The Thing That Won't Go Away

Try as he might, Trump can't just wish those Epstein Files out of the news

I’ve never cottoned much to conspiracy theories. One doesn’t have to be a trained detective to know that the way to draw a logical conclusion is to eliminate all other possibilities. Whether it’s a crime or a cover-up, that’s how it works, and that’s how intelligent, logical thinking people solve these problems with more than a relative amount of accuracy.

Conspiracy theorists, on the other hand, deal in the exact opposite. They take one scenario and run with it, ignoring all other possibilities. If they’re REALLY good, they learn how to play on their audience’s insecurities and lack of intelligence to make quite a lucrative career. Which brings us to the man EVERYONE has been talking about, Jeffrey Epstein.

As you probably know, MAGA has been in an absolute uproar over Pam Bondi’s DOJ announcing that there was never any Jeffrey Epstein client list, and, despite YEARS of conspiracy theories and even promises from her own office that she’d soon release “Phase 1” of a report detailing Epstein’s illicit activities, she essentially told everyone, to their horror and dismay, that there was no “there” there.

MAGA went nuts this past weekend, with Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA convention turning into a rallying point for skewering Bondi and even the orange-hued ketchup thrower himself. Fox’s Laura Ingraham took an informal poll, resulting in overwhelming boos. Steve Bannon chimed in, and, at the time, even old Charlie Kirk himself was on board.

Then Monday came. Suddenly, Charlie Kirk, in a striking reversal, stated he “trusts the administration” when it comes to the subject, adding his own “nothing to see here, folks” spin on the matter.

The latest attempts by House Democrats failed in their latest attempt to force a vote on releasing Jeffrey Epstein-related files. The effort centered on a procedural motion that, if defeated, would have triggered a vote on Rep. Ro Khanna’s amendment requiring Attorney General Pam Bondi to preserve and release the files. The motion passed 211–210 along party lines, with Republicans united behind it, effectively blocking the Democratic maneuver.

Democrats framed the vote as a test of Republican willingness to release the Epstein files, noting the GOP’s previous calls for transparency. However, despite internal divisions among Republicans — especially among pro-Trump hardliners who now want the files disclosed — the party leadership aligned with Trump’s current position to avoid the issue. Some, like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), pushed for disclosure, while others, such as Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), defended the decision to withhold, citing prior assessments.

In an exchange with reporters at Andrews Air Force Base today, Trump had this to say about the matter:

REPORTER: Why do you think your supporters in particular have been so interested in the Epstein story?

TRUMP: I don't understand it. He's dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest and fascination is. The credible information has been given. It's pretty boring stuff.

He also spent the morning in an attempt at distraction with this wack screed about Senator Adam Schiff:

Oy!

So, of course, now I AM intrigued! MAGA has spent years now pumping up their base that Trump was going to release those darn files, which would show some deep state plot involving decrepit Dems in some sort of worldwide subterranean sex-trafficking ring while they drink the blood of babies and plot the overthrow of the government through an open, porous border policy where “illegals” instantly become voting Democrats.

I’m not so intrigued about what the notorious “Epstein files” have to offer, but I am really scratching my head as to why the cover-up. For all the whining and complaining MAGA and Trump himself have done about the “Deep State,” it appears he has actually created his own. And what are all those poor, poor MAGA and QAnon podcasters sitting at home in their self-built studios who have made oodles of money for years and years going to do now?

In case you’re not caught up on the whole Epstein thing. Here’s as brief a synopsis as I can come up with:

(Note: Alex Acosta resigned as U.S. Secretary of Labor on July 19, 2019, amid mounting criticism over his role in a controversial plea agreement for Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a U.S. attorney. The 2007–2008 deal allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty to lesser state charges. When Epstein was re-arrested on sex trafficking charges in July 2019, renewed public scrutiny of the deal intensified, ultimately prompting Acosta's resignation.)

Jeffrey Epstein was first convicted in 2008, following a years-long investigation into allegations that he had sexually abused dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach, Florida estate. Despite extensive evidence and an FBI probe identifying more than 30 potential victims, Epstein reached a controversial non-prosecution agreement with then–U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta. The deal allowed him to avoid federal charges and instead plead guilty to two state-level offenses: soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months in county jail but served only 13, much of it under a permissive work release program that let him leave the jail for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. The agreement also shielded Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators. It was kept secret from his victims, in violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act—a fact that later drew legal challenges and widespread public scrutiny.

In July 2019, Epstein was re-arrested in New York on federal sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors alleged that between 2002 and 2005, he operated a coordinated scheme to recruit and exploit underage girls at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach. A search of his Manhattan townhouse uncovered nude photographs of minors, stacks of cash, loose diamonds, and a falsified passport, adding to the evidence of a highly organized operation. Epstein was denied bail and held in federal custody, where he died by suicide in August 2019, according to the official ruling by the New York City medical examiner. His death—occurring under questionable circumstances in a federal detention center—sparked public outrage, fueled conspiracy theories, and triggered multiple investigations into the apparent lapses in security, as well as renewed scrutiny of the powerful and well-connected individuals who had once associated with him.

My prediction is that by the end of the week, this thing will be blown up even further, with the possibility of someone in the administration no longer having a job. Or, in true MAGA fashion, Trump will continue to hammer home the point that there’s “nothing to see here,” and they’ll all fall in line.