A political firestorm is rapidly engulfing Washington as two explosive developments—one stemming from the sprawling Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the other from a classified Pentagon probe—are set to detonate within days. This is a major mid-day news alert, and I’m heading to Capitol Hill now to speak directly with lawmakers and senior staff about what comes next. If you value independent, on-the-ground reporting, subscribe to support my work and help sustain continuous, real-time coverage.

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First, the House Oversight Committee has received a new tranche of documents from major financial institutions—JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank—as part of its expanding probe into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his financial networks. These materials, which include bank records as well as unreleased photos and videos of Epstein’s private compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands, are expected to be made public this week.

Democrats on the committee say the documents are still undergoing internal review, but emphasized a commitment to transparency.

“We intend to release files to the public in the days ahead,”
— Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of House Oversight

The committee has already published a series of images provided by the U.S. Virgin Islands government, offering the most detailed look to date at the isolated property Epstein used for years as a base of operations. This is one of those images. The rest of the images and videos are in my video update:

These releases are separate from the wider cache of federal law-enforcement records that Congress ordered declassified last month. The Department of Justice faces a statutory deadline later this month to make those materials public, prompting bipartisan concern over potential delays.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, lawmakers including Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), pressed for clarity on what evidence the DOJ is holding and whether any procedural barriers threaten the mandated release schedule.

Second, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing the most serious challenge to his leadership since taking office, following the completion of a months-long Inspector General investigation into his handling of classified information.

According to a new CNN exclusive, sources familiar with the classified report, Hegseth shared highly sensitive military strike plans over the encrypted messaging app Signal in March—details precise enough that one message included the line:

“This is when the first bombs will drop.”

The messages were transmitted to a group chat that, due to an error, included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. The IG report concludes that Hegseth’s actions risked compromising operations targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen and could have endangered American service members.

While the IG acknowledges that a defense secretary has the authority to declassify information, investigators found no documentation showing that Hegseth formally declassified the material he shared. Hegseth declined an interview with investigators and instead submitted written responses.

An unclassified version of the report is expected to be released publicly on Thursday, with the classified version already delivered to Congress.

The findings are likely to reignite bipartisan concerns over Hegseth’s judgment—concerns that nearly culminated in his removal earlier this year. Lawmakers have questioned both his adherence to protocol and his handling of prior controversies, including the so-called “Signal Gate” incident at the heart of this IG review.

The report also recommends improved training for senior Defense Department leaders on secure communication practices—an extraordinary rebuke directed at the Pentagon’s top official.

Between the imminent release of thousands of Epstein-related documents and a potentially career-ending IG report for the Secretary of Defense, Washington is bracing for a week of political upheaval. Both issues cut across party lines, touch highly sensitive national security and legal matters, and threaten to reshape major ongoing investigations.

This is a developing story. More updates to follow as documents are released and congressional reactions unfold.