Latest news with #BinderGate
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Epstein 'cover-up' civil war exposes MAGA fractures and dirty secrets
When a group of MAGA 'influencers' marched out of the Oval Office holding up white binders filled with the 'Epstein files', Donald Trump 's base immediately sensed something was off. Fast-forward to five months later and Trump's cabinet is cracking wide open with FBI chiefs Dan Bongino and Kash Patel threatening to resign unless Attorney General Pam Bondi is fired. In the twisted web of Epstein conspiracy theories, heated anti-Israel rhetoric has emerged at a time when Trump is already facing criticism over supporting Benjamin Netanyahu's bombing campaign. MAGA lawmakers, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, have been accused of anti-Semitism, while former Fox host Carlson is facing claims that he is taking money from the Qatari government. Greene and Carlson vehemently deny the allegations. At the end of February, the White House invited a cadre of conservative influencers for a visit, and presented them with big white binders which purportedly contained the oft-touted 'Epstein files'. The influencer debacle was led by Bondi at the White House and she later assured the public that her Department of Justice had the dossiers which were being reviewed for release. But it soon turned out that there was nothing at all substantive in the white folders handed to the influencers - and the debacle became known as 'binder gate.' Bondi last week was forced to retract her statement that the files were 'sitting on my desk' and instead told the American people that there was, in fact, no 'client list'. The DOJ released a video showing the outside of Epstein's cell at the Manhattan jail where he allegedly hanged himself. But Trump's MAGA base is still fuming that the Epstein Files have not been entirely released to the public. Former Fox News personality turned independent journalist Tucker Carlson is one the biggest voices sowing division in Trump's MAGA-right. During a speech at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit this weekend, Carlson went after the Trump admin for the alleged Epstein 'cover-up.' Conservative internet personality Arynne Wexler told the Daily Mail that if you listen to Carlson's latest speech at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, 'he's like the narcissistic, toxic ex-boyfriend, where nothing's ever good enough and the goalpost is ever moving and you can never reach it. 'He's complaining that Trump hasn't done enough.' Wexler also added that Carlson 'even insulted Riley Gaines, talking about how men on women's sports teams don't matter.' 'I mean, there was really nothing about what he said that sounded conservative or like of the right', Wexler concluded. War Room podcast host and a former White House strategist from Trump's first term Steve Bannon noted in his own speech at the Turning Point USA Summit that in his view, 'Epstein is a key that picks the lock on so many things, not just individuals, but also Institutions, Intelligence, Institutions, Foreign Governments, and who was working with him on our Intelligence Apparatus and in our Government.' Foreign influence in America's government and politics is something that has been questioned on both the left and right. But, some of the biggest characters who point fingers at others have the biggest questions about their own backers. During Carlson's Turning Point speech, he made claims that both Epstein and long-term Democrat donor turned Trump 2024 backer Bill Ackman only gained prominence, and in turn wealth, due to secret ties to the Israeli government. Ackman notably promptly refuted Carlson's claims, additionally stating on X that although he used to enjoy Carlson's Fox show, now the media mogul 'has gone off the reservation, in particular about Iran, Israel, and the Middle East.' 'Some say his politics relate to where his business' funding comes from and some say he just doesn't like Jews. I have no idea what motivates him and why he appears to be a changed man.' Ackman added. Carlson addressed allegations that he was being funded by Qatar in a recent episode of his show, stating that 'f or the record, of course, I've never taken a dollar from anybody. I don't even have investors.' In 2023, the Daily Mail reported that Carlson's independent media venture was backed to the tune of $15 million by Omeed Malik, an American citizen with an Iranian mother and Pakistani father. Carlson and Malik had previous experience in the media business together. In 2020, Mailk joined the Daily Caller as a minority investor/owner and contributing editor. Within Trump's own administration, characters loyal to the MAGA base are not afraid to point fingers at their own colleagues. President Donald Trump's FBI head Kash Patel and deputy Dan Bongino are both ready to call it quits if Attorney General Pam Bondi keeps her job after the debacle over releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Bongino, the FBI's deputy director, made the ultimatum after an epic clash with Bondi on Wednesday over the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the Daily Mail revealed this week. The rift was so bad that Bongino took the day off work on Friday, leading some to think that he had already left his post, Axios first reported. Meanwhile, Trump's congressional allies are doing their best to play both sides on the issue of Epstein, hoping to remain in the good graces of both Trump and his base, which is undoubtedly splintering. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the typically most MAGA-aligned voices on the right said during an appearance on Real America's Voice (RAV) last week that she for one wasn't buying that there wasn't more to the Epstein story. 'I think the Department of Justice and the FBI has more explaining to do. This is Jeffrey Epstein; this is the most famous [child predator] in modern-day history,' Taylor Greene told RAV. 'And people are absolutely not going to accept just a memo that was written that says there is no client list,' Taylor Greene concluded. Noting that some MAGA influencers have gone off the rails, Wexler told the Daily Mail 'that they're turning the party into what I told my friends the Republican Party wasn't for the last two decades, and now we actually are, like, they're just turning the party into exactly what my liberal friends said we are.' Now, Trump has to sail the rough seas of his own making. In a post to his Truth Social platform this weekend, Trump tried his best to push for unity in the MAGA camp. '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 ,' Trump wrote. He added that America should 'not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody nobody cares about.' Still, his allies may not be truly abandoning him, or just thinking about their own futures and longevity in the realm of public discourse. Trump is after all 79 years old, with no political future to contend with. Meanwhile, those criticizing him undoubtedly desire to keep driving public discourse on the right and beyond, long after Trump is out of office.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Laura Loomer rips AG Pam Bondi over Epstein files: ‘She was always lying'
MAGA influencer Laura Loomer tore into Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and claimed she was 'always lying' about their release. Loomer, one of Bondi's fiercest critics, posted a scathing message on X following the Department of Justice and FBI's new memo, released late Sunday, that said an investigation found that the convicted pedophile did not have a 'client list' to blackmail individuals. Loomer has repeatedly called for Bondi to resign over her handling of the files, and did so again Monday. 'Blondi lied,' Loomer posted on X shortly after news of the memo broke. 'She was always lying.' The conspiracy theorist, who generally aligns with the hardcore 'America First' wing of President Donald Trump's coalition, also speculated about the timing of the memo's release. 'Who releases a statement about the Epstein files on the Sunday night of 4th of July weekend?' she asked her followers. 'Someone who doesn't want you paying attention.' Loomer also addressed previous accusations that she was 'jealous' about being snubbed by Bondi for the event where 'Phase 1' Epstein binders were handed out to MAGA influencers. Bondi was mocked after she invited right-wing influencers to the White House in February, where they were given binders that contained no new bombshells about the case. The binders contained information that had been circulating in the public domain for years. 'People said I was 'jealous' I wasn't invited to the Binder Gate scandal,' Loomer said. 'Now everyone else is calling for her to resign. The only people who are jealous are the people who cannot keep up with me and my insight.' The Independent has contacted the Department of Justice for comment. Sunday night's two-page DOJ/FBI memo also confirmed that Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail cell on August 10, 2019. 'No further disclosure is appropriate or warranted,' the memo read, adding that no more Epstein-related investigations will be launched into third parties. Former 'first buddy' Elon Musk, who took the feud with Trump to new heights last month when he accused him of being 'in the Epstein files, shared in Loomer's outrage. 'This is the final straw,' Musk posted in response to a user on X who said the administration's pledges to release the Epstein files were 'a farce.' Musk posted a series of memes mocking the Trump administration over its handling of the Epstein case. Other leading voices from the MAGA movement also shared their disbelief - and vowed the Epstein case wasn't over. 'As trusted voices like @FBIDDBongino, @FBIDirectorKash, and @AGPamBondi align with the official story, many are asking: Who's still willing to demand real answers?' Lindell TV, the outlet of Trump's ally Mike Lindell, fumed on X. 'The DOJ says the case is closed. But for millions of Americans, it's anything but.' Loomer was at the center of a MAGA civil war when she accused Tucker Carlson of being bankrolled by Qatar after he went against the president's decision to launch U.S. strikes on Iran last month.
