On July 21, President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on confessed Idaho 4 murderer Bryan Kohberger‘s expected sentencing hearing on July 23.
Though there’s no evidence his post is related, the timing could be seen as an attempt to deflect attention away from the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal that has embroiled the president in recent weeks.
Trump recently filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company for defamation over a report regarding his ties to Epstein.
Meanwhile, the day after Trump shared his Truth Social Kohberger post, Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) officials announced they would fly to Florida to meet with former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges.
After Trump’s DOJ released a memo stating there was no Epstein client list, and no more prosecutions were coming, while reaffirming Epstein died by suicide, Maxwell’s attorney said Maxwell would be willing to testify before Congress and tell the truth, which could mean implicating the president in Epstein’s crimes.
“The deaths of four wonderful young souls”
On July 21, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Bryan Kohberger, who was responsible, in Idaho, for the deaths of four wonderful young souls, has made a plea bargain deal in order to avoid the Death Penalty.” Trump described the 2022 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Maddie Mogen as vicious, “with so many questions left unanswered.”
He added, “While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders. There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING.”
Trump noted the shock at Kohberger’s plea deal and urged Judge Hippler, who presided over the case, to make Kohberger “explain what happened. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.
The DOJ Maxwell meeting
The next day, Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a statement on X from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing, “I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak,” with prosecutors from the Department of Justice.
Blanche added, “I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days. Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.”
Meanwhile, news came on the heels of Blanche and Bondi’s announcement that the House Oversight Committee has officially subpoenaed Maxwell to testify as soon as possible, according to Axios. No specific date has been set.
House Oversight Committee member, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, told the press, “She’s the last one standing. There’s nobody else alive that can tell us anything … I’d like to get her there before she’s allowed to commit suicide as well. I’m just tired of it.”
Johnson’s delay
In a related development, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a key ally of Donald Trump, announced a delay in a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act until after the August recess. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, mandates the Attorney General to release to the public all unclassified Department of Justice records related to Epstein and Maxwell.
This would not affect potential Maxwell testimony, as the subpoena came from the House Oversight Committee, which operates independently of the full House floor and the procedural vote Johnson postponed.
According to CBS News, Speaker Johnson postponed the House vote on a non-binding resolution to release Epstein-related files, stating Republicans needed to give the Trump administration “space to do what it is doing.” This move emphasized solidarity with the president and downplayed Democratic pressure as the August recess began.
The move also helped defuse growing tensions within the GOP, as Johnson accused Democrats of playing “political games” and warned against intra‑party fractures, while buying time for both the DOJ and GOP leadership to manage the issue quietly before returning to session.
Published: Jul 22, 2025 01:11 pm