Pressure mounts to release all Epstein papers as the White House digs in behind Trump
Congress will vote next week on a measure to force the release of the documents while the president calls them a "slander"
WashingtonIn his 50th birthday greeting, Donald Trump told Jeffrey Epstein that "mysteries never get old." The US president could now add a retort: they don't disappear either, and they always return. The birthday card scandal was overshadowed by the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, and Trump was quick to capitalize on the episode to deflect attention and gain political advantage. Now, two months later, just when the tycoon thought he had buried the ghost of his relationship with the alleged perpetrator, the scandal has resurfaced. reappears and further tightens the noose around Trump
In recent hours, calls have increased for the full release of the Epstein case documents, while the House of Representatives has already scheduled a vote next week to approve a measure that would compel the Justice Department to release all the files. The disclosure of more than 20,000 new pages of correspondence further muddy the waters between Trump and EpsteinIn addition to pointing to a wide network of acquaintances that includes Peter Thiel, founder of Palantir and patron of Vice President JD Vance, and former presidential advisor Steve Bannon.
At the time, Thiel already acknowledged his relationship with the sex offender, but denied the accusations. Likewise, the documents published in September already cited both the tech mogul and Bannon. Also appearing was mega-donor and short-lived advisor to the second Trump administration, Elon Musk. In the new files released by the Democrats on the congressional committee, Epstein says that the president "spent hours" with one of the victims, and in another, he stated that he was aware of the child trafficking ring.
The Epstein scandal already demonstrated this summer that it may be the tycoon's only Achilles' heel. Neither the cuts to healthcare subsidies nor the tariffs: what caused deep disappointment among Trump's base were the revelations about the relationship between the two billionaires. The MAGA bubble in X was once again echoing the same cries and lamentations against its leader on Wednesday, demanding the full release of the documents. Trump has already acknowledged that he was friends with Epstein for 15 years, but has always denied any knowledge of the child abuse. However, the emails tell a different story.
"I know how dirty Donald is"
As if there weren't enough loose ends already, the batch of documents released by the Democrats on the parliamentary committee also shows that Epstein tried to act as a liaison with the Kremlin. In one of the emails, the pedophile suggested to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov could obtain "information" about Trump by speaking with him. The email was sent to Jagland in June 2018, a month before Trump met with Putin in Helsinki, Finland. At the time, Jagland was chairing the European Council. Also included is an exchange of correspondence between former President Barack Obama's advisor Kathryn Ruemmler and Epstein, in which they discuss the allegations against Trump in the Stormy Daniels case, in which the tycoon allegedly tried to bribe the porn actress to keep quiet about their affair. “I know how ruthless Donald is,” Epstein tells Ruemmler regarding the case. Last year, a New York court finally convicted the president on 34 felony charges.
For now, the White House maintains a tight-lipped silence following Wednesday’s crisis response. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that Trump “kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a harasser of his employees.” including [Virginia Roberts] GiuffreThe president also accused Democrats, through Truth Social, of trying to smear him and divert attention from the government shutdown. On Wednesday night, when Trump signed the budget ending the longest default in the country's history, he refused to take questions from reporters. He had a few opportunities to speak at the microphone: one at the Alaska summit with Putin, and now he's in the midst of the scandal over the new emails. Discontent with the Republican's policies is becoming noticeable. If the tycoon is unable to stem the leaks surrounding the Epstein case, it is very likely they will recur.