Sunday shows – Trump’s Epstein conspiracy theory retweet grabs spotlight

Several guests on the Sunday morning political talk shows weighed in on President Trump’s retweet of a conspiracy theory surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide in jail, with the White House downplaying the president’s post and several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates criticizing him for it.

Guests also discussed the outlook for gun reform legislation in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and recent raids that swept up undocumented immigrants in Mississippi.

Read The Hill’s full coverage below.

Conway downplays Trump’s Epstein conspiracy theory retweet: ‘I think the president just wants everything to be investigated’ By ZACK BUDRYK   White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday addressed President Trump’s retweet of a conspiracy theory about the death of financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying on “Fox News Sunday” that he “wants everything to be investigated.” Read the full story here

Booker: Trump using same tactics, language as Russians with Epstein conspiracy theory retweet By REBECCA KLAR   Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), a Democratic White House hopeful, said on Sunday that President Trump’s “dangerous” tactics on Twitter echo those of Russians attacking U.S. democracy.  Read the full story here

O’Rourke: Trump ‘changing the conversation’ with retweet of Epstein conspiracy theory By REBECCA KLAR   Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said on Sunday that President Trump’s recent retweet of a conspiracy theory related to the death of Jeffrey Epstein in prison is the president’s latest attempt to change the national conversation.  Read the full story here

Jake Tapper calls out Trump for sharing ‘deranged’ and ‘insane’ conspiracy theory about Epstein death By JUSTIN WISE   CNN host Jake Tapper opened his show on Sunday by calling out President Trump for promoting a “deranged” and “insane” conspiracy theory about the death of disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died by an apparent suicide over the weekend.  Read the full story here

Conway: Republican concerns about gun reform ‘all reconcilable’ By ZACK BUDRYK    White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday expressed optimism that Republican senators who have been skeptical about gun control measures would cooperate with President Trump, saying their concerns are “all reconcilable.” Read the full story here

Bloomberg: McConnell may allow gun reform vote to boost reelection chances By ZACK BUDRYK   Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) on Sunday speculated that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) might allow a vote on gun control measures in the wake of two deadly mass shootings to increase his reelection chances. Read the full story here

O’Rourke says Trump’s behavior during El Paso visit shows ‘how sick this guy is’ By REBECCA KLAR    Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said President Trump’s behavior while visiting victims of the El Paso, Texas shooting last week shows “how sick” the president is.  Read the full story here

Scalise: Trump no more responsible for El Paso than ‘Bernie Sanders is for my shooting’ By ZACK BUDRYK   House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Sunday dismissed claims that President Trump’s rhetoric was responsible for last weekend’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, comparing it to his own shooting by a former campaign volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2017.  Read the full story here

Sanders: Trump doesn’t ‘want to see somebody get shot’ but ‘creates the climate for it’ By ZACK BUDRYK    Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 White House candidate, said Sunday that he believes President Trump “creates the climate” for events like last weekend’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, but that he does not believe Trump wants “to see somebody get shot.”  Read the full story here

Bloomberg knocks Trump’s rhetoric: He can’t ‘shoot off his mouth and say anything’ By JOHN BOWDEN   Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a new interview that he believes President Trump encourages the kind of attacks like the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Gilroy, Calif., with his rhetoric targeting immigrants and minority communities. Read the full story here

Tim Ryan: ‘White supremacists think that Donald trump is a white supremacist’ By ZACK BUDRYK   “The white supremacists think that Donald Trump is a white supremacist,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a 2020 White House hopeful,  told “Fox News Sunday’s” Bill Hemmer. “I would just say when you look at this kid in El Paso, he was saying similar things to what President Trump has said.” Read the full story here

Harris: Russian election interference exposed race as nation’s ‘Achilles heel’ By ZACK BUDRYK    Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a presidential candidate, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election made clear that race is the “Achilles heel” of the U.S. Read the full story here

Steve Bannon: ‘President Trump is not a racist’ By RACHEL FRAZIN   Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said in an interview that aired Sunday that President Trump is not a racist and blamed the “radical left” for divisions in the U.S. Read the full story here

Immigration officials defend Mississippi ICE raids as part of larger investigation By REBECCA KLAR   Immigration officials on Sunday defended the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that resulted in 680 workers at Mississippi food processing plants being detained and said they were still investigating the employers. Read the full story here

Harris: Immigration raids part of ‘campaign of terror’ that will result in ‘flawed’ census By KYLE BALLUCK    Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) a 2020 presidential contender, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that recent raids that swept up hundreds of undocumented immigrants in Mississippi are part of a “campaign of terror” that will result in a “flawed” census. Read the full story here

Trump ‘betrayed a lot of people’ with trade policies, Harris says By KYLE BALLUCK   Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), a Democratic White House hopeful, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that President Trump “betrayed a lot of people” with his trade policies, which she said are motivated by his “fragile ego.” Read the full story here

Bloomberg: Next generation of Democrats needs to ‘earn their spurs’ By ZACK BUDRYK    Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) on Sunday said a younger generation of Democrats needs to “earn their spurs” before they “own the right to set the agenda.” Read the full story here

Gore touts economic benefit for US in taking on ‘brunt’ of dealing with climate change By REGINA ZILBERMINTS   Former vice president and environmental activist Al Gore defended the possibility of the U.S. taking on the “brunt” of the global response to climate change, saying the steps the nation takes would have wide-ranging economic benefits. Read the full story here