All His Friends were Democrats
The Epstein scandal is taking center stage and evolving rapidly. It started as a grim tale of sex trafficking and exploitation, and morphed into a partisan battleground. The Epstein Transparency Act nearly unanimously passed the House and then cleared the Senate via unanimous consent shortly thereafter.
A discharge petition in the House bypassed leadership and forced a vote on the transparency bill. The bill passed with a tally of 427-1, compelling the DoJ to disclose Epstein-related materials within 30 days, excluding victim identities and explicit content like child pornography. The lone dissenter was Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who warned that unchecked release could "expose innocent individuals" and undermine due process, echoing broader concerns about privacy.
The Senate's approval sent the bill to Trump's desk, though potential amendments for redactions could delay full implementation. 50,000 page have already trickled out via the House Oversight Committee, including emails from Epstein's estate revealing real-time coaching of congressional figures during hearings.
After an initial hesitation, President Trump vowed to sign it into law, framing it as a Democrat-led hoax aimed at tarnishing his reputation. Trump’s late-night reversal on November 17 marked a tactical pivot. Initially hesitant, citing risks to victims and guilt by association, Trump conferred with aides aboard Air Force One and subsequently directed Republicans to back the bill, declaring, "All of his friends were Democrats."
White House sources portrayed this as strategy: preempt a humiliating floor defeat from a coalition led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) while flipping the script on Democrats.
Trump has long distanced himself from Epstein. He banned the financier from Mar-a-Lago long before his 2019 arrest and even alerted the authorities. Yet Democrats, including Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), claim that Trump is panicking, pointing to newly released emails where Epstein referenced a victim's time with Trump as leverage against Ghislaine Maxwell.
CNN posits that Trump remains "more politically exposed" than he admits, given Epstein's documented flights on his plane and shared social circles. Trump insists the files will vindicate him and urges swift DoJ action under AG Pam Bondi
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment