'SHAME': Trump weighed in on House Republicans summoning the Clintons for depositions later this month, saying he feels "badly" they have to testify.
Former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Feb. 27 and Feb. 26, respectively.
The pair bowed to pressure following a threat to hold them in contempt of Congress for refusing subpoenas to testify as part of the House panel's Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
"I think it's a shame to be honest. I always liked him. Her? Yeah. She's a very capable woman who's better at debating than some of the other people, I'll tell you that. She was smarter, smart woman," Trump said in response to The Hill during a press gathering in the Oval Office, referring to the Clintons.
"I shouldn't feel this way, but I feel badly that they have to go through that," he added.
The deposition will mark the first time in decades that a former president has testified to Congress. And it sets a new precedent of a former president appearing in the face of a threat of being held in contempt.
Trump had received a subpoena to testify from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, but it was eventually withdrawn.
The New York Times reported that a vote to hold the Clintons in contempt that had been scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled.
TRUMP CALLS TO MOVE ON: The president criticized CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for "not smiling" and called for the country to move on from the Epstein files in response to a question about some of the disclosures from the documents.
Collins asked Trump at the White House if he had read the new releases and about frustration some survivors of Epstein's abuse have expressed about what has been disclosed and what has been redacted from the files.
"I think it's really time for the country to get on to something else. Nothing came out about me, other than it was a conspiracy against me, literally, by Epstein and other people," he said.
Collins pressed Trump, sparking a presidential rebuke.
"CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. I've known you for 10 years. I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face," he said.
The exchange was the latest instance of Trump going after Collins specifically, having called her "stupid and nasty" for a question she asked him in December.
PRESIDENT DENIES BACKTRACKING: Trump is denying a report from The New York Times that the administration is dropping a demand for money from Harvard University to settle an investigation into the institution.
The Times reported that the administration is backtracking on its demand for $200 million in exchange for ending its probe into Harvard's handling of antisemitism at the university. Harvard, which has been a central point of the administration's investigations into various major academic institutions, has rejected that offer.
But Trump denied the reporting in a post on Truth Social, calling it "completely wrong." He announced in a separate post that he would be seeking $1 billion to settle the lawsuit.
The Times indicated it stood by its reporting, saying the outlet is confident in its accuracy. It added Trump's denial to the story.
Trump is currently suing the Times over its coverage of him during the 2024 election.
▪ The Hill: Don Lemon says he offered to turn himself in.
IRAN ENGAGEMENT: Tensions are reaching a new high with Iran after the U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone that approached an aircraft carrier Tuesday.
The incident is the most significant military engagement with Iran since the buildup of U.S. assets in the region in recent weeks. It came as other countries in the Middle East have been attempting to facilitate talks between the two countries to cool tensions over Iran's nuclear program.
U.S. Central Command said an Iranian Shahed-139 drone "unnecessarily maneuvered" toward the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. An F-35C fighter plane shot it down after U.S. forces operating in international waters took "de-escalatory measures," spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
No service members were injured, and no equipment was damaged during the incident.
The carrier and a group of destroyers arrived in the area last week as Trump has recently renewed his threats to strike Iran. The Pentagon has amassed a large military presence in the region, mirroring the one that has been built in the Caribbean to go after alleged drug traffickers.
The assets near Iran include a dozen warships, fighter jets and cargo planes.
Trump hasn't ruled out diplomacy to avoid a military faceoff but warned "bad things" would happen if a deal isn't reached.
Iran's neighbors have pushed to set a meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials to discuss the Middle Eastern country's nuclear program. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were set to meet in Istanbul on Friday.
But Axios reported that Tehran has demanded changes to the venue and format for the talks, inviting the risk that Trump might lean away from the diplomatic path.
▪ Fox News: Document shows regime's approach to crushing protests.
▪ The Washington Post: Where the U.S. military is positioned near Iran.
FILIBUSTER TALK: The president's call for the GOP to "nationalize" the midterm elections is spurring talk among Senate Republicans of possible reforms to the filibuster.
Thune dismissed Trump's Monday comments that Republicans should "take over" voting procedures in more than a dozen states, saying the federal government shouldn't seize power over states' rights to run elections.
"I'm supportive of only citizens voting and showing ID at polling places. I think that makes sense. … But I'm not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that's a constitutional issue," Thune told reporters.
But some Republicans are looking for a way to push through the SAVE Act, which would require voters to present birth certificates and passports when registering to vote. The legislation has shone a spotlight on the question of whether Republicans will seek to change how filibusters work in the Senate, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the chair of the GOP's Senate Steering Committee, said Republicans can use Senate rules to force Democrats to hold the floor continuously, known as the standing filibuster, to block the legislation.
But other senior Republicans worry that doing so would grind Senate business to a halt, possibly paralyzing the chamber for weeks or months.
Meanwhile, Trump's comments are spurring backlash from members of both sides of the aisle and adding to fears from critics that he intends to interfere in the midterm elections, The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch reports.
▪ Deseret News: Why Lee wants to reform the filibuster.
▪ CNBC: Trump said federal government should run elections if states can't.
JUDGE QUESTIONS PENTAGON: A federal judge seemed skeptical of the Pentagon's push to demote Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for his participation in a video in which he called on service members to refuse illegal orders.
U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon heard arguments Tuesday in Kelly's lawsuit trying to block Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from censuring him and cutting his pay for the video that Kelly and other congressional Democrats produced.
The government suggested that existing exceptions to First Amendment protections for active-duty service members should be extended to retirees like Kelly, a former Navy captain. But Leon cast doubt on that argument.
"It's never been done before," he said.
Kelly attended the argument and later told reporters that the Constitution is on his side.
Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said he plans to rule by the middle of next week.
NO GO: Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) signaled the effort to redraw the state's congressional lines ahead of the midterms is likely doomed, as the House-passed legislation won't be prioritized. Ferguson has been vocal about his opposition to attempts to enact a new map for November.
ANOTHER GO: Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who became well-known in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack, is launching a campaign for the House for the second time, running to succeed retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
MIRAN CHOOSES: Stephen Miran, a member of the Federal Reserve's board of governors, has resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, months after going on unpaid leave to join the central bank's board.
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