And on the 10th Day of the Epstein Meltdown, after railing at his own supporters as “weaklings”, and declaring the entire L’Affaire Epstein a “hoax”, Trump fires the prosecutor of Jeff Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.1
Well, that ought to put the whole thing to bed, don’t you think?
Happy Thursday.
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Trump keeps digging
The remarkable thing about the Epstein cover-up is the deep cluelessness of the man who usually has such a keen understanding of the dynamics of his own base. rarely has Trump allowed much (if any) daylight to open between himself and his base — even if that means appeasing the swamp creatures of conspiracism.2
But this one is different. Every comment, every social media post, every threat makes even his most loyal supporters ask themselves: What does he have to hide?
“I know this will come as a shock to some folks,” observes David French, “but one of the most remarkable things about the Epstein affair is that quite a few Americans are learning ONLY FOR THE FIRST TIME that Trump is a liar. It's taken ten years, but here we are.”
On today’s “To the Contrary” podcast, David joins me for a wid- ranging conversation that touches on “Superman”, the judiciary, and the fragility of Trumpism — but focuses on Trump’s mishandling of the Epstein story.
Subscribers can listen to an ad-free version right here… or you can watch on YouTube / Listen (and subscribe) on Apple/ Spotify / iHeart / RSS Feed.
Some highlights: Epstein and the future of MAGA…
More from David French: (Gift links)
A popular X account called End Wokeness, which has 3.7 million followers, posted a headline with part of Gunn’s quote about immigration and kindness and wrote, “Hollywood literally never learns.”
What should Hollywood learn? That kindness and decency are for suckers, and the best place for Superman isn’t with his family in Kansas or in his Fortress of Solitude, but rather behind a fence, trapped in Alligator Alcatraz?
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MAGA Is Tearing Itself Apart Over Jeffrey Epstein
On the right, the Epstein story became the thinking man’s version of the QAnon conspiracy theory — the idea that American society was led by a gang of cannibalistic pedophiles. Whereas QAnon was rooted in the imaginary revelations of a shadowy figure who claimed Q security clearance, at least the Epstein story was rooted in some very grim, very real facts.
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A Reckless Judicial Nomination Puts the Senate to the Test
On Wednesday, when the eyes of the nation were still fixed on the Middle East, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Trump’s nomination of Emil Bove to serve as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which covers cases from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Virgin Islands.
Bove’s nomination is yet another sign that Trump’s second term is beginning (yes, it’s still only the beginning) very differently from his first. Just as he wants sycophants and yes men staffing his administration, he’s now moving toward staffing the judiciary with the same kind of person: judges who will do whatever it takes to curry favor with a president who values fealty above all.
ICYMI:
Charlie Sykes-Rick Wilson: Why the Epstein Thing is Different
We had too much fun talking about this, I’m afraid.
I had some more thoughts…
Trump really has lost the plot here…
BONUS: For some odd reason, Trump’s SHUT UP ABOUT EPSTEIN strategy does not seem to be playing well with the public. Via Reuters: “69% Americans Believe Trump-Epstein Details Concealed”.
Most Americans think President Donald Trump's administration is hiding information about accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and give it poor marks on the issue after pledging to make public documents in the case, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The two-day poll, which closed Wednesday, showed 69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein's clients, compared to 6% who disagreed and about one in four who said they weren't sure.
The YouGov/Economist finds:
79% of Americans—including 85% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans—believe the government should release all documents it has about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Two-thirds of Americans—including 82% of Democrats, 69% of Independents, and 50% of Republicans—think the government is currently covering up evidence about Epstein.
Thursday dogs
Greetings at our house. (And, yes, Eli really is this big.)
The move comes as some members of Trump’s base remain incensed over the Justice Department’s decision to backtrack on a promise to release more material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Trump on Wednesday fired back against his own supporters who opposed the decision not to release more materials from the Epstein investigation, accusing them of buying into a Democratic “hoax.”
Comey, who has worked as a prosecutor at the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York since 2015, took a leading role in the Maxwell case. Maxwell was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for sex trafficking. She has appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court.
When you’ve lost (checks notes) Laura Loomer…. “Loomer delivers searing warning: Epstein could ‘consume’ Trump presidency” - POLITICO
“Obviously, this is not a complete hoax given the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison in Florida for her crimes and activities with Jeffrey Epstein, who we know is a convicted sexual predator,” Loomer told POLITICO. “This is why I said, and I’ll reiterate it again, the best thing that the president can do is appoint a special counsel to handle the Epstein files investigation.”
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