From: NY To: Undisclosed recipients:; Subject: SITREP and Orange is the Color of the Day for Wednesday, July 23, 2025 Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Importance: Normal Inline-Images: Outlook-yv5hzqig.jpg I I DERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Donald Trump Accuses Barack Obama of 'freason' Over 2016 Election Claims The Associated Press (07/22, Tucker, Megerian) and Reuters (07/22, Holland, Spetalnicic Landay) reported that President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of "treason" for allegedly trying to tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump made the accusation without providing evidence, and a spokesperson for Obama denounced the claim as "ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction". An assessment by the U.S. Intelligence community published in January 2017 concluded that Russia, using social media disinformation, hacking, and Russian bot farms, sought to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign and bolster Trump. The assessment determined that the actual impact was likely limited and showed no evidence that Moscow's efforts actually changed voting outcomes. A 2020 bipartisan report by the Senate intelligence committee had found that Russia used Republican political operative Paul Manafort, the WikiLeaks website, and others to try to influence the 2016 election to help Trump's campaign. The Washington Examiner (07/22, O'Keefe) reported that President Trump told members of Congress at a reception Tuesday to say former President Obama "cheated on the election," if the media do not ask them "appropriate" questions. Trump has been attacking former President Obama following intense media attention concerning Trump's relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Additional reporting on the story was provided by Axios (07/22, Habeshlan), Al fauera (07/22, Staff Writer), ABC News (07/22, Forrester) (2), CNN (07/22, Wolf), NBC News (07/22, Alba, Hillyard, et al.), BBC (07/22, Mat2a), New York Times (07/22, Broadwater), Politico (07/22, Stokols), USA Today (07/22, Crowley), The Guardian (07/22, Tait), Newsweek (07/22, Gooding, Whisnant), NewsNation (07/22, Whiteside), and Washington Examiner (07/22, Datoc). Mike Johnson Shuts Down U.S House Until September to Prevent Congress from Voting to Release Epstein Files The Wall Street Journal (07/22, Li, Gurman) reported that the House of Representatives came to a standstill due to disputes over disclosures from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Republican leadership cut short the week's session and postponed action until September to avoid votes on releasing more Epstein•related material. The decision was made to prevent Democrats from forcing votes that could put Republicans in uncomfortable positions regarding the disgraced financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Additional reporting on the story was provided by Associated Press (07/22, Groves, Mascaro), People (07/22, Kile), and Reuters (07/22, Morgan). Judge Overseeing DOJ Epstein Grand Jury Records Request Asks for More Information ABC News (07/22, Mallin, Hill, Charalambous) reported that District Judge Paul Engelmayer plans to rule "expeditiously" on the Justice Department's request to unseal grand Jury records from Ghislaine Maxwell's case, but needs more information. The Justice Department has been given until July 29 to submit a brief outlining their Justification for seeking the release of the records, including whether they have reviewed grand Jury transcripts and provided notice to victims. Lawyers for Maxwell and victims in the case will also have the opportunity to review and respond to the proposed release of the grand Jury transcripts, with victims having until August 5 to address their positions. EFTA01648977

Trump's Wall Street Journal Suit Over Epstein Story Faces Timing Hurdle Reuters (07/22, Cohen) reported that Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about him and Jeffrey Epstein may face hurdles due to noncompliance with Florida state rules on the timing of defamation lawsuits. According to the article, Trump would need to clear a high bar to win the case, including proving "actual malice" by the Journal, which means showing the paper knew the article was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth. The article noted that the lawsuit may be dismissed due to Trump's failure to provide the required five.day notice period before filing the suit, and experts warn that his willingness to sue could have a chilling effect on media coverage of his administration. The article highlighted that in 2019, Deputy Director Bongino sued online news outlet The Daily Beast for defamation over a story about his departure from the National Rifle Association's online video channel. The case was dismissed the next year. U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez in Miami sided with the Daily Beast in finding that Deputy Director Bongino did not comply with the provision, but said the basis of his decision was that Bongino's case lacked merit. The Cut (07/22, GonzalevRamirez) and Snopes (07/22, Deng) also reported on the story. EFTA01648978

Federal Bureau of Investigation New York Division 26 Federal Plaza New York• NY 10278 Phone: Email: DI/KR EFTA01648979