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President Donald Trump has an easy scapegoat to throw under the bus if he continues to feel the heat from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal, New York Times reporter Michelle Goldberg told MS NOW's Ari Melber on Friday: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Lutnick, a billionaire who has been at the forefront of defending Trump's tariff policies, has been caught lying about the extent of his relationship with the deceased financier pedophile, and even top GOP lawmakers are suggesting he could be brought in for questioning.

Former Republican strategist Tim Miller slammed the emerging deal for the Trump-friendly media giant Paramount-Skydance to take control of the parent company of HBO and CNN in a panel on MS NOW Friday evening — and called it an affront to how anything should be working in a fair and competitive media market.

"Tim Miller, your thoughts on where this stands this afternoon?" asked anchor Nicolle Wallace.

As House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) spoke to reporters about the depositions of the Clintons on their potential connections to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, he made a curious statement that, according to MS NOW's Ali Vitali, was an effort to shield President Donald Trump — but also first lady Melania Trump.

"I want to make a statement, because they'll probably not mention this when they come out here," Comer told reporters. "Ranking Member [Robert] Garcia asked President Clinton, quote, 'Should President Trump be called to answer questions from this committee? And President Clinton said, that's for you to decide. And the president went on to say that President Trump 'has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved.'"

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democratic lawmaker on the House Oversight Committee, weaponized Republicans’ own tactic against them Friday in his demand for President Donald Trump to be dragged before Congress to testify to his knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein.

Garcia made the remarks in Chappaqua, New York, ahead of a closed-door House Oversight Committee hearing at which former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify about his knowledge of Epstein, who visited the White House at least 17 times during the Clinton administration. Clinton had also flown on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s.

The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas, forcing the closure of more airspace near El Paso, and CNN's Pete Muntean tried to explain what happened.

It's not yet clear why the laser was used against the drone – the second such instance in two weeks in that area – but the incident again shows a breakdown in communication between the military and the Federal Aviation Administration, which is required to receive notification of counter-drone activity within U.S. airspace.

CNN's John Berman pressed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) to explain why Hillary Clinton's testimony about Jeffrey Epstein was necessary but Melania Trump's was not.

The former first lady told lawmakers Thursday that she could not recall ever meeting the late sex offender, but the current first lady appears in many photos with Epstein and his now-imprisoned co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, both of whom were friends at one time with President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump’s inability to get past the questions about his relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein can be placed directly at the feet of Attorney General Pam Bondi over her seemingly unending series of blunders with the Epstein files, according to MS NOW hosts.

According to the co-hosts of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” the Trump appointee has not only damaged the credibility of the agency she heads, but has dragged down the president and the Republican Party with her.

Testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton as part of the congressional probe into the Jeffrey Epstein case opens the door for the current president and first lady to talk about their own ties to the late sex offender.

Hillary Clinton told lawmakers Thursday that she did not recall ever meeting the well-connected financier who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and Bill Clinton is expected to testify about his relationship with Epstein – a former friend of President Donald Trump and an associate of Melania Trump.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) put Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on the spot Friday over the killing of Alex Pretti last month by federal immigration officers, a killing that Bartiromo attempted to defend before being reminded of the concept of proportionality.

Bartiromo confronted Khanna over how many of his Democratic colleagues remained seated during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday when asked by the president to stand if they supported the following statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”