Trump's latest Epstein distraction — falsely accusing Obama of ‘treason'
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So, of course, the administration sent
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Gabbard falsely stated that there's 'irrefutable evidence' that Obama and his national security team tried to 'launch a coup' against Trump with bogus claims that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit the former reality TV host.
In 2020, a
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But as with the deadly insurrection that he incited on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump is making another mendacious effort to rewrite history for his own self-serving narrative.
Trump attacks Obama because his Obama-hating base loves it. And because it's generally a waste of time responding to Trump's frequent tirades, the former president usually chooses silence and
'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' read
Obama called out Trump's obvious attempt to create a diversion to quell the public's insatiable appetite for news about the Epstein files, a burgeoning crisis of Trump's own making.
For years, some people now in Trump's Cabinet seeded MAGA conspiracies about an Epstein 'client list' as well as his 2019
When Trump was reelected,
Ever since, Trump has been grasping at counterprogramming to distract from a story that shows no signs of waning.
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In a break from its usually tight-lipped protocol concerning Trump's health, the White House
When that story didn't garner the days of coverage that the administration might have sought, Trump then tapped into a reliable and trusted friend: racism.
On his social media site on July 21, Trump, out of nowhere,
Despite Trump's foolishness,
During the Trump years, much of the media has too often become smitten with whatever shiny thing he has twirled in their direction. This time, they're calling his many diversions exactly what they are.
Some Democrats, finally seizing a way to upend this administration, have come together with Republicans to vote for more transparency from the Trump White House about the Epstein files. And some of Trump's staunchest MAGA loyalists, even if they haven't wholly turned against Trump, remain angry and are demanding answers.
Which leaves Trump in the exact same place he's spent weeks trying to escape — mired in a self-inflicted scandal that he can't control as it threatens to consume his presidency.
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Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
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