"To hear Donald Trump's critics tell it, all the disquieting news that the president has generated this summer-the FBI raid on former National Security Adviser John Bolton's home, the National Guard deployment in cities, Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, his accusation that Barack Obama led a coup and committed "the crime of the century"-has been an effort to divert attention from the issue that truly terrifies Trump: the Jeffrey Epstein files."
"No doubt, the president's past friendship with the late financier and accused sex trafficker is a legitimate problem for the White House. Trump has repeatedly tried to dismiss the matter, calling it "a Democrat hoax that never ends" as recently as Wednesday. But it has proved to be a rare Trump controversy that has shaken his otherwise steadfast base. His supporters were adamant during the 2024 campaign that Trump should release the Epstein files, and candidate Trump assured that he would."
Several high-profile actions this summer have included an FBI raid on former National Security Adviser John Bolton's home, National Guard deployments in cities, an attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and an accusation that Barack Obama led a coup. Many observers interpret these events as attempts to divert attention from Trump's association with Jeffrey Epstein. Trump's past friendship with Epstein has unsettled parts of his base, prompting calls for release of Epstein-related files. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed an Epstein client list existed, but the Justice Department later said there was no such list. Democrats have repeatedly labeled various controversies as distraction tactics.
Read at The Atlantic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]