The Art of (Epstein) Distraction

[A New Dawn]

This Epstein thing is just another Trump MAGA self inflicted gun shot wound fueled by their cult like use of conspiracy theories to rev up that MAGA base. Except this time they are being "hoisted by their own petard." You can bet Trump's name is just riddled throughout the Epstein investigation. In what manner, we don't know. Trump does not want this released in any form. Which is kind of why Pam Bondi apparently had 1,000 FBI personnel to comb through tens of thousands of pages of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and flag any mention of President Trump. So no different than defaming sexual assault victims; deflated real estate values for tax purposes and inflating them for loan values; than scheming to steal an election; than obstructing the DOJ in retrieval of classified documents, it's Trump being his own worse enemy. Eventually, I predict you're going to see a pardon or something to that effect from Trump to Ghislaine Maxwell. Yes the party who's all about pedophile ring conspiracies ran by Dems and the powerful out of Pizza shops will have to just eat the pardon of Trump to protect the powerful. Including his self protection. Shame.

Not hardly. If Trump’s name was anywhere in those files, the left would have fallen all over themselves releasing the files.

 

[Say it aint so]

Not hardly. If Trump’s name was anywhere in those files, the left would have fallen all over themselves releasing the files.

"Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files" --WSJ​

....yeah, there's that.

 

[A New Dawn]

"Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files" --WSJ​

....yeah, there's that.

There are many whose names are “in the files” in ways that are not incriminating. I guess I foolishly thought people understood that that is the implication made in my comment.

 

[Say it aint so]

There are many whose names are “in the files” in ways that are not incriminating. I guess I foolishly thought people understood that that is the implication made in my comment.

I guess this statement is false. You may recognize it:

"Not hardly. If Trump’s name was anywhere in those files, the left would have fallen all over themselves releasing the files."

And btw, when asked if he was made aware his name was on the list by the DOJ, he lied about it.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Not hardly. If Trump’s name was anywhere in those files, the left would have fallen all over themselves releasing the files.

Before "the left" can get enthusiastic for releasing the files because Trump is in them they'd actually have to know Trump is in them. Your argument is exceedingly bad. (And we now have reporting that his name is in them.)

 

[A New Dawn]

I guess this statement is false. You may recognize it:

"Not hardly. If Trump’s name was anywhere in those files, the left would have fallen all over themselves releasing the files."

Like I said in my previous reply. Read it again.

 

[A New Dawn]

Before "the left" can get enthusiastic for releasing the files because Trump is in them they'd actually have to know Trump is in them. Your argument is exceedingly bad. (And we now have reporting that his name is in them.)

There must be a disconnect somewhere on your part. The “files” have been around for years. Twenty, at least. Long before Trump decided to run for president. Epstein was arrested in 2019, while Trump was president and “apparently committed suicide” while in jail waiting for trial. Since then, the left has been in charge and I am pretty sure they searched those files and knew everything Trump-related that was in them. The very fact that nothing was leaked or that Trump wasn’t charged with something in the day and age that the left charged him with anything and everything they could to keep him from running again is pretty clear proof that his name was not in them in an incriminating manner.

 

[DaisyDay]

This whole Epstein/Trump thing is stupid. Everyone knows for a fact that Trump and Epstein were friends. Everyone has known that for YEARS. Everyone also know that Trump and Epstien ended their relationship in 2009 over Epstein being a creep.

Everyone ought to know by now that the friendship was ended over a real estate deal.

Remembering the auction that pitted Trump against Jeffrey Epstein for a Palm Beach estate

In 2004, future President Donald Trump outbid Jeffrey Epstein in a bankruptcy auction for an oceanfront estate in Palm Beach.

www.yahoo.com

So the fact the Trump's name is associated with him is no news. And there is a number of reasons, which have nothing to do with Trump, as to why the files wouldnt be released.

Including, national security reasons, foreign relations reasons and causing people to be smeared as pedophiles who aren't.

Isn't that was redacting is for?

Theee is also the case that if there had been anything in there that was bad for Trump the last administration would have released it.

They did release something like 900 pages in which Donald has more than a cameo.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The “files” have been around for years.

Certainly, as have the photos of Trump and Epstein together. There's no reason to leak something that everybody knows: Trump was one of Epstein's many contacts. The association ended many years ago.

It can't be nice to have your name associated with Epstein, but Trump's reluctance to live up to his promised transparency just feeds into the conspiratorial mindset.

What has he got to lose? Everybody knows Trump's lying when he says he's never been on Epstein's plane -- we already have released flight logs with his name on them (and the testimony of the pilot). I don't think it will shatter his followers if we find out (hypothetically from the files) that Trump's also lying about never having visited Epstein's island.

 

[Hans Blaster]

There must be a disconnect somewhere on your part. The “files” have been around for years. Twenty, at least. Long before Trump decided to run for president.

Some of the documents date that far back (it would seem), but "the files" are literally the evidence collected from searches of his (and Maxwell's) homes. As such they only exist as a "collection" once:

Epstein was arrested in 2019, while Trump was president and “apparently committed suicide” while in jail waiting for trial.

That would be when the collection we are referring to as the "Epstein files" came into existence.

Since then, the left has been in charge and I am pretty sure they searched those files and knew everything Trump-related that was in them. The very fact that nothing was leaked or that Trump wasn’t charged with something in the day and age that the left charged him with anything and everything they could to keep him from running again is pretty clear proof that his name was not in them in an incriminating manner.

You've confused the FBI with "the left". Until very recently, it has been standard FBI/DOJ policy to not reveal information collected during investigations outside of court. This was a principle upheld by AG Bill Barr and by AG Garland. If that has changed, it is only under AG Bondi, but we haven't seen material leaking from the DOJ investigations now either. As far as who is charged and when, there are matters of provability in court and the statute of limitation on the delay between commission of a crime and prosecution. The "failure" of the DOJ to charge *anyone* in the 6 years since it acquired the contents of Epstein's crime factory does not indicate *anything* about who is mentioned or depicted in any of that material.

 

[FAITH-IN-HIM]

This whole Epstein/Trump thing is stupid. Everyone knows for a fact that Trump and Epstein were friends. Everyone has known that for YEARS. Everyone also know that Trump and Epstien ended their relationship in 2009 over Epstein being a creep.

So the fact the Trump's name is associated with him is no news. And there is a number of reasons, which have nothing to do with Trump, as to why the files wouldnt be released.

Including, national security reasons, foreign relations reasons and causing people to be smeared as pedophiles who aren't.

Theee is also the case that if there had been anything in there that was bad for Trump the last administration would have released it.

I agree with everything you have said here.

But the problem is , In the past 7 or 8 years, some Americans have believed a conspiracy theory claiming that wealthy individuals worldwide belong to a private club that exploits young children and controls the global justice system. They also allege that Jeffrey Epstein is central to this alleged abuse ring.

These groups do not have any specific political affiliation; their primary focus is on preventing child abuse. However, they have become associated and consumed with this conspiracy theory. They believe President Trump alone can end global child abuse, though their reasons are unclear.

They have supported President Trump since 2017. While he has not addressed them directly, his other supporters—such as his son Donald Trump Jr., Kash Patel, or the Deputy Director of the FBI—have reinforced the conspiracy theories they believe in.

It's impossible to reason with them; their belief in conspiracy theories prevents them from seeing reality.

Now that President Trump is in office and unable to provide what was promised, these people have turned against him.

Questions remain about the size of this group and what percentage of President Trump's supporters believe in this conspiracy theory. If fewer than 10% of his supporters hold these views, the issue may resolve quickly. President Trump could lose 5% to 10% of his support, but political dynamics would likely continue as usual. However, if more than 10% of supporters are involved, Republicans may experience some impact in the midterm elections.

 

[Say it aint so]

Like I said in my previous reply. Read it again.

I read your previous reply. It does not negate your false statement.

 

[rjs330]

If someone got the impression that Trump was going to do something about the horrible fact Epstein got a sweetheart deal, would you consider them to be stupid ?

Epstein's dead.

 

[rjs330]

Questions remain about the size of this group and what percentage of President Trump's supporters believe in this conspiracy theory. If fewer than 10% of his supporters hold these views, the issue may resolve quickly. President Trump could lose 5% to 10% of his support, but political dynamics would likely continue as usual. However, if more than 10% of supporters are involved, Republicans may experience some impact in the midterm elections.

I agree with most of this. The thing is Trump is doing so well that he is not going to lose his supporters. They may disagree with the lack of release, which I am one of them, but we dont disagree to the point t where we no longer suppkrt him. Its pretty myopic in my view to think we are going to agree with everything he does. We never have. But we still support the larger agenda and the great work he has done so far. The only thing that will sink him would be a serious problem with the economy. If we go into a serious recession that would be an issue.

The files are a small blip for almost all of us. Its the small few, including Democrats who are making a big deal out of this. The Democrats are doing it because they think it will drive a wedge I to Trumps support and help them in the mid terms. They all know there is nothing there thats damaging to Trump. If there was, it woild have been released by now.

 

[BCP1928]

Epstein's dead.

Epstein was dead to begin with. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can become of the story I am about to relate...

 

[A New Dawn]

You've confused the FBI with "the left". Until very recently, it has been standard FBI/DOJ policy to not reveal information collected during investigations outside of court. This was a principle upheld by AG Bill Barr and by AG Garland. If that has changed, it is only under AG Bondi, but we haven't seen material leaking from the DOJ investigations now either. As far as who is charged and when, there are matters of provability in court and the statute of limitation on the delay between commission of a crime and prosecution. The "failure" of the DOJ to charge *anyone* in the 6 years since it acquired the contents of Epstein's crime factory does not indicate *anything* about who is mentioned or depicted in any of that material.

I haven’t confused anything. The DoJ and the FBI were weaponized under the Biden administration, and I have no doubt that this was one of the many things they investigated to try to pin as much as they could on Trump. Whether they revealed anything depended on what the investigation revealed. If you are so naive as to suggest that there was no weaponization of those agencies from the left (and even from before Biden, while Trump was in office) look no further than the dossier (funded by Hillary and her campaign) and the FBI coverup of it by Comey, et. al., the Hunter Biden laptop scandal that the FBI had for a year and the heads of all the intel agencies lied about it, denying its validity and claimed it was Russian interference, changing the course of the election, and NOW The proof that Obama was instrumental in the creation and perpetuation of the collusion hoax, instructing the FBI to manufacture evidence that Trump was complicit in rigging the 2016 election.

So, no, I haven’t confused anything. All this is WHY people elected Trump in the first place when they just suspected the swamp was in command, and why they elected him again when all these scandals started being exposed.

 

[essentialsaltes]

White House tightens its grip on Jeffrey Epstein messaging​

White House aides have made it clear that no one in the administration is allowed to talk about Epstein without high-level vetting as Trump attempts to change the subject.

"The communications office has to be directly involved in every aspect of this," the official said. "Every 'i' must be dotted, and every 't' must be crossed through us."

Kevin Olasanoye, a Democratic strategist and former executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, said the White House’s considerable attempts to divert from the Epstein saga were evident. In addition to Trump’s accusing Obama of treason, the Trump administration has, in the past week, released files on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968, and asserted — in contradiction of past probes — that Russia didn’t try to interfere in the 2016 election.

“They’re throwing everything against the wall,” he said.

 

[essentialsaltes]

This helpful op/ed from Tim 'acktshually, it's ephebophilia' Rohr may help rightwing people learn to ignore the Epstein Thing. And then Trump won't need any more distractions.

 

[essentialsaltes]

OK, I confess I've been briefly distracted from the DOJ's Epstein files by this resurfaced video of Epstein taking the 5th when asked about socializing with Trump in the presence of underage women.

Video of Jeffrey Epstein Talking About Donald Trump Resurfaces​

According to a 2016 article in the Daily Wire, which describes itself as being "right of center," Epstein's interviewer was a lawyer representing one of his alleged underage victims.

In the video, the lawyer asks Epstein, "Have you ever had a personal relationship with Donald Trump?" When Epstein asks for clarification, the lawyer says, "Have you socialized with him?" Epstein then replies, "Yes sir."

The interviewer continues, "Have you ever socialized with Donald Trump in the presence of females under the age of 18?"

Epstein replies, "Though I'd like to answer that question, at least today I'm going to have to assert my Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendment rights, sir."

Daily Wire article:

7 Things You Need To Know About Trump And Sex Slave Island​

 

[public hermit]

Epstein replies, "Though I'd like to answer that question, at least today I'm going to have to assert my Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendment rights, sir."

He would like to have answered that question without incriminating himself. What else can that mean but that Trump liked them too young, as well?