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Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Republicans and Democrats call for more information on Epstein case
Trump and many of his allies vowed to release a trove of files in the case, including a so-called 'client list' that many involved in the case insist never existed. But the release of some documents earlier this year offered no new revelations. And the Justice Department said this month that it had closed the case and would not release more documents, concluding that there was no client list. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up One of Epstein's former lawyers, Alan Dershowitz, said in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday' that the grand jury testimony was unlikely to contain the information that has most interested Trump's supporters. Advertisement Trump has encouraged his base to move on. But the backlash seemed to be on his mind Sunday morning, when he accused 'Radical Left Democrats' of exposing the 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' Burchett also took up Trump's argument Sunday, saying that Democrats had the chance to release the materials when former president Joe Biden was in office. Advertisement At the same time, Burchett is one of 10 Republicans who have signed on to an effort to force a vote on whether the administration should release the files. The procedural maneuver would require a majority of House members, and Burchett said he was not sure if it would succeed. 'I have no earthly idea,' he said on CNN. 'You know this town buries secrets.' Democrats in Congress have seized on the divide that has opened up between Trump and his supporters, trying to force votes on measures that call for the release of Epstein-related files and pressing for hearings. They have rejected Trump's efforts to redirect the blame to them. 'The president blaming Democrats for this disaster, Jake, is like that CEO that got caught on camera blaming Coldplay,' said Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, to CNN's Jake Tapper, referring to a viral video that showed the married CEO of a tech company with his arms around a woman who is not his wife. Klobuchar, instead blamed the public's clamoring for the files on right-wing politicians, including Trump, who she said had sown distrust in federal prosecutors over the case. 'People have a reason that they want to know what's in there,' Klobuchar said. 'They believe the president when he said there's stuff in there that people should see.' Several former federal prosecutors told the Associated Press that the Justice Department request to unseal grand jury transcripts in the prosecutions of Epstein and his former girlfriend, imprisoned British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is unlikely to produce much, if anything, to satisfy the public's appetite for new revelations about the financier's crimes. Advertisement Attorney Sarah Krissoff, an assistant US attorney in Manhattan from 2008 to 2021, called the request 'a distraction.' 'The president is trying to present himself as if he's doing something here and it really is nothing,' Krissoff told the Associated Press in a weekend interview. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche made the request Friday, asking judges to unseal transcripts from grand jury proceedings that resulted in indictments against Epstein and Maxwell, saying 'transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this Administration.' Krissoff and Joshua Naftalis, a Manhattan federal prosecutor for 11 years before entering private practice in 2023, said grand jury presentations are purposely brief. Naftalis said Southern District prosecutors present just enough to a grand jury to get an indictment but 'it's not going to be everything the FBI and investigators have figured out about Maxwell and Epstein.' 'People want the entire file from however long. That's just not what this is,' he said, estimating that the transcripts, at most, probably amount to a few hundred pages. 'It's not going to be much,' Krissoff said, estimating the length at as little as 60 pages 'because the Southern District of New York's practice is to put as little information as possible into the grand jury.' 'They basically spoon feed the indictment to the grand jury. That's what we're going to see,' she said. 'I just think it's not going to be that interesting. ... I don't think it's going to be anything new.' This article originally appeared in
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump touts six-month mark: US is now ‘hottest‘ and ‘most respected country anywhere‘
President Trump marked his six-month anniversary of his second term in office by touting that the United States is the 'hottest' and 'most respected country anywhere in the world.' 'Wow, time flies!' the president began his message on Truth Social on Sunday morning. 'Today is that Sixth Month Anniversary of my Second Term. Importantly, it's being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President.' He added that six months was 'not a long time to have totally revived a major Country,' and that one year ago, 'our Country was DEAD, with almost no hope of revival.' 'Today the USA is the 'hottest' and most respected Country anywhere in the World,' he added. 'Happy Anniversary!!!' His comments come as Trump's six-month approval rating remains underwater with Decision Desk HQ finding 52.7 percent of U.S. adults disapprove of the president, while 44.6 percent approve. The latest Economist/YouGov poll also found that Trump's disapproval rating is at its highest level since the start of his second term. Still, Trump insisted his numbers within the GOP 'have gone up, significantly, since the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax was exposed by the Radical Left Democrats and, just plain 'troublemakers.'' 'They have hit 90%, 92%, 93%, and 95%, in various polls, and are all Republican Party records,' he wrote in another Truth Social post. 'The General Election numbers are my highest, EVER! People like Strong Borders, and all of the many other things I have done. GOD BLESS AMERICA. MAGA!' His comments come after he instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday to release the grand jury files in the case of sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after nationwide pressure to produce more information. However, the president remains skeptical that the release of the files will quell the demand for more information on the case.
Atlantic
7 days ago
- Politics
- Atlantic
How Trump Primed His Base to Turn Against Him
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. In his first term, President Donald Trump was assiduous in courting his base of committed supporters, often at the expense of voters who were persuadable. Those decisions helped lose him the 2020 election. Trump isn't doing much more to reach out to the center in his second term, but he is more willing to snub his core backers. In recent weeks alone, he has flouted his longtime claims of being anti-war by joining an Israeli bombing campaign against Iran; dropped his demand that Ukraine make concessions and worked to supply it with weapons against Russia; endured an acrimonious breakup with his high-profile, deep-pocketed pal Elon Musk; and used his One Big Beautiful Bill Act to slash entitlements, which he had claimed he'd never do. Each of these has brought grumbling from subsets of his coalition, but none has been so sustained as the backlash over the administration's reversal on releasing the so-called Epstein files. Now some of Trump's most ardent backers are angry at him for purportedly hiding information, and he, in turn, is lashing out at them. 'The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again!' he wrote in a lengthy Truth Social missive this morning. 'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker.' Thinking about why this schism has emerged, and whether it will last, is helpful for understanding Trump's political appeal and future. What exactly these files might contain is not clear. One theory is that they include a list of famous men for whom Epstein, the late financier and sex offender, procured underage girls for sex. (Epstein's 2019 death in a federal jail in New York City was ruled a suicide, but public doubts about its circumstances have persisted ever since.) Although Epstein had many famous friends, some of whom flew on his plane or visited his private island, no obvious evidence that such a client list exists has emerged. But interest in the files has been whetted largely by Trump and his allies. Before entering the government, FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, both spread dark rumors about cover-ups related to Epstein and demanded the release of the names of his associates. Trump said during the campaign that he would publish materials related to Epstein—though in retrospect, his hesitation to fully commit during a June 2024 interview is conspicuous. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the Epstein client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' Now her Justice Department says it doesn't exist. Trump claims he can't believe anyone is still talking about the story. There are a few reasons this story has managed to stick in Trump's side in a way others have not. The first is that, unlike many of the other conspiracy theories propounded by Trump and his allies, questions about Epstein's cause of death and what secrets the government might be keeping are acceptable in polite company. Like Lee Harvey Oswald's murder by Jack Ruby, the death of a man connected to so many powerful people just seems weird, even if it was actually suicide. In a recent Economist /YouGov poll, 79 percent of Americans support releasing all the Epstein documents. Two-thirds believe the government is covering up evidence about Epstein. A separate YouGov poll found that 39 percent of Americans believe Epstein was murdered, 40 percent aren't sure, and only 20 percent believe he killed himself. And Democrats are eager to fan the flames, this week forcing House Republicans to take a vote on releasing the files. (The GOP majority voted it down.) Second, the administration's behavior indicates that officials are hiding something, though probably not a client list. Good reasons may exist not to release all of the materials: For example, they likely contain privileged grand-jury information. They may include witnesses who testified confidentially. Very clearly, information about underage victims of sex crimes is involved. But Trump's frenzied insistence that there's nothing to see suggests that there are secrets he'd like to keep. The men were, by Trump's account, pals for a time—and he was well aware of Epstein's reputation. 'I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,' Trump told New York magazine in 2002. 'He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' This relationship makes him a bad messenger for dismissing the story, but no other official has the credibility with MAGA voters that he does. Earlier this month, the FBI released 'full raw' video from the jail where Epstein died, saying it showed that no one entered his area in the time around his death. But Wired reports that the video was neither raw nor full: It was edited to remove almost three minutes of footage, in the most interest-piquing splice since Watergate's 18-and-a-half-minute gap. Third, and perhaps most important, the questions about Epstein cut directly to the core of Trump's political appeal. Although many of his supporters (or should we say 'PAST supporters'?) opposed military raids, like the Iran bombing, and support for Ukraine, their affection for him is not about policy. It's personal. His fundamental proposition to voters was: I will tell you what the other politicians refuse to tell you. That's why backers hailed his 'authenticity' and 'honesty,' even though he was the most prolific liar to ever occupy the Oval Office—no small feat. Trump has spent a decade telling Americans that they can't trust the government. He's said a 'deep state' of unelected officials is plotting against them and hiding information. He's told them they can't trust what they've been told about vaccines, the John F. Kennedy assassination, or what they saw with their own eyes on January 6, 2021. Now Trump wants the nation to just trust a bunch of government officials without seeing evidence to back it up. (If it were true, as he claims, that the Epstein material is a hoax by government officials, you'd think he'd want to investigate that, as he has in far-less- credible instances.) His gambit might work. The power of polarization and affective partisanship is strong and tends to draw people back to their corners. Already, some of the MAGA media are moving on and falling in line. But even if the whole flap leaves only a small dent in Trump's armor, it reveals an irreconcilable conflict in his political identity. Running against power is a smart campaign trick, but once you're in office, you can't keep blaming others for things that the government does. The buck stops with you, whether you like it or not. Today's News President Donald Trump said that it is 'highly unlikely' that he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, after indicating yesterday that he would. The Senate is poised to pass a package that would result in a combined $9 billion in funding cuts for international aid and public broadcasting. Israel launched air strikes on Damascus, Syria, and said it aimed to protect the Druze religious minority in the area, which has been clashing with the Syrian government. Dispatches Evening Read I Left My Church—And Found Christianity By Monty Bennett For many Americans, gay marriage feels like a settled issue. For Southern Baptists and others who share their theology, the question of the legality of gay marriage is still open. In their view, political and theological opposition is the only possible Christian response to gay marriage, and continuing to challenge marriage equality is a moral duty. The Church they have shaped has no room for the alternative path that many gay Christians have found: not leaving our religion, but embracing our sexuality alongside our faith. I grew up in conservative, evangelical churches. For my undergraduate degree, I attended Union University, a Southern Baptist school in Jackson, Tennessee. I graduated in 2013, and in the years leading up to Obergefell I saw how the growing cultural acceptance of same-sex relationships was haunting Southern Baptist leaders. Shop around. Once a place of utility, the supermarket is now an object of obsession, Ellen Cushing writes. What does your favorite grocery store say about you? Get closer. Your friends make your life better, Adrienne Matei wrote in 2023. So why not turn them into your neighbors? Play our daily crossword.
The National
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Why is Trump facing a MAGA revolt over the Jeffrey Epstein files?
'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 on Truth Social. 'For years, it's Epstein, over and over again.' The Republican President urged his followers 'not to waste time and energy' on the Epstein case, but it appears the damage has already been done. So what happened and why has it caused such a stir in MAGA [Make America Great Again] circles. READ MORE: Arms firms are buying exclusive access to MPs for as little as £1499 Epstein's client list – does it exist? Last week, the US Department of Justice released an unsigned memorandum declaring that there was no evidence Epstein maintained a client list and there was no 'credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.' Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking minors in 2019, before committing suicide in jail. The memorandum also stated that he had died by suicide, contrary to many prominent conspiracy theories. The news exploded in the MAGA universe – for years they had been told there was a client list. Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, said the client list was 'sitting on my desk' in February, but later claimed she was referencing the Epstein case file. (Image: Getty Images) Numerous high-profile Trump allies, such as vice president JD Vance (above) and Kash Patel, have said the list should be released. But now, Trump and his officials are rolling back and insisting the client list does not exist. In his social media post Trump claimed the files were written by 'Obama and Crooked Hilary' and 'the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration'. 'They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called "friends" are playing right into their hands,' Trump wrote. 'Why didn't these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn't they use it?' Why does it matter? The row over the Epstein client list plays into a conspiracy theory, much like Q Anon, that believes the elite in society are involved in systemic sexual abuse of children, and covering it up. The Epstein client list was seen as a lightning rod for this, that would expose those elites who had been involved with the billionaire and his enabler and co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell. Epstein and Maxwell groomed and sexually abused hundreds of young women and girls, and they had seemingly unlimited connections to powerful people across the country. One of Epstein's powerful friends was Trump, and they made no secret of partying together. Epstein and Trump in 1997 (Image: Getty Images) In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine: 'It is even said that he [Epstein] likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' It has also created a rift between the DOJ, headed by Bondi, and the FBI. What have right-wing influencers been saying about it? Well, they are furious. 'The whole thing that this tape shows that he didn't kill himself is, like, a joke, but worse than that, it's a joke that we all get. I feel like we're at a dangerous point now,' Tucker Carlson said. 'RELEASE THE EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST!!!!' Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X, while Alex Jones said the Trump administration was now 'part of the cover up'. At a student conference hosted by right-wing group Turning Point USA this weekend, the conversation was dominated by the rift over the Epstein files. 'Epstein is a key that picks the lock on so many things, not just individuals, but also institutions, intelligence institutions, foreign governments, and who's work and who was working with him on our intelligence apparatus and in our government,' Steve Bannon told the summit. He also said he is advocating for the Trump administration to appoint a special counsel to tackle the issue. And Elon Musk, who had a very public break up with the President not long ago, said: 'Seriously. He said 'Epstein' half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein. Just release the files as promised.'
The Hill
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump on Epstein controversy: ‘Let Pam Bondi do her job'
President Trump stood in defense of Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday evening, praising her for doing a 'FANTASTIC' job as she faces intense scrutiny from some of the president's supporters over her handling of files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! 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 said in a post on Truth Social. The president suggested some of his political opponents 'created' the Epstein files and that the outrage from some in the MAGA movement over the documents related to the case is exactly what Trump's longtime critics are looking for. 'For years, it's Epstein, over and over again. Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 'Intelligence' Agents, THE LAPTOP FROM HELL,' and more? They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called 'friends' are playing right into their hands,' Trump wrote in the post, referring to FBI's probe into the alleged ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign. 'Why didn't these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn't they use it? They haven't even given up on the John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. Files,' Trump said on Saturday. Trump's post comes as the internal fighting within the administration about the handling of the files related to Epstein has continued. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is livid over the management of the files and has sparred with the leaders of the Justice Department (DOJ) over it, The Hill reported on Friday. Multiple outlets reported on Friday that Bongino took a day off on Friday and was mulling if he should resign from his role. The clash came to light days after the DOJ and FBI published a joint memo that said Epstein killed himself in 2019 and he did not have a 'client list.' The findings infuriated the MAGA movement, some of whom have for years spread conspiracy theories about Epstein's death. 'This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement on Friday. Bondi has especially been facing strong blowback from Trump backers, including prominent right-wing commentators, over her previous remarks about wanting to provide transparency around the Epstein case. The attorney general clarified her remarks from an interview she did on Fox News in February, where she said the Epstein 'client list' was 'sitting on' her 'desk.' Bondi said earlier this week that she was referring to various documents related to the Epstein case. 'LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE'S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That's what she is looking into as AG, and much more. One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World,' the president said on Truth Social. Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to former President Biden. There was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 White House race. 'Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,' Trump added. Trump, in the Truth Social post, also said that FBI Director Kash Patel and the bureau should devote its attention to arresting criminals, not the Epstein files. 'Kash Patel, and the FBI, must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein,' the president wrote. Epstein was accused in multiple cases of sex trafficking young girls. He rubbed elbows with high-profile people, including celebrities and entrepreneurs. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of sex trafficking and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. 'No matter how much success we have had, securing the Border, deporting Criminals, fixing the Economy, Energy Dominance, a Safer World where Iran will not have Nuclear Weapons, it's never enough for some people,' Trump wrote. 'We are about to achieve more in 6 months than any other Administration has achieved in over 100 years, and we have so much more to do,' the president added. 'We are saving our Country and, MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, which will continue to be our complete PRIORITY. The Left is imploding!'
