Latest news with #EpsteinControversy
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats play hardball on Epstein files
Democrats are showing they're ready to get dirty and hit President Trump where it hurts by stoking the Jeffrey Epstein controversy that's severed his MAGA movement. The strategy strays from the official line coming from top Democrats such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who say they want their midterm campaign message to center on Medicaid cuts and other kitchen-table policies contained in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' But the focus on Epstein has also been remarkably successful, energizing the Democratic grassroots and aggravating tensions within the GOP. And this week, it prompted Republican leaders to scrap their legislative plans and head early into the long summer recess — all to avoid votes on the Epstein saga. Even traditionalist Democratic veterans are applauding the tactic for its effectiveness. 'As long as we don't live in the mud, crawling down in the mud every now and then is not bad, in the political arena,' Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said. The case of Epstein, the late financier and convicted pedophile, has roiled the Trump administration in recent weeks after the Department of Justice (DOJ) released an unsigned memo saying Epstein did not have a 'client list' and that there was no evidence that he sought to blackmail global 'elites' who might have committed sex crimes or other offenses. The DOJ also said it would not release any more documents surrounding the case. The memo directly contradicted claims from Trump, who had campaigned on the notion of releasing at least some of the files, and many prominent figures in his orbit, who have long claimed that Epstein operated an extensive pedophile ring that involved some of the world's most powerful people — a criminal enterprise that was covered up by the government to protect those same elites. Some of the loudest promoters of Epstein-related conspiracy theories have since been appointed to top positions in the Trump administration — including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, Patel's deputy director — feeding expectations from Trump's supporters that the files would soon be released. In February, Bondi had fueled those expectations further when she said she had the 'client list' on her desk and was preparing to release it. The DOJ memo dashed the hopes of many of the MAGA faithful, fracturing the movement that's stood at the heart of Trump's political ascension. And Democrats have found rare success in dumping salt on the wound. At every turn, Democrats are publicly bashing the administration for reneging on promises to release the Epstein files, aggravating the unusual split within Trump's far-right MAGA base. They're demanding votes on bills to force the Justice Department to release those files, paralyzing House floor activity on the Republicans' preferred legislative agenda. And they're backing an obscure procedural maneuver designed to force a floor vote on the Epstein files in the fall, ensuring that the national debate on the sordid episode — and the headaches it's created for Trump and the GOP — will endure for at least a few more months. 'This is a cover-up of epic proportions, where you've got the majority party literally having us leave Congress early, and not having the Rules Committee meet, because they don't want to deal with releasing the Epstein files,' Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday in the Capitol. 'The story's not going to go away because, at core, this is an issue about underage women who are sexually abused and assaulted,' he continued. 'Attorney General Pam Bondi should not be protecting Epstein's legacy, nor his clients, nor should congressional Republicans be doing the same.' The Epstein saga has created a huge headache for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders in the Capitol, who have struggled to contain the unrest within a GOP conference that's divided over whether the Epstein documents should be released. On Monday, the Democrats' vows to continue pushing Epstein resolutions brought action on the Rules Committee to a screeching halt, which in turn prevented Republicans from bringing their week's planned agenda to the floor. Without bills to vote on, Johnson on Tuesday announced that the House will leave Washington on Wednesday, rather than Thursday, for the long summer recess. He insisted the move was not intended to shield Republicans from tough Epstein votes — or protect Trump from potentially embarrassing disclosures — but to end the Democrats' 'political games.' 'We want any individual who's been involved in any way in the Epstein evils to be brought to justice as quickly as possible,' Johnson told reporters. 'What we refuse to do is participate in another one of the Democrats' political games. 'We are not going to let them use this as a political battering ram.' Complicating Johnson's efforts, some Republicans have joined Democrats in demanding the release of the Epstein documents. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is a top sponsor of legislation that would force the DOJ to release the records, and he's also leading the effort to force a vote on that bill through a discharge petition. Because of the obscure rules governing that procedural gambit, a vote on the underlying Epstein proposal won't happen until after Congress returns from the long summer recess in September— a timeline all but ensuring that the issue won't go away anytime soon. Jeffries this week downplayed the focus on Epstein, saying Democrats hope to target the major pieces of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' particularly the cuts to Medicaid and food stamps that were included to help pay for tax cuts. Other party leaders, however, said Democrats have no intention of taking their foot off the gas when it comes to attempting to release the Epstein files — and highlighting his ties to Trump. 'We're going to continue to support those efforts,' said Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus. 'Donald Trump and his son and his closest friends spent years fanning the flame of this theory, and now we're holding them accountable.' 'Do they want to protect the rich and the powerful? Or do they want the truth?' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Not even AI Obama can distract from Trump's Epstein crisis
For a little over two hours, Donald Trump's Truth Social timeline filled with an AI generated clip of Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office, plugs for a friend's book and a three-minute video of 25 improbable stunts. Nowhere in the 22-strong flurry of posts did the US president mention Jeffrey Epstein and the crisis engulfing his presidency. Instead, as Democrats seek to keep the controversy in the headlines, Mr Trump is intent on changing the subject. Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist, said it was a familiar tactic to make bad news go away. 'He's made everything else go away,' he said. 'So why shouldn't he be able to make this go away?' On his social media feed Mr Trump discussed his thoughts on the Washington's NFL team, demanding it return to its old 'Redskins', saying he would block its attempt to build a new stadium in the city if it did not. 'Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen,' he claimed. 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them.' He hit out at Obama administration officials over intelligence findings that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, a controversy reheated in the throes of the Epstein crisis last week by Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence. He shared an AI generated video depicting Mr Trump and Mr Obama sitting side by side in the Oval Office before FBI agents descend on the former Democrat president, forcing him to his knees and handcuffing him. It then then cuts to a forlorn-looking Mr Obama wearing orange overalls in prison. He also posted a compilation video including clips of a bikini-wearing woman grabbing a king cobra as it slithered toward her, motorbike trick riding, surfboard stunts, and a red Lamborghini swerving beneath a lorry before emerging unscathed on the other side. Donald J. Trump Truth Social 07.20.25 06:41 PM EST — Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 20, 2025 On Thursday evening, the Wall Street Journal published details of a birthday message Mr Trump allegedly wrote Epstein many years ago in which he wrote about the pair having 'certain things in common'. The White House pushed back on any idea that the president was trying to change the subject with his flurry of social media posts. 'President Trump's Truth social posts articulate the most consequential first six months of any administration in history, confirmation of the Russiagate hoax and his transparency at all times with the American people,' Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said. A senior administration official added that the story was rumbling around Washington but had faded from view beyond. 'This is a media obsession. Voters are more interested in real things like inflation coming down and illegal immigrants being sent home,' they said. But Democrats think they have an issue they can weaponise through the midterm elections next year. 'The line from the White House is that Twitter isn't real life, but the reality of our current politics is that these social media influencers, podcasters, and pseudo operatives are frequently setting the conversation,' said Nick Ryan, a Democratic strategist. 'There's a reason smart Democrats are hammering this fissure.' It is a reminder to voters that Mr Trump is not like them, runs the thinking. 'Whose side are you on?' Ro Khanna, the California Democrat, told Politico. He is one of the figures pushing an amendment to release all the Epstein documents. 'Are you voting to protect rich and powerful men, or are you standing with America's children and the people?' The crisis began as a Maga movement push to remind Mr Trump that he had promised to release all the documents related to the Epstein investigation, amid claims that they contained the names of other powerful abusers. When his Department of Justice announced it had reviewed the files, and that it would not be releasing them, there was an outcry among some of Mr Trump's most loyal supporters. After details of the lewd birthday card Mr Trump allegedly sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 emerged last week, the president denied sending the message and promptly sued the newspaper and its proprietor Rupert Murdoch. Since then the president has avoided taking questions from journalists. He spoke at a bill signing on Friday for more than 30 minutes about everything from the economy to his election win and his predecessor Joe Biden, taking the time to introduce more than a dozen members of Congress, without ever mentioning Epstein. 'We worked hard. It's a very important act, the genius act. They named it after me,' he said just before signing the act. 'I want to thank you. This is a hell of an act.'
CNN
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump On Epstein Controversy: 'I Don't Understand Why It's Still Going' - Anderson Cooper 360 - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Trump On Epstein Controversy: 'I Don't Understand Why It's Still Going' Anderson Cooper 360 47 mins If President Trump trying to put the lid on the Jeffrey Epstein story, why does he keep talking about what's in the pot? Plus, the President defends his decision to give Russia more than a month and a half to come to terms with Ukraine even as Moscow continues its attacks.
