head of marketing, who was acting on Pulte’s behalf.”

… Email from Malloy Evans, senior VP of Fannie Mae: “Lauren, the information that was provided to Freddie Mac in this email is a problem. That is confidential, competitive information.” Evans asked Fannie Mae’s top attorney “to weigh in on what, if any, steps we need to take legally to protect ourselves now.”

… “While Smith still holds her position, the senior Fannie Mae officials who called her conduct into question were all forced out of their jobs late last month, along with internal ethics watchdogs who were investigating Pulte and his allies.”

… Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): “This is another example of Bill Pulte weaponizing his role to do Trump’s bidding, instead of working to lower costs amidst a housing crisis. His behavior raises significant questions, and he needs to be brought in front of Congress to answer them.”

… CBS’s Scott Macfarlane: “Former Jan 6 defendant John Banuelos - who was accused of pulling gun while amid the mob at Capitol on Jan 6, 2021 - is back in court. This time in Utah. He’s facing a new set of charges in Salt Lake City for aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault.”

… Bloomberg: “A convicted Ponzi schemer whose 24-year prison term was commuted by Trump in 2021 now faces as much as 50 years behind bars for an investor fraud that took place after his clemency. Eli Weinstein faces sentencing Friday in federal court in NJ, after being convicted of defrauding more than 150 investors out of $41 million. Investors believed their money was going to Covid-19 masks, baby formula and first-aid kits bound for Ukraine, but it actually went to gambling, real estate and luxury watches.”

… I’m starting to notice a pattern.

… Bloomberg: “DOJ has been in settlement talks with Michael Flynn - Trump’s first NSA - seeking $50M for his prosecution by ex-special counsel Robert Mueller. The settlement talks between the Trump admin and Flynn marked a change in position by DOJ, which previously had successfully argued in court to have both of his lawsuits tossed out.”

… ProPublica: “FBI Director Kash Patel granted waivers to Dep Director Dan Bongino and two other newly hired senior FBI staff members, exempting them from passing polygraph exams normally required to gain access to America’s most sensitive classified information. Bongino’s role as the FBI’s 2nd-highest-ranking official means he is responsible for day-to-day operations of the agency, including green-lighting surveillance missions, coordinating with intelligence agency partners and managing the bureau’s 56 field offices across the country.”

… The dep director receives some of the country’s most closely held secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief, which also contains intelligence from the CIA and the NSA. People familiar with the matter say his ascent to that position without passing a standard FBI background check was unprecedented.”

… Attorney Mark Zaid: “I’ve handled polygraph cases for over 25 years and regularly lecture on the topic. I’ve sued FBI over its policies. I’ve also represented many polygraphers and the American Polygraph Association. My knowledge is broad on both sides. This is not how FBI/USG historically operates and is disconcerting.”

… Daily Beast: “Trump gave Switzerland a favorable tariff break one week after the country’s industry leaders buttered him up with priceless gold gifts. US trade representative Jamison Greer announced on CNBC’s Squawk Box Friday morning that the US had reached a trade deal with Switzerland. The Swiss govt said that the deal cut its tariff rate from 39-15%. The relief is welcome for Switzerland, as the high tariff rate saw Swiss tech exports drop to the U.S. by 14.2% in Q3.”

… Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter previously tried to get Trump to change his mind, but an icy Aug phone conversation with Trump left trade talks between the two nations stuck in the mud. That was until an entourage of gift-bearing Swiss billionaires visited the WH last week.”

… Rolex CEO Jean Frédéric Dufour, Johann Rupert from luxury goods maker Richemont, and Marwan Shakarchi from gold refining company MKS visited the WH on Nov. 4. After the meeting, Trump had a gold clock and a bar of gold on the Oval Office desk.”

I always root for a slow news day on Fridays since that is my 6th day in a row doing this and I’m pretty worn out. But, once again, it was not to be - as you can see! If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

We are heading up to Santa’s Village tomorrow - a Christmas-themed amusement park in northern NH. The forecast calls for low-30s and snow. I am looking forward to my first roller coaster ride in the snow, although Gen Zer Aaron Parnas was ridiculing me that I was an old guy making a big deal out of riding a “kiddie coaster.” I informed him that this sucker goes 25 mph, and you have to factor in the snow.

… The former Capitol Hill police officer who was accused by the right-wing website The Blaze of being the J6 pipe bomber, (a viral story that was shared by several Republican members of Congress), has retained an attorney. WaPo: “Steve Bunnell identified his client by name in a statement, saying she had been so widely and falsely