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In today's issue:

▪ MAGA vs. the Epstein memo

▪ Senate muscles through $9B clawback

▪ Takeaways from Hill Nation Summit

▪ Fed chair in Trump’s crosshairs

Furor over the Jeffrey Epstein memo is picking up steam in Washington, raising pressure on President Trump's administration to shift tacks even as the president ramps up efforts to castigate allies demanding more info.

Trump has rebuked those on the right who have added their voice to calls for more documents to be released relating to the disgraced financier and sex offender, and escalated his reproach on Wednesday.

“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats’ work,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, repeating his characterization that it's a Democratic-pushed "hoax."

The president sought to disavow his supporters who have called for the release of the files, chiding them as "weaklings" who "bought into this bulls---." He pointedly wrote: "I don't want their support anymore!"

"This has been the biggest split in the MAGA base that I've seen in my time," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has joined with at least half a dozen Republicans in pushing for more documents, said at Wednesday’s Hill Nation Summit.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said at the summit that Attorney General Pam Bondi will likely be brought before the committee after the August recess for annual oversight testimony and he expects the Epstein files will be brought up. All 19 Democrats on the committee on Tuesday sent a letter to Jordan demanding Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel testify before the panel.

▪ The Hill: 5 takeaways from the Hill Nation Summit.

▪ The Hill: Trump’s coalition is a “new Republican Party” that can answer the frustrations of voters, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday at the summit.

The controversy surrounding the Epstein saga exploded this month after Trump’s Department of Justice released an unsigned memo asserting the government has no evidence that the deceased financier and sexual predator maintained a “client list,” or attempted to blackmail powerful figures who might have committed crimes with minors. The DOJ and FBI also reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide.

Despite Trump’s latest comments, The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes in The Memo that the president’s attempts to quell the Epstein story may not be successful. Republicans and Democrats continue to press for more disclosure.

Former Vice President Mike Pence called on the Trump administration to release all records, saying "the time has come" for transparency and he knows of "no reason" to not release additional material.

MAGA influencer Laura Loomer called on the president to appoint a special counsel to investigate the matter, a topic Trump sidestepped when questioned by reporters.

Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, urged his colleagues Wednesday to “demand answers” regarding the Epstein files.

“It’s obvious to the American public, someone is lying, and someone is trying to hide something,” Garcia said on the House floor. “The truth is we don’t know what the facts are in this case.”

Meanwhile, Maurene Comey, a Manhattan federal prosecutor who worked on the criminal cases against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, was fired on Wednesday. The details of her dismissal are unclear. Comey is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump during his first term.

▪ NPR: Is Trump’s MAGA coalition splintering over the Epstein case?

▪ The Hill: The Epstein situation has put a spotlight on Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who encouraged conspiracy theories about Epstein as a private citizen and clashed with Bondi over the issue.

▪ NBC News: MAGA-friendly media has been torn over how to respond to a base that wants more on the Epstein files and a president who wants it to move on.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is seeking to close the distance between himself and the president when it comes to the Epstein files.

On Tuesday, the House GOP leader appeared to break with Trump when he said the administration “should put everything out there and let the people decide.”

But on Wednesday, the Speaker said his words were “misrepresented” and insisted there’s no daylight between his position and that of Trump.

“We’re for........

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