Trump's Epstein mess dogs Republicans in home districts; Scandal follows Trump overseas

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

NBC News

News, Politics

4.5 • 664 Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jen Psaki reports on Donald Trump's unresolved and worsening Jeffrey Epstein scandal is giving Republicans a headache at home as they've left Washington for their home districts for the rest of the summer. Trump, meanwhile, went all the way to Scotland, only to find the Epstein scandal waiting there for his arrival.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Trump left for Scotland this morning, and before he left, a reporter shouted the question that has been on everyone's mind.
0:10.1	Would you consider a pardon or a commutation for Heelan Maxwell if...
0:14.3	It's something I haven't thought about.
0:16.4	It's really something I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about.
0:22.5	All right, so you could probably hear the audio there, but just in case, basically that was President Trump, claiming that he hasn't thought about pardoning or commuting the sentence of Elaine Maxwell.
0:33.3	Now, it is nearly impossible to believe that he has not thought about it,
0:38.5	given the fact that his former personal attorney,
0:40.5	who is now the Deputy Attorney General,
0:42.3	has been meeting with the convicted child sex trafficker and sexual abuser
0:45.6	for the last two days.
0:48.2	But here's the thing.
0:50.1	He has used that claim, exactly that claim, several times before.
1:10.9	Would you consider a pardon for Michael Flynn? I don't want to talk about parties. On taxes. I don't talk about that, then. I don't talk about that. Are you going to pardon Roger Stone, Mr. President? I don't understand the question. Roger Stone. Are you going to pardon him, sir? He's been convicted of felonies. Am I going to pardon him? Yes. Well, I hadn't understand the question. Mr. Roger Stone, are you going to pardon him, sir?
1:12.1	He's been convicted of felonies.
1:13.1	Am I going to pardon him?
1:13.4	Yes.
1:14.5	Well, I hadn't thought of it. I love the I don't understand the question. It's a pretty simple question. But, of course, Trump pardoned all three of those people, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone. And for all of them, he claimed he didn't want to talk about pardons.
1:11.1	He claimed he hadn't thought about pardons. He claimed he hadn't thought
1:28.3	about pardons, and then he pardoned them all. Now, he's making the same claim again, but this time
1:34.0	about Gailene Maxwell. But tonight, a senior administration official has confirmed to NBC
1:38.9	news that the Department of Justice gave Gailane Maxwell limited immunity during their talks with her.
1:44.2	Immunity agreements like this one are often called queen for a day. That's how they're referred to.
	...

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