Video

President Donald Trump's Justice Department is behaving unusually and improperly with their sudden move to question convicted former Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, legal expert Lisa Rubin told MSNBC's "The Beat" on Tuesday evening.

"What are we to make of [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche taking this move to try to meet with Maxwell in the coming days?" asked anchor Antonia Hylton.

Vice President JD Vance has reportedly concocted a new excuse about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, and it could make matters worse for his boss, according to one analyst.

Recently, comedian Tim Dillon joined conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's podcast to discuss a dinner that he had with Vance. At the dinner, Dillon recalled Vance telling him that troves of pornography found in Epstein's homes were for personal use and not part of a broader sex trafficking conspiracy that includes the nation's most powerful people.

The Trump administration's decision to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell for testimony should be viewed with skepticism, according to one former federal prosecutor.

Trump has sought a way out of the mess created by the Jeffrey Epstein saga for more than two weeks. The administration's latest attempts include subpoenaing Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sex traffic young girls across the country.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) called President Donald Trump out for his latest allegations that President Barack Obama committed treason.

Trump was speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday with the president of the Philippines when he suddenly went off on a tangent about the "Russia hoax," which he said was invented by Obama as an excuse to spy on him.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) appeared to freeze during an interview with Fox Business' Larry Kudlow.

The conversation had turned to President Donald Trump's mass deportation programs when Kennedy commented, "Everybody else thinks.... Everybody else ...." and he stopped speaking, licking his lips before the camera cut from Kennedy.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was ruthlessly mocked Tuesday by CNN analyst Scott Jennings — a former GOP campaign strategist and usually one of President Donald Trump's most faithful supporters on the network — comparing his decision to shut down the House rather than take a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files to King Arthur and his knights from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" running away from danger.

"Is this going to work?" asked anchor Kasie Hunt. "Is Mike Johnson's attempt to get out of dodge going to help defuse all this for the president?"

President Donald Trump's intelligence chief no longer seems to be working in the best interest of America, according to one analyst.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was one of Trump's most controversial cabinet picks. Not only does she have no direct intelligence experience, but she has also held clandestine meetings with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, publicly supported people who leaked classified military information, and has ties to shady religious groups.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she was "not sure" if President Donald Trump or anyone in his administration communicated with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) before a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein documents was scuttled by canceling the final day of Congress before summer break.

Although the House was scheduled to hold votes on Thursday, Johnson moved to cut the week short as many members indicated that they would push to force the Trump administration to release files on the convicted sex offender.

Former Republican strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson couldn't help but notice that President Donald Trump is acting differently lately, and he thinks he knows why.

Speaking with a panel of political analysts on Tuesday, MSNBC host Katy Tur remarked that she was trying to understand Trump's motivation around the Jeffrey Epstein files scandal.

CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung confronted Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), a hardcore Trump supporter in Congress and an outspoken voice about canceling foreign aid to Afghanistan, over the consequences of his actions.

Yeung witnessed a baby die in front of her while reporting on the effects of U.S. foreign aid cuts in that country — and told him about what she witnessed. But he didn't bat an eye as he repeatedly told her it wasn't his problem.

House Republicans have effectively “been paralyzed” out of fear of inter-party dissent on Jeffrey Epstein, and have left key GOP priorities on the cutting room floor ahead of a congressional recess, CNN’s Lauren Fox noted Tuesday.

“You have some conservatives who are very frustrated with the fact that they feel like this is a campaign promise,” Fox said.

Republican strategist and political analyst Susan Del Percio slammed House Republicans’ efforts to stonewall measures to unseal documents on Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, arguing their tactics are actually “prolonging” criticism of Republicans among their base.

“I think he's prolonging it and making it actually worse,” Percio said Tuesday on MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports.