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In today's issue:

▪ Epstein uproar splits GOP

▪ What to expect at Hill Nation Summit

▪ The Bidens aren’t going quietly

▪ Ukraine waiting for weapons details

The MAGA revolt over Jeffrey Epstein fractured President Trump’s defensive line on Tuesday.

Fury within Trump’s base about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein investigation forced Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to publicly split from the president to call for more “transparency.”

Some GOP lawmakers, who early this week dodged reporters’ Epstein questions, are suddenly sounding amenable to holding hearings in response to base voters and conservative media influencers who fume about a possible administration cover-up.

MAGA allies warn that disillusioned conservatives could stay home next year when the party is defending its majorities in the House and Senate, after Trump officials spent years vowing to expose the secrets of Epstein’s “client list,” which the administration now says is nonexistent.

The president, who over the weekend accused “selfish people” of obsessing about “a guy who never dies,” on Tuesday praised Attorney General Pam Bondi while encouraging her to release “whatever she thinks is credible” tied to the disgraced New York financier.

OBJECTION, DEFLECTION: Trump has tried to ignore the MAGA eruption, leap past it and command his followers to get in line, and he’s blamed the mess on past Democratic administrations and “fake news.”

None of those tactics have tamed the prolonged backlash and it’s doubtful that “more transparency” can quiet skeptics. The president may simply find a way to change the headlines.

“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “And I don’t understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”

Bondi — criticized from the right and by Democrats eager to stoke a rare controversy that appears to be sticking to Trump like glue — is dug in. The attorney general on Tuesday rebuffed calls for her resignation.

"I'm going to be here for as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he's made that crystal clear," she said.

Johnson, who will appear at the Hill Nation Summit later today held by The Hill and NewsNation, said he’s “anxious to get this behind us.”

▪ The Hill: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), with bipartisan support from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), is leading a long-shot effort to force a House vote on releasing what he calls “complete” Epstein files.

▪ The Hill: Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) joins calls for Epstein files special counsel.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are pushing for a hearing to bring in Bondi and other top DOJ and FBI officials. Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who will also appear at the Hill Nation Summit today, told The Hill on Tuesday he had "confidence" in the president's team.

Over in the Senate, Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) said they would support seeking testimony from longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, according to ABC News.

Johnson told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson during a Tuesday interview that the attorney general should “come forward” and explain her February remarks about Epstein files sitting "on my desk."

Bondi now says those comments were misconstrued, and last week the Justice Department in a memo said its “systematic review revealed no incriminating `client list.’ There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, the former head of the Republican National Committee and a potential GOP Senate candidate, joined in urging the White House to provide "more transparency" around materials tied to Epstein, who died in jail while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019.

“I think that will happen. I know this is important to the president. He is frustrated,” she said during a podcast interview, adding she believed "there will be more coming."

TUNE IN: The Hill and NewsNation's inaugural Hill Nation summit is happening in Washington throughout the day Wednesday.

Newsmakers include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and many more.

▪ Watch the

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