No more Epstein talk? Donald doth protest too much
MAGA has long been obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a jail cell while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. His name was Jeffrey Epstein. (Did I say that already?)
Plenty of people in Trump's orbit and in his current Cabinet spent years speculating that Jeffrey Epstein had a client list that would reveal a vast cabal of powerful pedophile elites who flew on Jeffrey Epstein's plane and had sex with underage girls provided by Jeffrey Epstein.
Imagine their surprise when Trump's Department of Justice declared there was no client list and summed up Jeffrey Epstein's death - long suspected by folks in the MAGA-verse as a murder to keep him quiet - like this: "FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019."
Shocking. Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theorists had their whole raison d'etre wiped out, leaving them wondering if the president himself is part of the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy.
I, personally, believe no such thing and think everyone should honor Trump's request to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein.
No Jeffrey Epstein talk, folks.
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Explaining his eagerness to see Jeffrey Epstein's name out of the media, Trump wrote: "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein."
Perhaps we'd hear less about Jeffrey Epstein if President Trump stopped bringing up Jeffrey Epstein.
Some might argue Trump doth protest too much about Jeffrey Epstein. But I think the president's aversion to Jeffrey Epstein is in the best interest of the country.
There is, after all, no "team" in Jeffrey Epstein.
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Excellent presidencies like Trump's require a minimal number of scandals, so let's dispatch with the Jeffrey Epstein blah-blah
In fact, I'm prepared to never again mention Jeffrey Epstein unless I absolutely have to. Jeffrey Epstein. (Oops.)
News organizations focused on the Jeffrey Epstein-induced MAGA schism caused by the DOJ effectively ending the Jeffrey Epstein investigation should immediately abide by the president's wishes and drop all Jeffrey Epstein coverage.
Frankly, the repeated commentary on Jeffrey Epstein is making this whole Jeffrey Epstein thing seem much more important than the great things happening in America, none of which involve Jeffrey Epstein.
I hope others will do as I'm doing and wipe Jeffrey Epstein from their memories.
Let Jeffrey Epstein go.
Ending this Jeffrey Epstein obsession will make President Trump feel better, and that definitely has nothing to do with his past involvement with Jeffrey Epstein or photos with Jeffrey Epstein or the possibility that releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files might cause him widespread embarrassment.
So shut up about Jeffrey Epstein, people. Jeffrey Epstein is yesterday's news.
(And definitely don't look at the sentence that the first letter of each paragraph above spells out. That would be conspiratorial.)
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US justice department officials reportedly prepare to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell
The Jeffrey Epstein files scandal swirling around Donald Trump and his administration continued to escalate on Thursday as officials from the Department of Justice were reportedly set to meet with the late sex offender's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney general, arrived on Thursday morning at the office of the US attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, where he was expected to meet with Maxwell, ABC News reported. The state prosecutor's office is based in the federal courthouse in the Florida capital and Maxwell's lawyers were also seen entering the building, the TV network reported. The US justice department had announced on Tuesday that the meeting would take place 'in the coming days'. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes at a federal prison in Florida, after being convicted in New York in late 2021. The meeting comes amid growing political and public pressure on the Trump administration to release more details about the Epstein investigation – something that Trump and members of his administration had promised. Mark Epstein, the brother of the disgraced financier, said that if he had the opportunity he would ask Maxwell 'what she and Jeffrey might have known what the dirt was on Donald Trump'. 'Because Jeffrey said he said he had dirt on Trump,' Mark Epstein said. 'I don't know what it was but years ago he said he had dirt on Trump.' He added that he wasn't 'particularly worried' for Maxwell, adding: 'There's a lot of people on this planet.' Maxwell's brother, Ian Maxwell, meanwhile, told the New York Post that his sister is preparing 'new evidence' ahead of her meeting with justice department officials. Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, which he denied, relating to accusations that he 'sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls'. He had previously been officially declared a sex offender in Florida but re-emerged as a significant figure in US business and political circles in the years that followed his having struck a deal over the earlier criminal charges. The renewed focus on Trump's past association with Epstein comes after the justice department's announcement earlier this month that it would not be releasing any more documents from the most recent Epstein investigation – despite earlier pledges by both the US president and the US attorney general, Pam Bondi. The justice department's announcement drew criticism and backlash from both sides of the party political aisle, including from some Trump supporters and conservative commentators who accused the administration of engaging in a cover-up. For years, the Epstein case has been the subject of countless conspiracy theories, partly due to Epstein's ties to high-profile figures. Epstein's death, which was officially ruled a suicide, has also fueled many conspiracy theories. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was informed by Bondi in May that his name appears multiple times in the DoJ files related to Epstein. The report also said that Trump was told that many other high-profile individuals were named in the files, and that the department did not plan to release any additional documents related to the investigation. Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied the claims in the Journal report and dismissed the story. In an emailed statement this week, Cheung said that 'the fact is that the President kicked him [Epstein] out of his club for being a creep.' Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee voted 8-2 on Wednesday to subpoena the justice department for the Epstein files, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in the vote. The committee also subpoenaed Maxwell to testify before committee officials on 11 August. As the DoJ's meeting with Maxwell reportedly approached on Thursday, skepticism around her credibly was growing among lawmakers. Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, questioned whether Maxwell could be trusted. And Dan Goldman, a Democratic New York representative, said in a post on X on Tuesday: 'Ghislaine is looking for a pardon, and who would be better to give it to her than a co-conspirator now in the Oval Office.' Edward Helmore contributed reporting.
BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
Justice department official expected to speak to Epstein accomplice Maxwell
Jeffrey Epstein's long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell is meeting justice department officials as pressure grows to release files linked to the financier's sex trafficking network, US media comes after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he planned to speak to Maxwell about any information she had on other people whom Epstein may have helped sexually abuse girls. Maxwell is being interviewed on Thursday at the US attorney's office in Tallahassee, Florida, where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, ABC News lawyer told the BBC that Maxwell was looking "forward to her meeting", which could help determine whether she will testify before Congress. The latest developments come as interest has switched back to Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex-trafficker in prison for helping Epstein abuse young have grown from the public - including President Donald Trump's loyal supporters - and lawmakers for the justice department to release files related to the Epstein case. "If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," Blanche wrote in a post on X earlier this week. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump during a May briefing that his name appeared in DOJ documents related to the Epstein case. The White House has pushed back dismissing the story as "fake news". Being named in the documents is not evidence of any criminal activity, nor has Trump ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein campaigning for the presidency last year, Trump had promised to release such files about the well-connected sex his supporters have since grown frustrated with the administration's handling of the issue, including its failure to deliver a rumoured "client list" of Epstein. In a memo earlier this month, the justice department and FBI said there was no such died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, following an earlier conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. His death was ruled a suicide. In the years since, conspiracy theories about the nature of his crimes and his death itself have proliferated. On Wednesday, a sub-committee of the US House of Representatives voted to subpoena the justice department for the files, which must be signed off by the committee chairman. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have also subpoenaed Maxwell to testify before the panel remotely from prison on 11 August. House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned that Maxwell - who for years helped Epstein groom and sexually abuse girls - cannot be trusted to provide accurate attorney, David Oscar Markus, told the BBC the concerns were "unfounded" and that if she chooses to testify, rather than invoke her constitutional right to remain silent, "she would testify truthfully, as she always has said she would".Last week, the justice department asked a federal judge to release years-old grand jury testimony related to a 2006 Florida investigation into Epstein, but a federal judge in the state on Wednesday declined to make the documents public.
Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
Live Updates: Trump visits Fed as DOJ eyes Epstein ally Maxwell
Fed renovations have drawn Trump's scrutiny 27 minutes ago 11:43 EDT Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir The spiraling cost of the Federal Reserve's years-long renovation of two historic buildings in Washington, D.C., has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration's escalating pressure campaign on Powell. Here are five things to know about the renovations: 1. What are the buildings the Fed is renovating? They are the Eccles Building, constructed between 1935 and 1937 as the Fed's headquarters, and the 1951 Constitution Avenue Building, completed in 1932 for the U.S. Public Health Service. 2. How much are they over budget? Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, says the cost overrun is "$700 million and counting." The Fed's budget shows the project's current estimated cost at $2.46 billion up from $1.88 billion in 2024, a difference of about $580 million. The document also shows that the Fed eliminated the planned renovation of a third building, cutting about $510 million in costs. 3. Why are they over budget? Higher-than-estimated labor and materials costs, design changes to preserve the historic buildings and their appearance, and unforeseen problems including lead contamination in the ground and higher-than-anticipated amounts of asbestos. 4. What needs to be done? The buildings required new plumbing, electrical, heating, water, and other infrastructure, as well as updating to allow access for people with disabilities, a basement for one of the buildings and an addition for the other to make enough room for existing staff currently occupying other leased offices. 5. Who has oversight of the project? The Fed by law has authority to determine its spending on capital projects. Its Office of Inspector General receives monthly reports on the project, conducted a review in 2021, and is now charged with conducting a fresh review. Who was Jeffrey Epstein? 32 minutes ago 11:38 EDT Epstein was a well-connected and wealthy U.S. financier and convicted sex offender. Known for socializing with politicians, celebrities and royalty, he once counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton as friends. But the former hedge fund manager faced years of allegations that he sexually abused girls and young women. He first came under investigation in 2005. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to Florida state charges of unlawfully paying a teenage girl for sex. He was arrested on July 6, 2019 at a New Jersey airport after taking a private plane from Paris and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14, from at least 2002 to 2005. Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019 in a New York jail cell where he was being held without bail. He was 66. The cause of death was ruled as suicide by hanging. Prosecutors said a search of his townhouse, conducted under a warrant, uncovered evidence of hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of nude photographs of 'what appeared to be underage girls,' including some photos catalogued on compact discs and kept in a locked safe. The case was dismissed after his death. One of the most high-profile people associated with Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew who was forced to step aside from public duties in 2019 over his association with the financier. Andrew has always denied any accusations of wrongdoing. Sarah N. Lynch, Karen Freifeld and Brendan Pierson. US DOJ to meet with Epstein associate Maxwell 11:31 EDT Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he expected to meet with in Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's long-time associate, in coming days. Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein's longtime girlfriend, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. Epstein, a disgraced financier and sex offender, killed himself in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Several media outlets have reported that Maxwell is speaking with U.S. prosecutors on Thursday. Blanche has said if Maxwell "has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say." The possible meeting comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced mounting pressure from Trump's supporters to release additional materials related to Epstein. Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s. During Mazwell's 2021 trial, the financier's longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Trump to visit the Federal Reserve Thursday an hour ago 11:23 EDT U.S. President Donald Trump, a robust critic of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, will visit the central bank on Thursday, the White House said. It's a surprise move that escalates tension between the administration and the Fed. Trump has lambasted Powell repeatedly for not cutting U.S. interest rates more aggressively, calling him a "numbskull" on Tuesday and musing publicly about firing him. Adding fuel to Trump's ire, White House officials have accused the Fed of mismanaging the renovation of two historic buildings in Washington, D.C., suggesting poor oversight and potential fraud. In a schedule released to the media on Wednesday night, the White House said Trump would visit the Fed at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT). It did not say whether Trump would meet with Powell. Trump's public criticism of Powell and flirtation with firing him have previously upset financial markets and threatened a key underpinning of the global financial system - that central banks are independent and free from political meddling. We'll have the latest updates on all things Fed and Trump live on this page, stay with us.
