Unpacking the MAGA world uproar over the Epstein files

MAGA World is up in arms after the release of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein landed with a thud.

The so-called Epstein files are a point of fascination on the right and parts of the left, and they have spawned conspiracy theories about powerful figures who may have associated with Epstein, who died in 2019. Trump on the campaign trail said he would “certainly take a look” at releasing the list of Epstein’s associates if he won.

But an initial effort by Attorney General Pam Bondi to do so earned her the ire of some Trump supporters after it provided little new information.

Bondi went on Fox News last week and predicted that on Thursday, Americans would see “a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information.”

The White House last Thursday hosted several right-wing influencers, including Jack Posobiec, former One America News anchor Liz Wheeler, Rogan O'Handley — who runs the popular social media account DC Draino — and Mike Cernovich.

Those influencers were photographed leaving the White House with binders with a cover page reading: “The Epstein Files: Phase 1.” They took to social media to tout the transparency of the Trump administration, but there was one problem: The information in the binders was not new.

The documents the Justice Department released included flight logs from Epstein’s plane and a heavily redacted address book connected to Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. But the former had been made public in court cases and the latter had previously been reported on.

“THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) posted on the social platform X.

Trump ally Steve Bannon hosted Posobiec on his “War Room” show after the event and raised questions about the lack of a bombshell.

“Why would they do that when they didn’t give you any information? That would be the exact opposite of what they would want to do, wouldn’t they?” Bannon asked Posobiec, who said he would continue to press for more information.

Laura Loomer, a pro-Trump activist with a large online following, has in recent days placed the blame on Bondi and questioned her commitment to the president.

“How are the American people supposed to have faith in her anymore, especially after this Epstein Files fiasco?” Loomer posted on X.

The incident was something of a black eye for an administration that has trumpeted its transparency, and Bondi has since rushed to play clean up.

She wrote to the FBI calling for the release of more documents. She said the Southern District of New York, which is under the purview of the Justice Department, was “sitting on thousands of pages of documents.” And she suggested in an interview with Mark Levin on Fox News that she was misled about the nature of the initial batch of documents.

Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night the FBI had delivered a "truckload" of new Epstein documents.

“We're going to go through it, go through it as fast as we can, but go through it very cautiously to protect all the victims of Epstein,” she said.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to separate sexual misconduct charges and was federally charged in 2019 over allegedly leading a sex trafficking operation involving underage girls from 2002 to 2005.

The furor may foreshadow other issues for the Trump administration.

Trump signed an executive order to release more documents around the assassinations of former President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. While the former President Kennedy assassination in particular has remained a point of public interest and a source of conspiracy theories, experts have cautioned any unreleased files are unlikely to contain shocking revelations.

In the case of the Epstein files, it’s unclear what evidence would satisfy conspiracy-minded followers. But if they don’t get what they are looking for, Bondi may find herself in the hot seat.

“Based on what I’m hearing from the attorney general, she keeps saying that she is going to release something,” Luna said Monday on One America News Network. “So I am going to take her at her word for that.”

Trump allies push back on Putin

As Trump equivocates over who is to blame for the three-year war in Ukraine, unexpected voices have spoken up to point the figure at Russia: Fox News hosts.

“Can we all remember @KremlinRussia_E is the bad guy- they invaded - they kidnap kids - Whatever happens - Ukraine can not lose - eastern. Europe will be next,” Brian Kilmeade, a co-host of “Fox & Friends,” posted on X late Monday after Trump suspended U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Kilmeade’s comments came after fellow Fox News host Mark Levin late last month stated plainly on his show that Ukraine “did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine.”

“MAGA doesn’t support Putin,” Levin said.

Levin is one of Trump’s favorite Fox News hosts, and Trump phoned in to Kilmeade’s radio show last week. It was notable to see both draw such a clear line over Russian aggression at a time when many other Republicans are offering a defense for Trump.

Trump in recent weeks has escalated his criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including by suggesting Ukraine was to blame for starting the war. He told Kilmeade last week Russia “attacked” Ukraine, even as he blamed Zelensky and former President Biden for saying “the wrong things.”

Asked Monday about recent comments out of Moscow that U.S. policy was now aligned with Russia, Trump did not respond to the question and instead pivoted to his desire for the war to end.

“All of these things happened, and it’s a shame. But it is what it is, and now we’re here,” Trump told reporters. “I want to see it end fast. I don’t want to see this go on for years and years.”

Topics

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