Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump nominates Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence — Donald Trump nominated Jay Clayton, former SEC chair and current US attorney for the Southern District of New York, to serve as Director of National Intelligence. The nomination follows widespread criticism of Trump's earlier decision to install Bill Pulte as acting DNI. Clayton has no significant operational intelligence experience but has bipartisan early support. The nomination comes amid controversy over Pulte's tenure and a lapsed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization deadline.
• Trump nominates Jay Clayton as permanent director of national intelligence — Trump announced on June 11 that he was nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York, as permanent DNI. Clayton has no experience in any of the 18 intelligence agencies under DNI purview. The Senate Intelligence Committee immediately scheduled Clayton's confirmation hearing for June 17—an extraordinarily rushed timeline—with the apparent goal of confirming him before June 19, thus preventing Pulte from ever serving as acting director.
• Trump nominated Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence — Trump announced his nomination of Walter Joseph "Jay" Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to become the next director of national intelligence. Like Pulte, Clayton lacks national security experience. Clayton has been involved in the slow-walking of the release of the Epstein files.
• Trump withdrew nomination of Bill Pulte for DNI after Senate opposition — After a bipartisan group of senators indicated they would not vote to extend FISA surveillance authority if Bill Pulte remained Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Trump withdrew the Pulte nomination. Trump announced instead the nomination of Jay Clayton, former SEC Chairman and current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to the DNI position.
• White House sent nomination and withdrawal to Senate for Walter Clayton — The White House sent to the Senate a nomination of Walter Clayton of New York to be Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard. Simultaneously, the White House withdrew Clayton's pending nomination to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The dual action redirects Clayton's candidacy from a four-year SDNY post to the intelligence directorship.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge in Rhode Island dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking voter records — A federal judge in Rhode Island dismissed the Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking to obtain sensitive records on every voter in the state. The ruling came after an unfavorable hearing for the government. This marks the fifth consecutive case in which the Trump administration's DOJ has lost its attempt to compel states to surrender voter data, with the administration having sued 30 states total on this issue.
• DOJ falsely claimed compliance with Privacy Act in voter roll complaints — The DOJ's complaints assert that the agency has complied with the 1974 Privacy Act, but the DOJ has not yet filed a Statement of Records Notice explaining how it will use the voter data it is demanding, as required by the Privacy Act. Legal experts characterize this as a premature assertion of an affirmative defense and a significant unforced error.
• DOJ filed California voter roll lawsuit in wrong federal court — The DOJ filed its California voter roll case in the Central District of Los Angeles rather than the Eastern District covering Sacramento, where the state capital and all voter registration files are located. This procedural error represents one of several mistakes in the DOJ's complaints that legal experts characterize as significant flaws in the litigation.
• DOJ files four new lawsuits demanding unredacted voter rolls from states — The U.S. Department of Justice filed four new lawsuits last week seeking unredacted voter rolls from states, bringing the total number of similar actions to 18 states, predominantly led by Democrats. The DOJ claims the lawsuits aim to ensure states are removing ineligible voters and to run rolls through Department of Homeland Security databases. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced Georgia, a GOP-led state, will also be sued, framing voter roll maintenance as "a bipartisan problem." Election experts question whether the stated purpose reflects the full scope of the DOJ's intentions.
• DOJ seeks memoranda granting unprecedented power over state list maintenance — Along with demand letters, the DOJ has asked states to sign memoranda that would grant the agency unprecedented power to conduct list maintenance and order states to conduct it in particular ways—not merely requiring general reasonable maintenance programs but directing specific voter removals by name. Legal experts argue the DOJ lacks statutory authority to take such power from states, and Congress has not authorized such delegation.
• DOJ shifts legal strategy from NVRA/HAVA to Civil Rights Act claims — The December lawsuits filed by the DOJ employ a different legal strategy than the September filings, dropping claims based on the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and Help America Votes Act (HAVA) and instead arguing that Title III of the 1960 Civil Rights Act (CRA) empowers the attorney general to demand unredacted voter data. Legal experts note this shift suggests recognition that the earlier statutory claims were weak, and that the CRA's inspection provisions do not authorize production of unredacted records.
• Judge Carter denies DOJ motion for production of voter records in California — In the California voter roll case, Judge David O. Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee, denied the DOJ's motion for an order to produce records in a short order that did not elaborate on his reasoning. The DOJ had filed the motion days before a scheduled hearing, and California responded with an emergency ex parte application arguing the demand was both rushed and improper.

Supporting reports

• Congressional vote on releasing Epstein files — Donald Trump is facing a potential congressional vote on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein, following a failed attempt to persuade two female members of Congress, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, to withdraw their support for a discharge petition. The petition, which has gained enough signatures to force a vote, could lead to the release of emails suggesting Trump's prior knowledge of Epstein's activities. The vote, if passed, would still require Senate approval and could be vetoed by Trump, but it poses a political risk by potentially alienating his base.
• House Speaker Johnson announces floor vote on Epstein files disclosure bill — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday that he would bring a bill compelling the release of government files related to Jeffrey Epstein to a full House floor vote the following week. The announcement came hours after Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn in as Arizona's representative, becoming the 218th signature on a discharge petition that automatically triggers the vote. Johnson, who opposes the bill, scheduled the vote earlier than required under discharge petition rules. Republicans anticipate significant cross-party support for passage.
• House Republicans attempted to pass Epstein Files bill by unanimous consent to avoid recorded votes — Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Tim Burchett sought unanimous consent to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act without a roll call vote, allowing Republicans to avoid being recorded voting yes or no while Trump threatened them. Democrats objected, and the Republican chair ruled the request out of order. The discharge petition had reached 218 signatures, forcing a floor vote next week. Rep. Jim McGovern revealed the procedure would have given the speaker authority to postpone or never send the bill to the Senate, and would have shielded Republicans from any up-or-down vote.
• Speaker Johnson announced plan to repeal DOJ surveillance provision — Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he will bring a bill to the floor next week to repeal the provision allowing senators to sue DOJ for surveillance. Johnson stated he will personally lobby Senate Republicans to take up the bill once it passes the House and will urge senators to back it. However, the bulletin notes the bill will likely die in the Senate.
• Speaker Johnson refused to commit to floor vote on ACA subsidies — Speaker Mike Johnson was asked whether he would bring a bill to extend ACA subsidies to the floor of the House if it passes the Senate. Johnson refused to guarantee a vote, stating that Republicans would demand reforms before anything like that was possible and that the process would need to go through normal channels. The bulletin notes that the author predicted a 0% chance of the bill reaching the House floor.
• Speaker Mike Johnson announced floor vote on Epstein files for next week — Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that the House will hold a full floor vote on the Epstein files discharge petition when Congress returns the following week. Johnson had previously stated the petition was "reckless" and "moot," but announced the vote after the petition was signed.

Supporting reports

• House Speaker Johnson refuses to swear in Representative-elect Grijalva — Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) was elected by voters on September 23, 2025, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has steadfastly refused to swear her into office. Grijalva has stated she will provide the final signature necessary on a discharge petition to force a vote on the public release of the Epstein files. Survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking enterprise sent a letter to Speaker Johnson on October 30 demanding that Grijalva be sworn in, stating that Johnson's refusal appears to be a deliberate attempt to block her participation in the discharge petition and obstruct transparency regarding Trump's connection to the Epstein files.

Supporting reports

• House Speaker Johnson refuses to seat elected representative Adelita Grijalva — House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to seat representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who was elected by voters on September 23, 2025, to fill a vacant House seat. Johnson has offered successive reasons to delay her seating. Without being sworn in, Grijalva has no access to government resources, cannot represent her constituents, and cannot provide the 218th signature needed on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• House adjourned for 77 of last 89 days to block Epstein files release vote — Speaker Mike Johnson kept the House adjourned for 77 of the previous 89 days, with House Republicans working only 12 days in three months. The stated purpose was to prevent a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Rep. Marjorie Greene publicly disagreed with the shutdown strategy, calling for the House to return to work on appropriations and legislation.
• House Speaker Johnson refuses to call House into session, blocking swearing-in of representative-elect Grijalva — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is refusing to call the House into session, keeping members out of Washington and preventing the swearing-in of representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who was elected on September 23. Johnson claims that keeping the House out of session prevents him from swearing in Grijalva, though speakers have sworn in representatives during pro forma sessions in the past. Grijalva has stated she will be the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• Johnson dismisses Grijalva lawsuit as "absurd" and "publicity stunt" — House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to the Arizona lawsuit by calling it "absurd" and characterizing it as "a publicity stunt." The lawsuit had noted that Johnson's excuse for delaying Grijalva's swearing-in—that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed swearing in Representative Julia Letlow—was inaccurate; Pelosi had contacted Letlow to determine when she wished to be sworn in.
• Arizona sued House Speaker Mike Johnson to compel swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva — Arizona sued House Speaker Mike Johnson and the U.S. House of Representatives to compel the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election last month. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes argued the delay violates the constitutional rights of the district's 800,000 residents to representation. Democrats said the delay is politically motivated, as seating Grijalva could give Democrats the 218th signature needed for a discharge petition to force a vote for the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
• Arizona and Grijalva sue House of Representatives over refusal to swear in elected representative — The state of Arizona and representative-elect Adelita Grijalva filed suit against the House of Representatives over Speaker Johnson's refusal to swear Grijalva into office, thus depriving her Arizona constituents of representation. Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes argued that a duly elected representative who meets constitutional qualifications cannot be denied office simply because the Speaker has decided to keep the House out of regular session. Mayes requested the court authorize someone else to swear Grijalva into office.
• Arizona Attorney General and elected representative sue Speaker Johnson over obstruction of swearing-in — On October 21, 2025, Adelita Grijalva and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives challenging Speaker Johnson's refusal to swear in Grijalva. The lawsuit argues that the Constitution does not authorize the Speaker to deny a duly elected representative her office to prevent her from signing a discharge petition or to strengthen the Speaker's negotiating position on budget matters. Mayes contends that Johnson "has not identified any valid reason for refusing to promptly seat Ms. Grijalva" and that the delay injures Grijalva and Arizona voters by denying representation for a significant portion of the two-year term. The lawsuit requests that if Johnson continues to delay, Grijalva be sworn in by another authorized official.
• House Republican leadership claims Trump exonerated in Epstein files — House Republican leadership, represented by Rep. James Comer, claimed that evidence gathered does not implicate President Trump in any way regarding the Epstein files. Comer stated that public reporting, survivor testimony, and official documents show Bill Clinton had far closer ties to Epstein. The files remain unreleased to the public.
• Arizona sues Mike Johnson to block swearing-in of elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva — Arizona's Democratic attorney general Kris Mayes filed suit against House Speaker Mike Johnson to compel him to swear in Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat elected to Congress on 23 September in Arizona's seventh district. Johnson has refused to schedule her swearing-in since early October, citing the ongoing government shutdown. Grijalva cannot access her office fully or vote without being sworn in. The lawsuit alleges Johnson is denying Arizona's district representation and suspects he is blocking her to prevent her from becoming the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
• Rep.-elect Grijalva blocked from being sworn in — Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has been blocked from being sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson, an unprecedented move that prevents her from voting on critical legislation.

Supporting reports

• Speaker Johnson has convened House for only 12 of 80 days — Speaker Mike Johnson has called the House into session for only 12 of the last 80 days, with House Republicans receiving full pay and benefits during the extended shutdown. The extended absence has been characterized as "The Epstein Shutdown," with 68 days off with full pay over the 80-day period.
• House Speaker Johnson delays swearing in of Representative Grijalva — Speaker Mike Johnson has not sworn in Representative Raúl Grijalva despite her written request, according to a Fox reporter's question at a House Republican press conference. Johnson denied the delay was related to obstruction of the Epstein files release. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sent a letter to Johnson demanding he swear in Grijalva and stated her office is considering litigation to hold him accountable for the delay.
• Arizona attorney general accused Speaker Johnson of violating Constitution — Arizona's attorney general sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson accusing him of violating the Constitution by delaying the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who is expected to be the key 218th vote on a petition that would force a vote to require the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.
• Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva demanded Speaker Johnson release Epstein files — Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva responded to Speaker Mike Johnson's dismissive "bless her heart" comment about her demand to be sworn in by accusing Johnson of stalling and obstruction. Grijalva stated she is the 218th signer of a discharge petition for the Epstein files and that Johnson's delay in swearing her in is politically motivated, driven by fear of Trump.
• House adjourned for 74 of last 86 days; zero committee hearings in October — Speaker Johnson has had the House adjourned for 74 of the last 86 days. The House Committee Calendar for October shows zero hearings or business being conducted. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries criticized House Republicans for being on vacation for three consecutive weeks during a government shutdown, stating they were in "legislative witness protection program" and not holding town halls or engaging with constituents.
• Speaker Johnson dismissed Arizona AG's lawsuit as a "publicity stunt" — When asked about the lawsuit filed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to compel him to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva, Speaker Johnson dismissed it as a "publicity stunt" by a "Democrat attorney general in Arizona" seeking a "national moment," claiming she had "nothing whatsoever to do with what's happening in Congress."