Epstein Unsealing Drama, GOP Deflection, and the Surveillance Blueprint
1. 🎲 Epstein grand-jury transcripts under review
- A federal judge overseeing DOJ’s motion to unseal Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell grand-jury transcripts asked the department for additional briefing by July 29, 2025 before ruling.
- Trump’s DOJ—via AG Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche—has formally requested that those transcripts be unsealed, citing strong public interest while promising redactions for victims.
- But legal analysts warn that grand‑jury records are tightly sealed by law; even if released, they may contain only agent summaries, not direct witness testimony.
2. 🪄 GOP distract-o-thon: the “autopen scandal”
- House Oversight Chair James Comer is probing whether former President Biden used an autopen (automated signature device) to sign pardons—despite longstanding precedent and legality dating back decades.
- Meanwhile, Comer himself has signed official letters and subpoenas via a digital signature, deeply undermining his credibility.
- Biden’s team dismissed the claims, saying he personally made key decisions and that autopen usage is routine and lawful.
3. 🔍 Project 2025 surveillance expansion: fusion centers, AI tracking
- Project 2025—the MAGA blueprint for a second Trump presidency—advocates consolidating federal agencies and centralizing executive power. It envisions deploying “religious right” ideologues, purging civil servants, and expanding federal control over domestic policy.
- While recent chatter about AI‑driven domestic “extremist” tracking isn’t tied to a specific new memo, concerns persist: fusion centers (regional intel hubs) already operate with minimal oversight, funding, and access to surveillance tools Brennan Center for Justice.
- Activists, including the ACLU, continue pushing for court oversight, exposing how these centers collect protest data and monitor communities of color aclu.org.
🔥 Verified Resistance Kitty Call to Action
- Join or organize local actions: Host screenings or teach-ins on surveillance tools and Project 2025’s power grab—demand that elected officials pledge not to support it.
- Demand transparency now: Call your members of Congress and ask them to publicly push for the release of Epstein and Maxwell grand‑jury transcripts—no more foot‑dragging until after July 29.
- Expose the deflection: Share fact‑checks debunking the “autopen scandal” (legal, normal) and slot in coverage of Comer’s digital signature hypocrisy.
- Fight the surveillance state: Pressure your rep to support federal bills that reform fusion centers and prohibit use of AI to track citizen speech or protest.
- Amplify survivor voices: Donate to organizations representing Epstein survivors and promote their demands for unredacted justice.
Sources
- https://www.axios.com/2025/07/23/epstein-maxwell-grand-jury-transcript-request-memos
- https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/justice-department-asks-court-to-release-epstein-grand-jury-transcripts-98be46ff
- https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/18/jeffrey-epstein-grand-jury-documents-case-00464189
- https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-directs-probe-into-bidens-use-autopen-biden-says-policy-decisions-were-his-2025-06-05
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/15/biden-autopen-james-comer
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
- https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/ending-fusion-center-abuses
- https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-urges-court-to-order-government-to-release-records-on-fusion-center-and-joint-terrorism-task-force-surveillance