Congress | Epstein's accountant and lawyer tell Congress they were never interviewed by federal investigators by By Hailey Fuchs

Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn told House lawmakers they were never interviewed as part of formal federal investigations into their late client's sex crimes, according to videos of their depositions released Tuesday.

Their claims underscore the enormous gaps in the Justice Department’s efforts to hold Epstein and his inner circle accountable over multiple administrations of both parties.

It also could raise the stakes for the ongoing Epstein investigation being led by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is already being relied upon to gather new evidence after the Trump Justice Department signaled it would no longer be releasing additional Epstein case files in compliance with the law Congress passed last fall.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/jeffrey-epstein-lawyer-accountants-depositions-00843206

#jeffreyepstein #darrenindyke #richardkahn #houseoversightandgovernmentreformcommittee #justicedepartment

House report accuses Trump administration of cover-up in Good, Pretti killings – MS NOW

News

House report accuses Trump administration of cover-up in Good, Pretti killings

Both Minneapolis residents’ shooting deaths were the “direct result of the rapid and intentional escalation of violence” by DHS officers in service of Trump’s mass deportation plans, the report says.

By Clarissa-Jan Lim, Feb. 3, 2026, 2:41 PM EST

House Oversight Committee Democrats released a report on Tuesday blaming the Trump administration’s “extreme” law enforcement for the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and accusing the federal government of a “cover-up” by obstructing impartial investigations into their deaths.

The report, released by Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the highest-ranking Democrat on the panel, said that the administration’s “extreme policies, violent tactics, and culture of impunity” led to the fatal shooting of the two Minneapolis residents by Department of Homeland Security officers last month.

Editor’s Note: Report embedded below. –DrWeb

“The fatal shootings of Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti were not isolated incidents,” the report said. “They are the direct result of the rapid and intentional escalation of violence by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its ongoing efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, and to suppress dissent with no regard for Americans’ constitutional rights.”

The report specifically points to efforts to obscure the identities of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents, including wearing masks, which administration officials have said is necessary to protect their safety.

“Let’s be clear: the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti could have been prevented, and they should both still be alive,” Garcia said in a press release announcing the findings of the report. “President Trump, Kristi Noem, and DHS have lied over and over again and are now trying to cover up the truth. The Trump Administration needs to be held accountable.”

Trump’s ICE enforcement ‘backfiring,’ spurring protests and organizing nationwide, February 3, 2026.

The report also calls out Vice President JD Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who “have incorrectly assured agents that they have ‘absolute immunity’ from criminal prosecution.” Vance has since walked back his claim, saying officers would be disciplined for violating policies.

The administration, the report said, is trying to cover up misconduct by “impeding thorough and impartial investigations into the shootings.”

The Justice Department last week announced it is pursuing a civil rights probe into Pretti’s killing on Jan. 24 by Border Patrol officers, after initially leaving it up to DHS to conduct its own investigations, as MS NOW reported.

The DOJ has maintained that it will not do the same for Good’s death. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Jan. 7.

The reversal is one of several changes that the Trump administration has made in its hardline approach to immigration enforcement after the fatal shootings of Pretti and Good, which sparked nationwide protests.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also said Monday that all officers will be outfitted with body cameras in Minneapolis, and as funding allows, nationwide.

Recommended

News – DHS reviewing bodycam videos after killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Sydney Carruth

Deadline: Legal Blog – Pretti killing highlights how the Trump administration has lost the legal benefit of the doubt, Jordan Rubin

Noem: DHS agents in Minneapolis to wear body cameras February 3, 2026 / 08:49

Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday dismissed the rollout of body cameras as “damage control” and urged Minnesotans to continue documenting federal officers’ conduct.

“Keep filming. Keep keeping track of this,” he said at a news conference. “Keep accountability.”

Bystander footage of both shootings has been crucial to showing how Good’s and Pretti’s encounters with federal officers ended with their death. Videos of both incidents have also contradicted the Trump administration’s account of events.

Good and Pretti’s families have strongly denounced the federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. Good’s brother, Luke Ganger, told reporters on Tuesday that his family initially “took some consolation thinking that perhaps Renee’s death would bring about change in our country. It has not.”

‘The completely surreal scenes taking place on the streets of Minneapolis are beyond explanation,” he said. “This is not just a bad day or a rough week or isolated incidents. These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives — including ours — forever.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

By Clarissa-Jan Lim

Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: House report accuses Trump administration of cover-up in Good, Pretti killings

CPB revives $36 million NPR deal killed after Trump’s pressure – NPR

Media

CPB agrees to revive a $36 million deal with NPR killed after Trump’s pressure

Updated November 17, 20258:20 PM ET

By David Folkenflik

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting agreed Monday to fulfill a $36 million, multi-year contract with NPR that it had yanked after pressure from the Trump White House.

The arrangement resolves litigation filed by NPR accusing the corporation of illegally yielding to Trump’s demands that the network be financially punished for its news coverage. The argument, part of a broader lawsuit by NPR and several stations against the Trump administration, focused on CPB funding for NPR’s operation of a satellite distribution system for local public radio stations. NPR announced Monday it would waive all fees for the stations associated with the satellite service.

The judge in the case had explicitly told CPB’s legal team he did not find its defense credible. CPB lawyers had argued that the decision to award the contract to a new consortium of public media institutions was driven by a desire to foster digital innovations more swiftly.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: CPB revives $36 million NPR deal killed after Trump’s pressure : NPR

#36Million #2025CreativeArtsEmmyAward #corporationForPublicBroadcasting #deal #houseOversightAndGovernmentReformCommittee #katherineMaher #nationalPublicRadio #npr #patriciaHarrison #trumpsPressure