How the Released ‘Epstein Files' Disappointed
People carry binders bearing the Justice Department seal and titled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1" outside the White House on Feb. 27, 2025. Credit - Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images
Members of Congress and far-right influencers had been clamoring for the release of previously classified documents related to the late financier and alleged sex trafficker Jefferey Epstein since President Donald Trump, who had promised during his campaign that he would do so, took office. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Wednesday that Thursday would be the day they'd be waiting for.
But after a group of far-right influencers were handed physical binders at the White House—a photo-op-style move some observers called a 'managed disclosure' and others described as 'tasteless'—people online waited for hours to get access to a digital version of the release.
So when the X account for the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee posted: 'BREAKING: EPSTEIN FILES RELEASED,' followed by a link, users hoped it would lead them to the anticipated cache of documents.
Instead, what clickers got was the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit song 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'
The prank—a nearly two-decade-old bait-and-switch meme known as 'rickrolling'—enraged observers and has since been taken down.
'Disgusting behavior,' posted Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.), who chairs a task force focused on transparency and declassifying federal materials. 'The amount of people hurt by Epstein is not a joke. Whoever posted this is going to get fired.'
'Just a stunning lack of judgment by the people responsible for this account,' said conservative political commentator Matt Walsh on X.
'Little kids were raped and this is how the GOP acts. These people are as guilty as the Epstein client list. This is why it's taken this long to get any progress,' another user posted.
TIME has reached out to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee for comment.
The Justice Department eventually did publish the documents online, but it only led to more disappointment when reviewers found that the release was heavily redacted and included information that was already previously made available.
Read More: The Biggest Names from Jeffrey Epstein's Unsealed Court Documents
Responding to the lack of new information, Luna, the congresswoman, posted on X: 'THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!'
Far-right activist Laura Loomer also raged: 'We were all lied to today,' and she called on Bondi to resign, labeling her a 'total liar.' Loomer said in another post: 'This is absurd. Everyone is laughing at the admin today.'
Former MLB pitcher John Rocker, also a conservative, said on X: 'THE EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE TODAY WAS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.'
On the other side of the political spectrum, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) referred to the redactions in a post on X. 'You were promised the full Epstein files. You got this,' he said, with a picture of a page of black lines.
Other Republicans had more positive things to say. Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) thanked the Trump Administration for releasing the documents and 'shedding light on this darkness,' adding on X: 'Our hearts ache for the victims of this crime, and we stand alongside them in their quest for justice.'
Before the release of the documents, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) said on X that she was 'proud' of the work of Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, and added: 'AG Bondi will release the documents only protecting victim's identity which is the right thing to do. AG Bondi is releasing today everything she currently has. AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel are doing a great job!'
Bondi on Thursday claimed the FBI was withholding records she'd requested and instructed Patel to investigate as well as ordered the 'full and complete' files to be delivered to her by Friday.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate GOP takes bigger swing at Medicaid in Trump agenda bill
Senate Republicans are taking a bigger swing at Medicaid in their version of legislation to fund President Trump's domestic policy agenda and extend his first-term tax cuts. According to text released by the Senate Finance Committee late Monday, the legislation seeks to clamp down on two tactics states use to boost Medicaid funding to providers: state-directed payments and Medicaid provider taxes. The legislation would effectively cap provider taxes at 3.5 percent by 2031, down from the current 6 percent, but only for the states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The cap would be phased in by lowering it 0.5 percent annually, starting in 2027. Nonexpansion states would be prohibited from imposing new taxes, but as was true in the House-passed version, their rates would be frozen at current levels. The lower cap would not apply to nursing homes or intermediate care facilities. All states except Alaska finance part of the state share of Medicaid funding through at least one provider tax, according to health policy research group KFF. There are 47 states and the District of Columbia with at least 1 provider tax or fee of more than 3.5 percent. Limiting provider taxes is a long-held conservative goal, as they argue states are gaming the current system and driving up federal Medicaid spending. The policies are designed to inflate Medicaid spending on paper to allow states to receive more federal reimbursement dollars. States pay hospitals more, which drives up their Medicaid spending, so they receive higher federal reimbursement. The states tax providers, but the tax is less than what the government is reimbursing to the state. So essentially, providers and states receive federal matching funds without spending their own money. The change in the Senate bill is sure to anger Republicans who were already expressing concerns about the impact of the freeze in the House-passed version. Provider taxes have become an important lifeline for hospitals, and rural hospitals would be hit hardest by the cuts. The Senate bill also cuts certain existing state-directed payments to hospitals, which would be a significant hit to the hospitals' bottom line. The House version in contrast limited future payments but grandfathered existing arrangements. 'These harmful proposals will impact access to all patients who are served by our nation's hospitals and health systems. These cuts will strain emergency departments as they become the family doctor to millions of newly uninsured people. Finally, the proposal will force hospitals to reconsider services or potentially close, particularly in rural areas,' said Rick Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association. Like the House bill, the Senate legislation imposes work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries beginning at 19 years old. But the Senate version says adults with dependent children older than 14 will also have to prove they work, attend school or perform community service for 80 hours a month, while the House-passed version would exempt all adults with dependent children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Key GOP holdouts signal displeasure with Senate's tax and Medicaid blueprint
Several Senate Republicans who have withheld their support for the party's massive tax and spending package signaled on Monday that they weren't swayed by details unveiled by GOP leaders earlier in the day. The text released by the Senate Finance Committee Monday included some of the most controversial issues Republicans have been wrestling with — including Medicaid, taxes and green energy tax credits — and contained a number of departures from the House-passed version of the legislation. But Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), two preeminent critics of the bill, made clear they are dissatisfied by changes. Johnson, who has been perhaps the most vocal critic of the emerging package, did not sugarcoat his feelings after emerging from a meeting of the Senate GOP conference held to brief members on the bill. 'We're not doing anything to significantly alter the course of the financial future of this country,' Johnson said, noting that he plans to release a report of his own in the coming days to explain 'why I'm not particularly uplifting' about the financial state of the nation. 'It just simply doesn't meet the moment. It's inadequate,' he continued. Johnson has consistently panned the bill for not cutting enough spending, having called for a return to pre-pandemic levels. He has also been subject to intense lobbying by the White House as he holds many of the cards over the potential passage of the bill. But he argued the legislation nowhere near ready for prime time and will likely slip past the party's self-imposed July 4 deadline. 'Not by July 4th. No way,' he added. Hawley, meanwhile, has constantly drawn a red line around Medicaid cuts, saying he would oppose any bill that cut benefits. On Monday he complained that the bill included delays to the phaseouts of renewable energy subsidies while also containing Medicaid cuts that would impact rural hospitals. The Senate bill took a more flexible approach to the phaseout of the tax credits included in President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act that the House-passed bill did, but took a bigger swing at Medicaid. 'That's going to be a hard argument to make in Missouri,' Hawley said. Of the text writ large, he added, 'It sounds to me like this needs some work.' GOP leaders view the pair as critical to win over to pass the bill, especially if they want any hope of having a final version on President Trump's desk by the nation's birthday. There were also no signs from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a leading moderate, that she is on board with the bill yet. She declined to comment on the updated text language as she departed the meeting. Collins has repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of the House-passed Medicaid spending cuts. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), another holdout, indicated that he is not yet in the 'aye' column as well, telling reporters that he is still going through the updated text. He has been among those calling for more spending cuts, though his vote has been viewed by leaders as not as heavy of a lift as Johnson's. The Senate GOP can afford to lose a maximum of three votes. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been widely considered a definite 'no' vote over his opposition to an increase of the debt ceiling that was included, meaning they can only lose two additional votes. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) unveiled the package during a special conference meeting on Monday evening, with members acknowledging that the process is far from over. 'It's just what you expect: Everybody's got an opinion, and I think it's going to be that way right up until we vote,' said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.). 'It's still a work in progress.' Finance's language included numerous changes from the House's package, which Senate Republicans have been clamoring for. Headlining those are a proposal to tighten eligibility requirements for Medicaid and lower the provider tax in expansion states to 3.5 percent — down from 6 percent. The Child Tax Credit also was raised to $2,200 in the upper chamber — compared to the $2,500 level in the House. One contentious issue that remains up in the air is what will happen to the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap. The Finance panel's text holds the cap steady at $10,000 — one quarter of the $40,000 cap in a deal House members from New York, New Jersey and California struck with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Senate Republicans, none of whom hail from high-tax blue states, have shown little appetite to abide by that deal. But they are cautioning that the $10,000 price tag is one in name only. 'We understand that it's a negotiation,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said. 'Obviously. there had to be some marker in the bill to start with, but we're prepared to have discussions with our colleagues here in the Senate and figure out a landing spot.' Numerous House GOP members from those states spoke out forcefully against any changes to the House deal, saying that they will not accept anything lower than the agreement they already struck with Johnson. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), the chamber's informal liaison to the House, told reporters that he spoke with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), among others, in an attempt to calm the waters. 'Everything is being negotiated. Everything's being talked about,' he said. 'Everybody's got an idea. Like I said, everybody wants their fingerprints on it and make the bill better and that's what I think we'll do.' Alexander Bolton contributed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
House-passed Trump bill would add trillions to debt even when accounting for growth: CBO
The House-passed version of President Trump's tax cut and domestic policy bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt, even when accounting for its impact on economic growth, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO's 'dynamic' estimate, which factors in how the bill's policies would affect economic growth, found that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt by the end of 2034. The national debt, currently north of $36 trillion, would equal 125 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2034. CBO said the bill would increase GDP by just 0.5 percent over the span of that decade. CBO Director Phillip Swagel said the bill's economic effects would increase deficits and interest rates, leading to an on-net increase in the national debt. Trump's tax cuts, among other measures, would lead to a $3.7 trillion decline in federal revenue over the next ten years. The new CBO score comes as the House-passed bill faces several obstacles in the Senate, which is already plowing ahead with its own version of Trump's policy bill. Republican senators have objected to issues including the overall cost of the bill, cuts to Medicaid and other health programs and tax provisions. Republican leaders have set a deadline of July 4 to send a bill to Trump's desk, but are likely to push the date amid disagreements among senators. Trump and Republicans could face pressure to speed the process along this summer as the U.S. nears the debt limit, which the GOP plans to raise through the president's landmark bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
