Trump tears into his haters amid new Epstein revelations

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Donald Trump is still trying to blame the Jeffrey Epstein files outrage on 'crazy Democrats ' as his base demands answers amid claims of a 'cover-up.' Convinced that his haters are trying to distract from his 'great' first six months back in office, Trump is hoping that his direction to unseal grand jury testimony will be his saving grace among MAGA loyalists who are growing impatient.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump vowed transparency on the Epstein files and claimed his administration would release troves of government secrets, including in the child sexual trafficking case. Trump dubbed the entire ordeal a 'con job' and 'scam' as he again tore into the continuation of the saga in a Thursday night Truth Social post. It comes as yet another piece of evidence emerged that may shine additional light on Trump's relationship with Epstein.
The New York Times reported that the president called Epstein 'the greatest' in a newly unearthed message he wrote for the disgraced billionaire on a copy of his 1997 book 'Trump: The Art of the Comeback.' The report comes as Trump is grappling with the fallout from a story by the Wall Street Journal claiming that the president signed a birthday note with a drawing of an outline of a naked woman to Epstein in 2003. Epstein's longtime girlfriend and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell wrote an introductory letter to a leather-bound book of birthday notes, which the Times also published.
Trump has fiercely denied ever drawing the picture and sued the Journal for $10 billion for libel claims. Shortly after the WSJ article was published, Trump shot back in a post to Truth Social saying: 'The supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE.' The report claimed that Trump wrote in his birthday note to Epstein: 'May every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump's communications director has a standard statement he appears to be sending to all media who ask about Trump's connection to the Epstein debacle, and dismissing the reports as more 'fake news.'
'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,' Cheung said in the statement sent to multiple outlets, including the Daily Mail. 'This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about,' he concludes. Trump is now all-in on his direction for the Justice Department to request courts unseal grand jury testimony.
'As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat con job,' Trump said on Truth Social in relation to the Epstein files. 'Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this hoax,' the president wrote on Truth Social shortly after the NYT piece was published. 'Everyone should see what is there, but people who are innocent should not be hurt.' Trump last week instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to request the grand jury testimony on the Epstein case amid mounting pressure from his base to release more information.
However, his plan is already hitting a snag. The Southern District of Florida this week denied the request for the highly-sensitive materials to be made available. And the Southern District of New York asked Trump's DOJ to respond to a request for more information on why they are seeking the additional court documents. It's very difficult to get grand jury testimony unsealed as it's one of the more highly-protected and secretive pieces of court materials.
In a continued effort to make a show of transparency in the case, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche flew to Florida and met with Maxwell on Thursday to find out what more she knows and can reveal. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her crimes in Epstein's sexual trafficking ring. It's no secret that Trump associated with Epstein in the 1980s and 1990s. His name appears on flight logs for Epstein's private plane – known as the Lolita Express – and his family members are part of the 'black book' of Epstein's contacts.
Trump and Epstein ran in similar circles in New York City and Palm Beach decades ago and were oftentimes pictured together or at the same events. CNN unearthed images this month that showed Epstein attended Trump's second wedding to Marla Maples on December 20, 1993 at The Plaza Hotel in New York. The photographs also showed Epstein alongside Trump's young children Ivanka and Eric at the Harley Davidson Cafe opening in New York in 1993.