• • • When and why did Bondi fail? I have the answers below. Trump Fires Bondi Appoints Blanche as acting US Attorney General Here’s the Reuters take on Trump Firing Bondi . WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump ​has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, a White House official said on Thursday, following mounting frustration with her ‌performance, including her handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump had also reportedly grown frustrated that Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries who he wanted to face criminal charges. But it was repeated criticism over ​the Epstein files, including from Trump allies and some Republican lawmakers, that came to dominate her tenure. Bondi was accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of ​records on the DOJ’s sex trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties with an array of wealthy and powerful figures. Announced Firings Pam Bondi (Attorney General): Fired April 2026 after criticism over handling Epstein files and not aggressively prosecuting political targets. Kristi Noem (Homeland Security): Removed in March 2026 following concerns over agency management and immigration policy implementation. Erik Primus (Surface Transportation Board): Fired in August 2025 following a demotion earlier that year. These actions continue a pattern of aggressive personnel changes in top positions in both of Trump’s administrations. Unannounced Failures D. John Sauer , Solicitor General of the United States Pete Hegseth , Secretary of Defense now called Secretary of War Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence Vice President J.D. Vance Robert F. Kennedy Jr. HHS Secretary Bondi’s Culminating Moment Bondi: The DOW is over 50,000. That’s what we should be talking about. They just asked what does the DOW have to do with anything. ARE YOU KIDDING? pic.twitter.com/nl5ueU867x — Acyn (@Acyn) February 11, 2026 This one is hilarious. Play it. This moment will haunt Pam Bondi for the rest of her life. It has been memed into infinity, because it so perfectly captures the craven, humiliating failure that was her tenure as Attorney General. pic.twitter.com/yFX5jhI4kN — Brad Polumbo 🇺🇸⚽️ (@brad_polumbo) April 2, 2026 When Did Bondi Fail? Bondi failed the moment she took the job. It’s important to understand that all of them failed the moment they took the job. Everyone in the Trump administration is a failure and all of them for the same reason. Why Did Bondi Fail? Trump demands loyalty over the Constitution. Everyone in the administration is expected to deliver impossible results. Tulsi Gabbard made a whore out of herself by promoting Trump’s war. J.D. Vance fell out of Trump’s favor when he only half-heartedly endorsed the war. Hegseth was always a war-mongering whore. Trump can’t fire Vance, but he can shove him aside politically for someone more willing to carry the war torch. That someone is Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Solicitor General, D. John Sauer, looked like a complete fool arguing Trump’s Birthright citizenship case in the Supreme Court. Regardless of when (or whether) Trump shoves them aside, they all all failures, forced into Trumpian cult worship. That was the understood requirement to take the job. Trump’s only requirement for any job was loyalty. The end of the line is when they fail in their missions to achieve Trump’s impossible and frequently unconstitutional goals. Trump will always find a reason to blame anyone else for his mistakes. That’s why Tulsi, Kennedy, and Hegseth will likely not last much longer. Trump will have a hard time finding replacements because no one competent would fill those positions. Related Posts April 1, 2026: Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Arguments Suggest 7-2 Minimum Against Trump Justice Kavanaugh hammers Trump’s lawyer, setting the tone. Supreme Court Strikes Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs In 6-3 Vote On February 20, 2026 I reported Supreme Court Strikes Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs In 6-3 Vote (I Told You So) Forgive me for bragging, but I got every justice correct. April 1, 2026: Trump Issues Order Against Mail-In Voting. Supreme Court Will Strike It. Here’s another set of silly Executive Orders about to be blasted sky high. April 2, 2026: Trump’s “Bomb Them Back to Stone Ages” Speech Was One Amazing Flop 40 Nations Discuss Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, US Didn’t Attend. Trump will not succeed with unconstitutional orders. Fortunately, the Supreme Court has made that clear. Trump Fires Bondi Appoints Blanche as acting US Attorney General Here’s the Reuters take on Trump Firing Bondi . WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump ​has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, a White House official said on Thursday, following mounting frustration with her ‌performance, including her handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump had also reportedly grown frustrated that Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries who he wanted to face criminal charges. But it was repeated criticism over ​the Epstein files, including from Trump allies and some Republican lawmakers, that came to dominate her tenure. Bondi was accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of ​records on the DOJ’s sex trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties with an array of wealthy and powerful figures. Announced Firings These actions continue a pattern of aggressive personnel changes in top positions in both of Trump’s administrations. Unannounced Failures Bondi’s Culminating Moment Bondi: The DOW is over 50,000. That’s what we should be talking about. They just asked what does the DOW have to do with anything. ARE YOU KIDDING? pic.twitter.com/nl5ueU867x This one is hilarious. Play it. This moment will haunt Pam Bondi for the rest of her life. It has been memed into infinity, because it so perfectly captures the craven, humiliating failure that was her tenure as Attorney General. pic.twitter.com/yFX5jhI4kN When Did Bondi Fail? Bondi failed the moment she took the job. It’s important to understand that all of them failed the moment they took the job. Everyone in the Trump administration is a failure and all of them for the same reason. Why Did Bondi Fail? Trump demands loyalty over the Constitution. Everyone in the administration is expected to deliver impossible results. Tulsi Gabbard made a whore out of herself by promoting Trump’s war. J.D. Vance fell out of Trump’s favor when he only half-heartedly endorsed the war. Hegseth was always a war-mongering whore. Trump can’t fire Vance, but he can shove him aside politically for someone more willing to carry the war torch. That someone is Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Solicitor General, D. John Sauer, looked like a complete fool arguing Trump’s Birthright citizenship case in the Supreme Court. Regardless of when (or whether) Trump shoves them aside, they all all failures, forced into Trumpian cult worship. That was the understood requirement to take the job. Trump’s only requirement for any job was loyalty. The end of the line is when they fail in their missions to achieve Trump’s impossible and frequently unconstitutional goals. Trump will always find a reason to blame anyone else for his mistakes. That’s why Tulsi, Kennedy, and Hegseth will likely not last much longer. Trump will have a hard time finding replacements because no one competent would fill those positions. Related Posts April 1, 2026: Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Arguments Suggest 7-2 Minimum Against Trump Justice Kavanaugh hammers Trump’s lawyer, setting the tone. Supreme Court Strikes Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs In 6-3 Vote On February 20, 2026 I reported Supreme Court Strikes Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs In 6-3 Vote (I Told You So) Forgive me for bragging, but I got every justice correct. April 1, 2026: Trump Issues Order Against Mail-In Voting. Supreme Court Will Strike It. Here’s another set of silly Executive Orders about to be blasted sky high. April 2, 2026: Trump’s “Bomb Them Back to Stone Ages” Speech Was One Amazing Flop 40 Nations Discuss Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, US Didn’t Attend. Trump will not succeed with unconstitutional orders. Fortunately, the Supreme Court has made that clear. Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts. Subscribers get an email alert of each post as they happen. Read the ones you like and you can unsubscribe at any time. This post originated on MishTalk.Com Thanks for Tuning In! Mish Mike Shedlock I Think Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s and Cheryl Hines will make a separated announced by November 2026 The last year of her life has been a career limiting move. Her tell all book will likely end with her “suicide”. Well at lest her humiliation is over unless the dems bring her in after their November route. She was the link between the fantasy world of a delusional demagogue and the real world. Thankfully the courts favor the real world, for now. I heard she stopped swallowing. That’s an oft cited reason for divorce. What a hot mess we are in. “This moment will haunt Pam Bondi for the rest of her life.” BS. Bondo is a bought and paid member of the Epstein Class. She will live in luxury for the rest of her life while the peons struggle and she will never pay for her crimes just like the rest of the Epstein Class in this country. Best for her to play dumb and proclaim she doesn’t know anything least she be determined a loose end by the elite. “Trump will have a hard time finding replacements, because nobody competent would fill those positions.” Competency is not a requirement. Sycophancy is, and there are still plenty of those around. Zackly. Trump could hire one of the MAGA clowns who post here, get Byron Noem to give him/her a makeover, the current Senate will confirm *anything* Trump sends them, nobody will notice anything different. Interesting how Vance got booted to the sidelines by Fox News and replaced with Rubio. Perhaps they want to keep some of the trump shit from getting rubbed into him and make him unelectable? Rubio better be careful while his turn is up or his career as a future president will get unraveled as well. Although as long as our media is owned by Israel, we do not stand a chance to get our nation back. All three networks have the same script. We can only hope Rubio is not careful, thereby crippling his chances. I suspect that Vance is sidelined because he is seen as not having the right amount of enthusiasm for the War On Iran. Wow, there’s a lot of intellectual stuff here, especially in the comments as usual. I would like to see some of the vermin from Biden’s time prosecuted. Trump can always pardon them after they are found guilty. That would be a small price to pay for what they inflicted on those not-very-sophisticated people who got a bit upset and raided the evil institutions of government after Biden was elected (if he was elected). Beyond that, has it occurred to anyone that Bondi and Trump may have been initiated into the real secrets of the U.S. Government after he was elected for the second time, and they may have agreed that there is something there that simply cannot be made public, no matter how bad the public story may make them look, and how many innocent people may be smeared or suspected unfairly? I can imagine that Epstein’s operation may have been authorized and facilitated at the very highest circles of the world’s secret police, and Trump may have been persuaded that it is better that such things don’t come out. It is accepted that some governments use sexual torture and other horrific practices all the time. As far as I know, the MK-ULTRA story and the Operation Gladio story aren’t conspiracy theories, they are history. Now that Trump has horned his way back into the highest circles, as least the highest public circles, why shouldn’t he have made some compromises? The only way for civilization to advance now is for the public to come to know that government has a monopoly not only on the use of force but on the use of fraud. The use of torture is also a government monopoly. If you understand that, you can eventually understand everything about government. I could go on. Trump was the victim of an attempted assassination attempt, and another was preparing to take the shot. If we’re being honest, he doesn’t have that many years left, even if he is kept secure. If he was a real leader, if he was courageous, then why should he not be willing to put his life on the line and reveal it all? Well, we know who he is : a coward. How does that MAGA Kool-Aid taste? 😉 There are a lot who are not part of the Republican crowd like Ehud Barak who likely are being protected. Notice the most vocal Democrats like Congressman Dan Goldman and Senator Schumer never mention Epstein’s ties to Israel ? My guess is if they take down Trump then the Ehud Barak’s get exposed even if NY Times, etc tries to put a blackout on that story. I think Epstein avoided Netanyahu because Netanyahu is much more of an asshole and a lot less suitable for Epstein’s world than Dick Cheney. Thanks for those thoughts. I like real criticism a lot better than the usual cheap shots. “ I would like to see some of the vermin from Biden’s time prosecuted.” For what? And what is your evidence? I can think of many crimes, but they are the same crimes that the Trump Administration is also guilty of. he demands absolute loyalty, and gives none. You’re on the front seat if you buy 200million $Trump meme. Well, if he cannot find competent people to fill the soon-to-be vacancies, that is only negative for the world. Trump had competent people in his first term – and fired damned near all of them because they were smarter than him. I had to look up the phrasing of Hegseth as “Secretary of Defense now called Secretary of War”. How interesting that that is the precisely correct designation. Only Congress has the constitutional authority to permanently rename a federal department, and Congress has not changed the Department of Defense name. So contracts, treaties, court filings, and budget appropriations must still use “Department of Defense” to be legally binding. Like so much of the Trump administration, even a name change has been done incompetently. Holy War Hegseth is truly something to behold. when his tenure is up, he can become a TV evangelist. Indeed! God’s warrior for conquest. Can the American Inquisition be far behind? I’ll bet A Handmaid’s Tale is his favorite movie. Except he’ll make sure the ending is different. Bondi reportedly begged for a continuance of her AG position. Maybe there will be a little vindictiveness and payback in her scheduled congressional testimony on the ‘X’ files. Remember when MTG was double-crossed on ‘America First’ issues? Could be entertaining. She would find herself in prison if she turned on trump and released the unreacted Epstein files. Anyone with a shred of decency would get them into the publics hands so we could see trump ad the other oligarchs for what they are. like in high school, the same dog that ate her homework… And Hegseth has fired the Army’s top officer. And replaced him with someone who is willing to sacrifice our soldiers to stroke Trump’s ego. From USA Today: “Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth asked Gen. Randy George, the U.S. Army’s top officer, to step down from his position and immediately retire, according to a Pentagon official. George had served as the chief of staff of the Army since 2023. Hegseth wanted someone who could better implement his and President Donald Trump’s vision in the Army, according to CBS News.” Perhaps this means “boots on the ground” soon. Wow. Interesting! He might sacrifice some to save face. Great analysis, and bonus points for calling them what they all are : failed whores. Can you really fail at being a whore? Or are you just less good at it? A fascinating philosophical question. Like whether it is possible to be a lapsed Unitarian. I guess, in the “failed whore” case, you can’t be arrested for selling sex if nobody will pay for it. It’s really a shame we have further yet to fall as the Chief Pedophile of the United States makes the country into a banana republic. A real dictator would have useless scum like Bondi taken out and shot after she outlived her uselessness, I mean usefulness. So Blondi had an ounce of honor? “No.” 😉 You need to add the Nazi Stephen Miller to the unannounced failure list Mish. Outside of Hogsbreath, he would be my top person next on the firing list. First time I learned of that guy was when a video circulated with some crazy guy at a funeral orating in tongues. The video was in color. The last time I watched something like that the cameras were all B&W and the orators wore uniforms and millions died. 40 nations discuss opening the Strait, per the Guardian, USA not invited. I dont think they’re talking about forcing the Strait open, they will pay Iran the toll. Trump screwed the pooch on this one. International prices will go up long-term to meet the toll. US oil will follow prices up but be pure profit for US producers. Buy Exxon. Trump is simply seeking to distract attention from the war and Epstein. Well, she’s no Janet Reno, I can tell you that. And there was Janet Reno’s Dance Club too I find the entire dissing of the late Janet Reno patently unfair. You all forget she ONLY took the role after Zoe Baird got dumped for the role over failure to pay a temporary small change FICA tax for a TEMP. Now, a hell of a lot more problems get by. It should have been Zoe Baird; and I find the hendicapped Reno dissing unfair. She really just tried to do her job. And who really gives a flying **** over Waco anyway? It had to end soon. BREAKING: Trump blames high US gas prices on Iran, for defending itself against USreal aggression We’re on our way to a global recession and possibly a global depression, that’s not hyperbole that’s simple fact. No one is talking about bankruptcies today but give it another 30 days and that’s all we’ll be talking about. Airlines first then shipping then anything else heavily dependent on oil. Trump/GOP/Israel will take 100% of the blame. Got PUTS? I think it’ll be a depression as the lunatics are running the asylum. I lived in Florida when Bondi was Attorney General. She’s a moron. Her sole qualification, other than a law license, was a bottomless pit of sycophancy. The only problem with getting rid of her is that the replacement will be even worse. No joke, her replacement right now is one of Trump’s personal attorneys. What’s she look like? It’s a him, but no guarantee he doesn’t like to put on wigs and fake tits and get degraded! He is already used to having his nose up Trumps butt! Bondi’s turned brown for a while! I don’t know why Trump needs a cabinet at all. He doesn’t listen to anybody, even career sycophants such as Bondi. If Tulsi had a shred of self-respect she’d have quit a year ago. Maybe Trump keeps her around out of sheer malice. But it’s only a matter of time. He needs people to blame for his incompetence. Simple so they can sit there and tell him how great he is. Its like a fox version of entourage . “Reputational Rehab” surgery will fail. It’s terminal. Turn off Trump’s life support he’s wasting electricity! Personally, I like Tulsi Gabbard. Maybe the best thing for her would be to get canned by Trump so she can distance herself from him & his remaining cohorts. Too late. I was a huge Tulsi fan. A big disappointment. She should have resigned. Instead she in involved in voting scheme madness. I was disappointed she got that job in the first place. She should have asked for a senate endorsement instead. Mike you are right – no one with an ounce of integrity, self respect or intelligence would want be servile to a egomaniacal megalomaniac like Trump. Trump is without moral integrity, or an ounce of respect or compassion for anyone. And Mike – i think maybe you should consider running for president. Working for Trump is like selling your soul to the devil. Initially you get fame, power, money but once the devil is done with you, you’re discarded like garbage and your soul is gone. While Trump may be quantitatively egomaniacal, qualitatively he is little different from any other politician. Politics is, in its essence, zero sum. If you’re not the winner, you’re a loser. But life is mutual consent, mutual advantage. Life is cooperation and we both walk away better for having interacted. Decent people don’t go into politics. They’re busy living their lives. Not really. The difference with Trump is he’s an ignorant malignant narcissist, racist and misogynist. Very few politicians are actually that evil. Regardless though, I understand the people who support him find all of that appealing, like many Germans loved Hitler or many N. Koreans love Kim Jung-Oh. There’s a reason Trump “loves the uneducated”. I did announce my candidacy multiple elections September 2012: QE to Infinity and Beyond; Mish for President? https://mishtalk.com/uncategorized/qe-to-infinity-and-beyond-mish-for-president/ August 2015: Mish for President: Officially Throwing My Hat Into the Ring; 11 Questions, 11 Answers https://mishtalk.com/uncategorized/mish-for-president-officially-throwing-my-hat-into-the-ring-11-questions-11-answers/ I wrote in Mish for President October 31, 2024: https://mishtalk.com/economics/i-wrote-in-mish-for-president-of-the-united-states/ When you have a guy who thinks his will can dominate over facts, of course the people who have to rub right up against the real world are going to eventually disappoint him and they will be removed The bubble must be maintained I would say that Trump is likely well aware that what he says has no necessary relationship to any fact, but he does not care. This is what Professor Frankfurt styled “bullshit” in his magnum opus “On Bullshit”. To the sociopath, truth, logics, facts, evidence and morality are of interest only to the result that they can be weaponized. If the facts are not useful at the moment, Trump simply makes something up. Because he is powerful, he can do this. TOP post, Mish. One of your best. Thanks Does anyone expect the next body to actually release the unredacted Epstein files are just go another year with obstruction before they are forced out and replaced and so on for 4 years? I suspect that the real files are somewhere in Israel. The DoJ only has what nobody managed to destroy. Do you visit simplicius and moonofalabama with the same handle? Or coincidence? If you are the same, good to see you here. Cheers. She was even a failure at politically persecuting Trump’s enemies, which I did not think was possible to fail that badly at. We all know that’s the REAL reason she was sent to pasture. Trump’s first administration was a revolving door of fools and tools going in and coming out at the drop of a Trump tantrum. Why did people expect his second administration to be any different? Oh yeah, first post. Almost 🙂 He will find a replacement. I have a wacko down the street that keeps jonesing for a civil war with people getting shot in the street. They don’t have to be qualified, just passionate. Look at Hegseth – he’s cuckoo for war crimes. Holy cow! Another 3-star Mish elin award stamped on this post. Keep ’em coming Mish! Do worry, Trump will find a way to make things even worse.™ I’m long Mishelin star factories. Careful! Trump likes to bomb factories… 😉 Bondi was garbage before become AG as were most of the others. Least serious administration ever It should have been a sign that she was easily confirmed. Whereas the intelligent Matt Gaettz was a Uniparty non-starter. The timing coincides with her office getting embarrassed in front of the Supreme Court, with Trump in attendance Trying to argue the 14th amendment doesn’t read as plainly as it does was a no-win situation. The government would have to argue it does not have jurisdiction (subject to the jurisdiction thereof) over illegal immigrants which would seemingly (IANAL) mean they’re immune to prosecution for any crime. You could probably find a hair splitting argument that the child must be born in an actual ‘State’, but aside from that, jus soli citizenship is pretty clearly part of the constitution. That being said, Pam Bondi was very bad at her job.. She was – Killing the clock on Epstein before the war Ringing the bell at the DJIA top You will receive all messages from this feed and they will be delivered by email.

Friday, April 10, 2026 Good morning, and welcome to RedState's "Morning Minute" — a brief glimpse at which stories are trending at the moment and a look ahead at what the day may bring. Consider this your one-stop shop for news to kickstart your day. Red-Hot at RedState Epstein Survivors Issue Bizarre Response to Melania Trump's Statement That is preposterous. And to be clear, this isn't a criticism of the survivors or the victims, but rather, a criticism of whoever is representing them and allowed this statement to come out. It's clear they didn't listen to Melania's remarks and instead rushed to politicize it themselves. Trump Drops a Big Warning to Iran Over Violations of Ceasefire Agreement in Strait The question now is: will they back off, or does it blow up the ceasefire? The problem with Iran is that you can't trust or rely on anything they say. It's hard to have an agreement or deal if in the next minute they violate it. New: Four Brits Busted Smuggling Themselves Into Maine — But There's a Catch All's well that ends well, I suppose. These four limeys won't be up to no good, not now, not in the United States. Pip, pip, cheerio! Trending Across Townhall Media Bearing Arms — Prosecutor Says Armed Citizen Shot College Professor in Self-Defense I too wish that McKinzie had made many different choices in her life instead of those that ended up with her standing in the road that December morning, but I'm glad that Stanton was able to protect himself when his life was threatened for no reason at all by a woman he'd never met HotAir — Ireland Out of Gas Someone had best start talking across the road soon, as the situation is already extraordinarily volatile, and there may have been a bit of a breakthrough in the offing. PJ Media — Elon Musk Didn’t Just Leave Delaware — He Started a Stampede Capital finds a way, to misquote Dr. Ian Malcolm. Townhall — Eric Swalwell Could Be on the Verge of Being Engulfed in a Sexual Harassment Fiasco The ghost of MeToo has reared its ugly head and could drag the California Democrat into a circus. Twitchy — Tim Miller Stomps on Not One but Two Rakes Trying to Dunk on Melania Trump’s English News flash: she can speak English. She also speaks at least four other languages, which is five more than Miller apparently can speak. Today on Capitol Hill... Next week, my friends...next week. White House What's Up President Trump's Friday schedule is jam-packed (yes, some of those times appear to be double-booked, but then again...this is Trump we're talking about): He's got a busy weekend, too, including a trip to Miami on Saturday, where he'll attend a UFC event before returning to D.C. Keeping Up With the Cabinet Dir. National Intelligence - Tulsi Gabbard — Gabbard attended the Counterterrorism Board of Directors meeting this week. This week, @DNIGabbard joined @NCTC_Official at the Counterterrorism Board of Directors meeting alongside @DepDNILukas , @SebGorka , and Acting Director Joseph Weirsky. At a moment of heightened and rapidly evolving global threats, NCTC remains the nerve center of our nation’s… pic.twitter.com/o3fRlFnY4p Full Court Press... Here are the latest court rulings of note: Artemis II is on its way back to Earth and scheduled to splash down this evening. Vice President JD Vance is on his way to Islamabad, Pakistan, for Iran peace talks. The critters will return to Congress on Monday — gird your loins! SCOTUS resumes oral arguments on April 20. (Think I said April 23 yesterday — sorry about that!) I do expect we'll see some more opinions handed down before then. Our own Sister Toldjah recently helped remind us of a valuable lesson when it comes to news consumption. READ: Clearing Up Some Misinfo About What Happened This Week in the Iryna Zarutska Case - and Why It Matters We're all familiar with the phrase "Trust, but verify." I would submit that in the age of social media, the caution should be: Don't trust...and then verify. News and information comes at all of us pell-mell these days. You're never going to go wrong by waiting a beat and making sure a story checks out before running with it. Big Badger don't care . ❤️ This is Badger. His gentle giant Great Pyrenees who’s graciously volunteered as a fluffy jungle gym for his farm baby goats his guarding. He shows Zero complaints, had maximum tolerance. Pls heart him for being a good guard dog ❤️ pic.twitter.com/22ibq1fLIP Enjoying the "Morning Minute"? You can ensure you receive it in your Inbox every weekday by signing up for our newsletter here . Editor’s Note : Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth. Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership! Susie Moore is the Deputy Managing Editor for RedState. She is a Christian, a mom, an attorney, a writer, host of RedState Radio, and co-host of the Mike Ferguson in the Morning Show on NewsTalkSTL in St. Louis. A native Missourian, Susie loves the Cardinals, the Blues, the Missouri Tigers, and the Green Bay Packers. She's also a foodie and a dog lover -- all of which you'll find sprinkled throughout her writing when she's not covering national, state (mostly Missouri and Illinois), or local politics.

Vice President JD Vance was back on Joe Rogan ’s popular podcast Wednesday, defending diplomacy with Iran and admitting the Trump administration made mistakes on the Epstein files. The appearance was a way of reconnecting with low-propensity voters who were crucial to putting President Donald Trump back in the White House with a plurality of the popular vote, but who are now unhappy about the Iran war and what they see as insufficient transparency on Jeffrey Epstein. Rogan himself holds many of these views. He endorsed Trump in 2024 but has since complained about broken promises. Trump and Vance both appeared on his show during that campaign, while former Vice President Kamala Harris famously did not. Thirty or 40 years ago, the White House might have dispatched an Ohioan vice president to shore up the Reagan Democrats. Now it’s the Rogan Democrats . That’s a set of anti-establishment voters who stretch from the Bernie Sanders Left to the MAGA Right, and everything in between, such as the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. These less conventionally Republican parts of Trump’s coalition were rewarded with the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard has since resigned, citing her husband’s health, though supporters felt she had been marginalized within the administration beforehand. Kennedy is still on board, but MAHA is getting restless. Many of these types of voters would become an important part of Vance’s base if he decides to run for president in 2028. Lower-propensity voters are by definition difficult to turn out, especially in nonpresidential election years. Trump has throughout his decade in national politics struggled to reliably transfer his popularity to other Republicans when he is not on the ballot himself. The Resistance is motivated to show up at the polls, but not so large chunks of MAGA. The question remains how large these voting blocs are outside of social media compared to the more traditional parts of the Republican coalition. In 2024, the number didn’t have to be huge — Trump won the seven battleground states by the narrowest of margins and topped Harris in the popular vote by less than 1.5 points. Most incumbent congressional Republicans do little to court these nontraditional voters because they hail from deep-red districts and don’t necessarily need them. That’s where Vance comes in, though his critics say he is too “online” and too solicitous of podcasters, some of whom indulge in conspiracy theories and strident criticism of Israel. Vance bantered with Rogan about whether the disgraced Epstein had Mossad ties and the subject of Israeli influence in American politics, citing a Time magazine article about former Trump operative Brad Parscale. “I have never funded, organized, or participated in any effort to undermine President Trump — ever — including his MOU or ceasefire proposal,” Parscale insisted to Time . “The claim that I am coordinating an effort to prolong the war is completely false.” “They’re attacking me obsessively, saying that we should not be negotiating with Iran. We should just keep the military campaign going indefinitely, and that is their explicit position,” Vance told Rogan. “People have come after me and say that I’m influenced by Qatar, that I’m influenced by foreign governments, that I take my marching orders from Tucker Carlson, and there’s just so much bulls*** out there.” The same day the Rogan episode aired, the House rejected an amendment to cut all aid to Israel. Its sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), was beaten by a Trump-endorsed primary challenger in May and was on an island among Republicans while Democrats were split roughly down the middle. In three presidential campaigns, Trump threaded the needle in seeming prudently skeptical of recent American military undertakings in the Middle East while at the same time supporting Israel against its enemies. The Iran war has complicated that delicate balance. TRUMP DROPS STRAIT OF HORMUZ TOLLS FOR GULF TRADE DEALS While most polling shows rank-and-file Republicans and self-professed MAGA supporters sticking with Trump, Vance is the point man on calming doubters. Vance is the clear early front-runner for the 2028 GOP nomination, leading by 19.3 points in the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls . If he chooses to run, he’ll have to strike the same balance that Trump once did to hold an unwieldy coalition together.

Well, first, Pam Bondi is no longer the attorney general. There were rumors she would be ousted this morning, and it became official this afternoon. She did some things well, like ensuring her department was ready to appeal those absurd rulings by rogue judges, but she messed up the Epstein Files case. Yes, President Trump didn’t do it any favors by calling it a hoax for weeks before giving the green light to release all the files, but Bondi made claims like the client list was on her desk, adding to the bravado, and that, my dear friends, was BS. Frankly, there were some points where maybe she should’ve been working at her desk instead of doing media hits. Reportedly, Trump told her yesterday her time was up. With new management coming to the DOJ, the intelligence community might be next, as President Trump has been asking around whether to dismiss Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence (via the Guardian ): News: The president has informed Pam Bondi that her time as AG is nearing an end, multiple sources tell me. Formal announcement hasn’t yet come aka all the normal caveats that he could change his mind apply; he’s been speaking with advisors on a possible replacement in recent… #BREAKING : Trump informs Pam Bondi that “her time as Attorney General is nearing its end.” Donald Trump has privately asked cabinet officials in recent weeks whether he should replace his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, venting frustration that she shielded a former deputy who undercut his rationale for war with Iran, according to two people briefed on the discussions. It is not clear that Trump will actually fire Gabbard over the episode. Currently, there is no standout candidate to take the job, and advisers have cautioned that creating a high-profile vacancy before a successor is ready could cause unhelpful political distractions. But Trump’s discussions mark an ominous development for Gabbard, given the president tends to poll his advisers when he starts to seriously consider whether a personnel change is necessary. The two people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Trump’s doubts about Gabbard followed her testimony at the worldwide threats hearing on Capitol Hill last month where she declined to condemn Joe Kent, who had resigned days earlier after arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States, the people said. The nature of Kent’s departure and his criticism of the war had already angered Trump, but he expressed particular frustration about Gabbard seemingly defending Kent and appearing reluctant to defend the administration’s position to attack Iran, the people said. Yes, the White House issued a statement in support of Gabbard for now. They did the same thing with Bondi weeks before she announced her departure today. They also did the same with Kristi Noem. They’re not going to tip their hand on anything—you know this operation already, but keep in mind the pattern here. If Gabbard does go, it wouldn’t be shocking. We’ll see. For now, all eyes are on who will lead the DOJ, and please, for the love of God, get the DHS funded. UPDATE : Gabbard safe for now, some say, but we've been here before: Advisors close to Trump considered the idea of moving US Attorney General Pam Bondi to another senior role in the admin, including director of national intelligence. But Trump has said he wants Tulsi Gabbard to stay in that position, sources told me. @CBSNews Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.

Politics > Obama The Democrats asked for transparency and they’re going to get it good and hard. Clarice Feldman | July 27, 2025 The great Satchel Paige once said, “Don’t look back -- something may be gaining on you.” Well, I think for Barack Obama and his cohort, something is gaining on them, and so, too, I believe it is happening now for those who engaged with Jeffrey Epstein in his illicit activities. Stuff kept hidden by the wrongdoers in the Obama and Biden administrations is coming to light, and you can expect they will amp up their deflection and distraction moves to keep the focus off what they did. Surely, many people with the concentration span of a few minutes and the critical thinking abilities of a Lego piece will fall for it. You shouldn’t. Tuesday, DNI head Tulsi Gabbard released a report that declassified reams of material gathered by the House Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which detailed how the Obama Administration -- at Obama ’ s direction -- manufactured the hoax that Trump colluded with Russia to gain the presidency.  I don’t see much coverage of this in the legacy press, but online accounts have summarized the most salient portions in case you aren’t up to reading and analyzing the entire report. The top distillations I found are by attorney Jeff Childers, Matt Taibbi, and Professor Margot Cleveland. Matt, who’s been saying for years that Russiagate was a hoax, details how Russiagate was built on bogus, even “ridiculous” information that was contradicted by professionals in the intelligence community whom John Brennan ignored: It was worse than we thought. The January 6, 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment concluding that Russian President Vladimir Putin “developed a clear preference” for Donald Trump and “aspired to help his chances of victory” is revealed in a report released this morning by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to have been based on four pieces of evidence. One was the Steele Dossier. The surprise is that the other three were even less credible, each included over objections of the report’s CIA authors. The first item was a “scant, unclear, and unverifiable fragment” of one sentence that the report’s five CIA authors read “five ways” and initially left out, only to have Director John Brennan order it back in. The second item was an email with “no date, no identified sender, no clear recipient, and no classification.” The third was supposedly backed by “liaison,” diplomatic, and press reporting, as well as signals intelligence (SIGINT), except the “SIGINT” didn’t mention Trump, the “liaison reporting” didn’t mention Trump and was from 2014, and the “diplomatic and media” reporting was a post-election review by a U.S. Ambassador citing a Russian pundit who said Putin and Trump should “work together like businessmen.” This was “evidence” that Putin “developed a clear preference” for Trump. All three reports weren’t just unsourced and unreliable, but discarded fictions pulled out of the CIA’s trash heap. “They manipulated the manipulations,” is how ODNI Deputy Chief of Staff Alexa Henning put it. The Assessment was written by just five CIA analysts hand-picked by Brennan, but even these most favored lieutenants couldn’t accept the key pieces of evidence. Two of the five went to Brennan to say, “We don’t have direct information that Putin wanted to get Trump elected,” only to be overruled. The same thing happened when members of the group objected to the Steele material, saying it didn’t meet even “basic tradecraft standards.” When confronted on this point, Brennan reportedly said, “Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?” According to Margot Cleveland : Someone asked me my top take-aways: 1) Corruption of creating 3 new reports to back up fake conclusions re Russia; 2) SOOOO much more dirt on Hillary that Russia had (and that we didn't know of) that Putin didn't release; 3) evidence contradicting Putin backing Trump was overwhelming and yet excluded from ICA; 4) Obama-Brennan planned this not just for fake news but for fake Congressional briefings. The information Russia had on Hillary was this: "As of September 2016, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service had DNC information that President Obama and Party leaders found the state of Secretary Clinton’s health to be ‘extraordinarily alarming,’ and felt it could have ‘serious negative impact’ on her election prospects," the report states. "Her health information was being kept in ‘strictest secrecy’ and even close advisors were not being fully informed." The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service also allegedly had DNC communications that showed that "Clinton was suffering from ‘intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.'" "Clinton was placed on a daily regimen of ‘heavy tranquilizers’ and while afraid of losing, she remained ‘obsessed with a thirst for power,’" the report states. The Russians also allegedly had information that Clinton "suffered from ‘Type 2 diabetes, Ischemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.’" The Russians also allegedly possessed a "campaign email discussing a plan approved by Secretary Clinton to link Putin and Russian hackers to candidate Trump in order to ‘distract the American public’ from the Clinton email server scandal." Here's Childers’ analysis : a day after Gabbard’s presser and document release, the President openly accused former President Obama of Treason. Childers explains this was like Caesar crossing the Rubicon -- there’s no turning back from such a bold, unprecedented action, and then he expresses astonishment at Obama’s weak response: Barack Obama’s office responded to Trump’s Oval Office treason accusation by calling it… a “distraction.” Not defamation . Not libel . Not even baseless . Just a distraction . “Distraction” is a bizarre word to choose when a sitting president has just accused you of the most serious crime in the Constitution, on camera, from the Oval Office, with foreign heads of state watching and evidence allegedly in hand. Where’s the angry denial? The threats of legal action? The righteous fury? You’d expect Obama’s office -- following Trump’s example, a perfect setup -- to unload both barrels, to drop the full weight of prestige, moral clarity, and legal firepower. But nope. Instead, we got Obama spokesweasel Patrick Rodenbush blinking in the sunlight and muttering something about a distraction. How oddly underwhelming. And… what about the media? In a normal political reality, this would be a constitutional earthquake. Instead, corporate media is treating the story like an unflattering wardrobe malfunction -- awkward, barely publishable, and not worth looking at too closely. Trump accused a former U.S. president of treason -- a capital offense -- and they went with Obama’s distraction. They even headlined it. Where are the emergency panels? Where are the breathless editorials about Trump’s Hitler-like authoritarianism? Where are the calls for Trump to be impeached for abuse of authority? Why aren’t they opportuning this to wind up a whole new scandal cycle? The material Gabbard released shows how confident the plotters were that they could keep this all secret -- the report is full of emails -- leaving an irrefutable and very damaging paper trail. A name you know -- I won't say who -- many years ago advised that whenever you need to discuss something important that could be misconstrued by people out to get you, always do it over the phone. Never, they told me, put it in an email or a text message. They warned me never to put anything sensitive in writing -- no emails, no texts. Paper trails get people burned. And if what you’re discussing wouldn’t need to be twisted to land you in hot water? All the more reason to keep it off the record. Heh. Going a bit further, anybody who's ever watched a mobster movie knows that even over the phone, it's best to speak in code. So what to make of high-ranking Democrats emailing one another about Hillary's daily regimen of "heavy tranquilizers," former Obama intel chiefs discussing how to bolster the Biden campaign, or Obama Himself ordering the intel community to alter its Russiagate findings to hamstring the incoming Trump administration? I'm not 100% certain what to make of it, but Gabbard releasing the paper trail for all to see is just as revealing about Deep State hubris as it is about their schemes and methods. The conclusion I'm forced to draw -- keeping in mind that this is purely speculative -- is this. The Swamp failed to keep Trump from winning the White House in 2016. They redoubled their efforts to tilt the playing field in 2020 and 2024 -- and never expected, due to Trump's first-term failure to drain the Swamp, that they'd get caught. But Trump 2.0 the DGAF Edition isn't messing around. Gabbard is doing the difficult and risky work that Trump just didn't have the right people in place to do during his first term. If the Democrats thought they could deflect and distract by promoting another lie -- that Trump was somehow involved with Jeffrey Epstein’s wrongdoings and was hiding his involvement -- that’s not going to work either. The grand jury testimony that led to Epstein’s conviction is under seal by the judge who heard the case, and that same judge denied Attorney General Pamela Bondi’s request to release it. But, wait -- look what’s coming down the pike!! The first (and very lengthy) interview of Ghislaine Maxwell by a federal official, and here’s why that’s something that’ll be gaining on a lot of people. After years of Biden Administration stonewalling (and file padding), Ghislaine Maxwell got a two-day DOJ interview. [snip] They sent Trump’s former personal defense attorney turned Deputy Attorney General -- the DOJ’s second in command. Comparing it to a deposition, two days of DOJ interviews requires at least four days of prep time. In other words, DOJ’s number two cleared his calendar for this. It wasn’t an interview; it was a mission . Democrats, who ten minutes ago were pounding podiums demanding full transparency of the carefully curated Biden FBI files, were shocked to discover that Trump has another untainted source of information -- Ghislaine Maxwell, chilling in a Florida prison like a long-forgotten, sealed box in the bottom of the evidence locker. Now Democrats are suddenly sweating like an OnlyFans producer in church. “The Blanche-Maxwell discussion,” the Times soberly reported, “has stoked concerns from critics of Mr. Trump that he may grant Ms. Maxwell a reprieve.” (Unnamed critics, of course.) 🔥 Ghislaine is unspoiled evidence. Astonishingly, no one had ever bothered interviewing her before. Not during the original Epstein investigation, not during her trial, not during five years of media blackout, strategic amnesia, and hot-potato footwork with the Epstein client list. And now, after she spilled the tea for ten hours over two days to Trump’s former lawyer turned top DOJ official, suddenly it’s a constitutional crisis. Maxwell’s lawyer, David Markus, said DOJ officials had “asked about every possible thing imaginable.” Todd Blanche asked Maxwell about over 100 named individuals, and she dished the dirt. Markus said his client “answered every single question asked of her over the last day and a half.” Uh oh. It was the most hilariously ironic twist yet. Late yesterday, reporters (obviously primed by someone ) demanded to know whether Trump would pardon Maxwell in exchange for her testimony. President Trump, classically noncommital, replied, “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.” 🔥 Democrats are losing their minds . Senate minority leader Chuck “Chuckie” Schumer wildly speculated it was “some kind of a corrupt deal so that she can exonerate Donald Trump [snip] So let’s add this up. First, Democrats demand full transparency. Then, as soon as Trump sends DOJ’s second-in-command to find the facts, they started rioting like caged rhesus monkeys who just found out the banana shipment got rerouted to El Paso and incinerated. A pardon would be a travesty of justice! Reporters sure have short memories. What about Biden’s pardons? That was what, less than 12 months ago? [snip] 🔥 Apart from Epstein himself -- who is currently unavailable due to an unfortunate mishap of being suicided in a poorly run, high-security federal facility in New York -- there is no better witness on Earth than Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell might even be better than Epstein. As Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown has said many times, man-baby Epstein never did anything for himself. No. Maxwell did it for him. Epstein was the front of the house. Maxwell was the kitchen, the accounting department, and the security system. She holds the map, the manifest, and --most importantly -- the motive. This is exactly why the political class is panicking. Because it wasn’t just an airy, high-level interview. This was an authorized data download from the last living hard drive, carefully preserved in a Florida ( not New York ) prison. As to why the Democrats are frantically waving the pardon issue, Childers nails it: They’re desperately trying to discredit Ghislaine Maxwell before her testimony surfaces. It’s narrative preemption -- classic information warfare. If she names someone inconvenient, say, Chuck Schumer , the response is already baked into the narrative custard: She only said that to get herself out of prison! But it won’t work. The reason will become clear in a couple more paragraphs. The FBI’s years-long non-investigation of Epstein is backfiring spectacularly. In a sane world, by now Maxwell would have sat for thousands of hours of interviews, if only to get herself out of ‘the hole’ and be assigned to laundry duty. The Times insinuated (not very subtly) that Trump is dangling a pardon to get Maxwell to clear his name. But… what is he supposed to do? Not question the best living witness? And as recently as yesterday’s edition, the Times demanded all the Epstein evidence come out. Seriously, you just can’t please these people. 🔥 They thought they had Trump right where they wanted him, dead to rights, with a compromised FBI file. But one news cycle later, the press, the Democrats, and the entire institutional ecosystem are flailing like they just realized the ground they’ve been standing on might be made of quicksand. For over a decade, Obama and Biden controlled the White House and managed a compliant press. They repeatedly used their powers in office to try to destroy Trump. They nearly succeeded when they advanced defamatory claims about him and Russia. But for such an outrage, they had to rely on using corrupt officials so stupid that they left a paper trail of their perfidious conduct. For years, evidence of this conduct that a House Committee uncovered was forcibly bottled up by the same malefactors. Now the evidence is out in the open. Trying to distract attention from this, they then implied a nonexistent Trump-Epstein connection to rape and other criminality by accusing the administration of lacking transparency on Epstein. But what prior administrations hid or refused to examine is in the process of being revealed. The Democrats asked for transparency, and they’re going to get it good and hard. Some things are gaining on them. Now more than ever, the ability to speak our minds is crucial to the republic we cherish. If what you see on American Thinker resonates with you, please consider supporting our work with a donation of as much or as little as you can give. Every dollar contributed helps us pay our staff and keep our ideas heard and our voices strong. Thank you.

T here comes a moment in every decaying republic when the lies no longer hold. The slogans fade. The headlines rot. The euphemisms curdle. And those who built the scaffold of deceit find themselves suddenly visible — exposed to a people no longer interested in pretending. We have reached that moment. What began as a desperate campaign tactic — Russia! Hacking! Pee tapes ! — has now collapsed into the most damaging political hoax in American history. It was not just a dirty trick. It was a coordinated operation to reverse the outcome of a presidential election using the organs of the state, the megaphone of the press, and the cowardice of institutions. This wasn’t just about removing Trump. It was about removing the possibility of any future president like him: populist, nationalist, untamed, and, most importantly, unapproved. And now the receipts are in. Tulsi Gabbard, in her improbable but timely role as Director of National Intelligence , has declassified documents proving that Barack Obama and his senior officials knowingly overrode actual intelligence to invent a narrative of “Russian collusion.” This wasn’t politicization. It was fabrication. The intelligence state was not used to serve the republic — it was used to sabotage it. There is no polite word for what occurred. It was, by the plain definition of the term, treason: an attempt to remove a duly elected president by illegal means. Not with tanks, but with leaks. Not by gunfire, but by talking points. And it worked — for a time. Trump’s presidency was hobbled from the outset. Every decision, every appointment, every foreign engagement was filtered through the manufactured cloud of Russian suspicion. The people who concocted it assumed they would never be found out. That they would leave behind only the stain, not the fingerprints. They miscalculated. The Russia hoax was never meant to stand alone. When it faltered, it was reinforced — by media hysteria, impeachment theatre, COVID absolutism, mail-in voting, and the moral hallucinations of a culture that began to insist that men could give birth and toddlers could choose their gender. It was all scaffolding—designed to obscure, distract, and deny the most basic truths. This wasn’t just about removing Trump. It was about removing the possibility of any future president like him: populist, nationalist, untamed, and, most importantly, unapproved. The system would not survive another breach of its illusion of consent. So the media became not watchdogs but collaborators. They parroted. They promoted. They punished dissent. And when the lie began to unravel, they pivoted — to Epstein, to January 6, to anything that might move the eye from the exposed gears of the machine. And yet the scaffold of lies has fallen. Not with a bang, but a shuddering collapse. The disclosures from former intel chiefs are damning. The press, losing viewers and trust in equal measure, is flailing. Some legacy outlets now jettison their anchors like a lifeboat leaving the Titanic. The institutions built to lie are beginning to rot. The audience has walked out of the theatre mid-show. Now comes the question of justice. Will there be indictments? Perp walks? Or will it end as these things often do — in shoulder shrugs and gentle retirements, as the guilty retreat behind memoir deals and foundation boards? That depends on whether America is still a republic, or merely a brand. The scaffold may be gone, but the ruin remains. If there is to be recovery — real recovery — it must begin not with bipartisanship, but with reckoning. With names. With admissions. With consequences. We are owed the truth: about Russiagate, about the FBI, about COVID, about Epstein, about who really governs and in whose interest. And we must be willing to tell that truth even if it wounds. Especially if it wounds. Because a civilization that cannot speak plainly about its betrayals will not survive them. READ MORE: Russia Hoax Charges — The Coming Democrat Trials Tulsi Gabbard’s Russia Hoax Release Vindicates the Late George Neumayr President Donald Trump has once again confounded his many critics... Read More I could spend a lot of this column musing about... Read More “They are not going to have a nuclear weapon …... Read More Virginia’s redistricting referendum is not going as well as the... Read More Catholic priest and exorcist Chad Ripperger shared the top 10... Read More The crowd was considerable. Safe to say, the ballroom and... Read More

It is unlikely that a wayward F.B.I. field office is the full explanation for Attorney General Bondi’s fiasco of a document release, writes Elizabeth Vos. Pam Bondi during her first press conference as attorney general on Feb. 15. (United States Department of Justice /Wikimedia Commons, Public domain) By Elizabeth Vos Special to Consortium News U. S. Attorney General Pam Bondi went on a media offensive on Feb. 26, touting her office’s upcoming publication of the so-called “Epstein files” related to the case of the deceased child sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein, a financier who had elite contacts in business, politics and intelligence. Although Bondi hyped the initial release the night before it was published as containing a plethora of (implied to be new) names and flight logs to Epstein’s private Caribbean island where some of his contacts had illicit rendezvous with under-age girls, Bondi’s release proved a total flop. It consisted of previously published documents that were theatrically handed out to a handful of conservative influencers as if they would provide some new revelation. In a letter written on Feb. 27 to newly confirmed F.B.I. Director Kash Patel, Bondi claimed to have been hoodwinked by the F.B.I.’s New York Field Office, and threatened to fire those found responsible for withholding files. She wrote: “ Before you came into office, I requested the full and complete files related to Jeffrey Epstein. In response to this request, I received approximately 200 pages of documents, which consisted primarily of flight logs, Epstein’s list of contacts, and a list of victims’ names and phone numbers.” I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the F.B.I. that we had received the full set of documents. Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the F.B.I. Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein. Despite my repeated requests, the F.B.I. never disclosed the existence of these files…” A Truckload Last Monday came the resignation of James Dennehy, head of the F.B.I. Field Office in New York where Bondi claimed that thousands of Epstein documents had been withheld from her. Dennehy’s resignation letter didn’t specify whether his being forced out of the job was due to a coverup of the existence of Epstein files, as the timing would suggest. Bondi told Fox News ’ Sean Hannity on Monday that a “truckload” of thousands of Epstein-related documents had been delivered to her office on Feb. 28 from the Southern District of New York, where Epstein had been charged with sex trafficking minors in 2019, one month before his death. Bondi said that F.B.I. Director Patel had assembled a team to comb through the documents. “ Friday at 8[am] a truckload of evidence arrived. It’s now in possession of the F.B.I., Kash is going to get me – and himself really – a detailed report as to why all these documents and evidence had been withheld,” she told Hannity. Asked about redactions, Bondi said Epstein’s victims would be protected while vowing that “America has the right to know… everything is going to come out.” At Hannity’s prompting, however, Bondi said she might also redact for reasons of “national security,” without elaborating. Bondi also told Hannity that the release of both the JFK and MLK Jr. assassination files would be treated with the same transparency, repeating that Americans “have the right to know.” A Deep Purge Kash Patel, F.B.I. director, Feb. 25, 2025. (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain) Trump is in the process of purging people in the F.B.I. and Department of Justice who persecuted him during the Russiagate era. But those in the national security state are unlikely to give up without a fight. Does Trump really intend full transparency, or does he simply want to fire parts of the Deep State that sill opposes him? Are the Epstein, JFK and other cases vehicles to simply sack those who oppose Trump, or a genuine effort to reveal explosive secrets and root out corruption? Trump has supported parts of the Deep State that serve him, such as when the C.I.A. persecuted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The C.I.A. under Trump went so far as to consider assassinating and kidnapping the journalist. Burning Questions Because the first round of the Epstein publication failed to provide anything new it was roundly ridiculed. Bondi did not provide a clue what this truckload of documents will reveal, raising a number of questions. Why would the Epstein evidence need to be redacted for national security reasons? Why, since Bondi hadn’t mentioned that reason for redaction, did Hannity raise it? Was there some involvement of national security or intelligence officers in the sex trafficking ring of minors, authorized or otherwise, which would need to be protected from public view? The corporate media has highlighted Epstein’s wealth and celebrity acquaintances, while ignoring the origin of his meteoric rise – especially his links with intelligence agencies . ‘Belonged to Intelligence’ Epstein died in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in August of 2019, a mere one month after being arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. His partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of sex trafficking minors and was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prior to his 2019 arrest Epstein had received an unprecedented sweetheart plea deal in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution. The 2008 deal was so astoundingly lenient that Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. attorney in Miami who gave Epstein the plea bargain, was forced to defend himself on the issue while being confirmed as Trump’s Labor Secretary. Acosta said of the case: “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone.” Only One Conviction So far the only one to be charged and convicted in this sordid affair is Maxwell. though suspicion has fallen on several of his well-known associates. Investigative journalist Nick Bryant pointed out that we already know the names of many of the alleged perpetrators in Epstein’s abuses thanks to Bryant’s publication of Epstein’s “little black book.” It contains the many flight logs of Epstein’s infamous plane, the so-called ‘Loliita Express,’ alongside numerous court documents regarding Epstein and his alleged victims. Bryant said via YouTube: “ In a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Virginia Giuffre accused the following men of being among her perpetrators: Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, billionaire Glenn Dubin, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, scientist Marvin Minsky, modelling agent Jean Luc Brunel, Les Wexner, and also the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.” All of these men are still innocent in the eyes of the law. As long-public flight logs reveal, Trump himself is documented to have flown on Epstein’s plane at least seven times. To date, he has not been accused of illegal activity in relation to Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. Former President Bill Clinton also flew on the so-called Lolita Express at least 26 times, with his Secret Service detail absent for at least 5 flights. The ubiquitousness of Epstein associations amongst the U.S. plutocratic class is beyond remarkable. All of this seems to often go overlooked by the establishment media that wants to profit from the salaciousness of the story while avoiding embarrassing the plutocrats and intelligence agencies that allowed Epstein to become one of the richest and most influential men in the world. Trump’s Loyalty to Israel Trump at the White House on Feb. 4 announcing his plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking on. (The White House, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain) Trump’s overt Zionism is longstanding, both in terms of public statements and actions while president. He’s called himself the “best President ever for the people of Israel, and Jewish people.” Less than two months into his second term, Trump has already removed conditions on military aid to Israel leftover from the Biden administration, and committed $16 billion in arms to Israel, including $12 billion in weapon sales and $4 billion in direct military aid. In thanks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.” During Trump’s first term in office he made the controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump also recently shared an AI-created video portraying Gaza transformed into a gaudy Israeli resort town after his idea to ethnically cleanse 2 million people from the Strip. Trump’s top donor during his 2024 presidential race was zionist billionaire Miriam Adelson, who gave Trump’s campaign $100 million : a sum eclipsing even donations from Elon Musk. Adelson was carrying on the project of her late husband, Sheldon Adelson, who was known as a hawkish ally of Israel’s far-right. Adelson was also a figure in the first Trump administration’s prosecution of Assange. As T he Grayzone reported in 2020, Adelson’s company served a key role in coordinating the illegal surveillance of Assange by Spanish company UC Global at the behest of “American friends,” ie, U.S. intelligence: “ US intelligence appears to have worked through Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands, a company that had previously served as an alleged front for a CIA blackmail operation several years earlier. The operations formally began once Adelson’s hand-picked presidential candidate, Donald Trump, entered the White House in January 2017. … it was Adelson’s top bodyguard, an Israeli-American named Zohar Lahav, who personally recruited Morales [of UC Global], then managed the relationship between the Spanish security contractor and Sands on a routine basis.” As Trump rushes weapons to Israel while it resumes its siege on Gaza let’s recall how Trump openly admitted he’s bought and owned by Adelson cash. A few years earlier Roger Waters was internationally denounced as an antisemite simply for saying Trump was controlled by Adelson. https://t.co/iAID9Dfis1 — Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) March 2, 2025 Virtually every senior member of the Trump administration has also expressed unwavering support for Israel, including even the more anti-establishment picks, like the newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr . In fact, one could reasonably argue that express support of Israel is the common thread within the otherwise ideologically diverse cabinet. Vice President J.D. Vance is also a pro-Israel hardliner, as is his mentor and top Republican donor Peter Thiel, whose C.I.A.-linked Palantir has reportedly helped generate kill lists for Israel in Gaza. Bondi and Patel are ardent zionists. Bondi has referred to Israel as the U.S.’s “greatest ally,” and called for the F.B.I. to question pro-Palestinian campus protesters, as well as for protesters on student visas to be removed from the country. Meanwhile, Patel also refers to Israel as “our number one ally,” and has argued for “America to wake up and prioritize Israel.” Even the influencers hand-selected to disseminate the contents of the Epstein binders to the public, are supporters of Israel, one with direct ties to the Israel lobby. Plenty of conservative influencers have criticized Israel, and yet none of those individuals made the cut. Among the pro-Israel influencers is Emily Austin. She is a sports reporter, a Miss Universe judge, and a pro-Israel activist who has taken to Piers Morgan to defend Israel’s genocide in Gaza. She has also identified via social media as a “freelance” Anti-Defamation League speaker. The other influencers, including Mike Cernovich, are similarly pro-Israel. Epstein’s Israeli Intelligence Ties Maxwell and Epstein in 1993. (Ralph Alswang, White House photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain) Epstein’s intelligence links with Israel are numerous and have been well documented by journalists like Bryant, Whitney Webb, Vicky Ward, and others. As previously reported in Consortium News , former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe said that Epstein worked with Israeli military intelligence: “Military intelligence was who he was working with…He never worked with Mossad, and Robert Maxwell never did, either. It was military intelligence.” Ben-Menashe claimed Robert Maxwell was Epstein’s “tie over. Robert Maxwell was the conduit [in the Iran-Contra scandal]. The financial conduit.” In Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales , Ben-Menashe is quoted as saying he worked with Robert Maxwell, who introduced his daughter Ghislaine and Epstein to Israeli intelligence, after which they engaged in a blackmail operation for Israel. “ [Epstein] was taking photos of politicians f**king fourteen-year-old girls — if you want to get it straight. They [Epstein and Maxwell] would just blackmail people, they would just blackmail people like that,” Ben-Menashe says in the book. As Consortium News also reported, Ben-Menashe and Robert Maxwell were not Epstein’s only ties with figures in Israeli intelligence. Ward, a veteran journalist who long covered the Epstein case, reported that Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer, was another of Epstein’s clients. In addition to connections with Saudi intelligence, Kashoggi was reportedly paid by Israel’s Mossad, as detailed in the book By Way of Deception by former Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky. The Times of Israel reported in 2019 that Epstein was an “active business partner with former [Israeli] prime minister Ehud Barak” until 2015. Barak reportedly visited Epstein dozens of times and flew on his infamous Lolita Express. As detailed by investigative journalist Webb, Barak was “first introduced to Epstein by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who eulogized Robert Maxwell at his funeral.” Webb concludes , considering the question as to who Epstein was ultimately working for that: “ Ultimately, the picture painted by the evidence is not a direct tie to a single intelligence agency but a web linking key members of the Mega Group, politicians, and officials in both the U.S. and Israel, and an organized-crime network with deep business and intelligence ties in both nations.” Many of Epstein’s additional associations (such as those with Leslie Wexner, the Mega group, and so on) have been outlined in great detail by Webb in her book One Nation Under Blackmail. The Israel connection raises questions about what was behind the New York field office’s initial refusal to turn over all the documents and about what might be redacted when we finally get to see what the F.B.I. has. Elizabeth Vos is a freelance reporter, co-host of CN Live! and regular contributor to Consortium News . Views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.

Those pesky, good-for-nuthin tricksters at the Operation Mockingbird media masquerade ball sure seem to be talking a great deal about Jeffrey Epstein, going so far as to suggest that Donald Trump won't release the Epstein list files because he is now, suddenly, a drooling predator who is protecting his fellow pedos. The Pravda Press truth tiefs came out with these headlines on Wednesday: FACT-O-RAMA! Trump has been pushing for the release of all pertinent info regarding Epstein's friends for over a week now. BOGO FACT-O-RAMA! The idea that Trump is abnormally close to his DOJ is a joke, considering that Joe Biden directed his DOJ to stop chasing pedophiles to hunt down those middle-aged J6 "insurrectionists" who, armed with Trump flags and arrhythmias, tried to "topple the government." The same alleged news outlets didn't deem to have a problem with the Biden administration keeping the Epstein files hidden, but now it's suddenly an issue. What gives? I believe the Left's sudden interest in all things Epstein is a smoke screen to hide the true history-shattering news coming out almost daily, much of which could hobble the Democratic Party for decades. Here are a few of the stories that the deep state swamp wigglers don't want you to know: Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard is declassifying things that will be more damaging to deep state prags than a night of Coldplay with your sidepiece. Amongst the tasty nuggets being declassified are documents suggesting that then-president Barack Obama found out on Dec. 9, 2016, that Russia lacked the interest and the technology to swing the 2016 election for Trump, and Obama allegedly directed the then-Mao-loving CIA leader, John Brennan, to go create evidence proving Russia's leader Vlad Putin and Trump were involved in a bromance designed to push Trump over the finish line on Election Day. Even worse, the Russians likely wanted Hillary to win, and the reason won't surprise you. PJ Media's own Matt Margolis covered this blockbuster story that the Democrats hope you won't see. It seems as though Putin didn't care who won but preferred to see Hillary Clinton win because Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) somehow "located" a Democratic National Committee (DNC) document stating , "Clinton was suffering from ‘intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.'" Not to mention that the Hildabeast “was placed on a daily regimen of ‘heavy tranquilizers’ and while afraid of losing, she remained ‘obsessed with a thirst for power.'" Who would Putin have an easier time manipulating, Trump or a psycho-chick with something to prove? ‘If That F**kin B*stard Wins, We’re All Going To Hang From Nooses’ ~Hillary Clinton. pic.twitter.com/LfEdtx2akY Trump's economy is exploding. The DOW rocketed 2,635.81 (6.23%)  thus far in July. Those dreaded tariffs that we were told would reduce us to a nation of bottle-returning paupers have brought in so much cabbage that we actually saw a monthly surplus of cash — $26 billion to be exact —  for the first time in decades. The price of eggs has plummeted from $8.17 in March to $3.25 today . The average price of a gallon of gas over Independence Weekend was the lowest it's been in four years. Who was president for those four years? Awww, you know! Trump has just announced that Japan has agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States . Trump announced the historic investment on Truth Social. We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made. Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits. This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it. The commies that make up today's Democratic Party don't want you to know about this either: <span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span> INCONVENIENT TRUTH-O-RAMA! A disturbing video shows one of Biden's darling illegal immigrant animals snatching the Chinese woman who escaped his mobile home after he repeatedly raped and beat her for five days and denied her both food and water. DID YOU KNOW: A recent I&I/TIPP poll shows that 45% of people polled believe the Democratic Party has become "too radical in its views and policies." A mere 36% disagreed, and 18% were not sure. This poll may be a harbinger of something I've been saying for years; the Democratic Party's insane policies might hobble the Party for years. For those of us tinfoil hat conspiracy wackjobs haruspexes, Tucker Carlson recently interviewed former Pennsylvania Rep. Curt Weldon about 9/11. Weldon spent a feisty 90 minutes detailing to Tucker about how the CIA was eyebrow-deep in the 9/11 attacks on the United States. He claims he knows where the bodies are buried and that he has the receipts to back him up. He also claims the CIA helped Osama Bin Laden find safe refuge in Iran after the attacks. Pop that popcorn, this is getting good . BREAKING NEWS-O-RAMA! As I am writing this, Tulsi Gabbard has just referred Barack Obama to the DOJ for criminal investigation! We can likely expect a bumper crop of Epstein headlines and copious use of the word "racist" for everyone who dares investigate the Bamster for being the reptile globalist slimer we suspected him to be. HOLY SHLIT DNI Tulsi Gabbard says she referred Barack Obama to the FBI and DOJ for prosecution pic.twitter.com/libQcf0iVo Wow, it sucks to be a liberal this year. Let's keep this yuck-fest going! The blue-haired they/thems hate to be mocked, so let's mock them! Check out the latest video from our patriotic friends at Jokes and a Point. These true Americans are hilarious, and leftists suck, so let's have fun! Do you want to keep reading the stories that the left is desperate to hide? Join the legions of PJ Media VIP warriors and keep free speech free! Click HERE and you will become a front-line fighter in the war against the reptiles! Also, I bet my editor will throw you a discount. Let's check! "Darling editors, I have a bunch of patriots looking to get into the fight of our generation. Can we throw them a deal?" "Heck yeah! Let's give new VIPs 60% off with the promo code FIGHT." Thank you, editors! Join NOW and FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT the demons looking to enslave we the people! Kevin Downey Jr. is a comedian, columnist, and radio show host. When he isn't writing or performing, he is collecting surf records and practicing his mixologist skills at his tiki bar. His apartment—the Atomic Bunker—looks like it was furnished from George Jetson's garage sale. You can listen to KDJ clown-slap the commies every Monday-Friday, 9:00-11:00 am EST on the New World Order's Public Enemy #1 radio program, "The Kevin Downey, Jr. Show." Click here: www.LINEWSRADIO.com

See more of our coverage in your search results. WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General William Barr told Congress that late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s long-rumored links to intelligence agencies could be explained by the fact that the CIA has a special division that “talks to people who are well-connected.” “Many American businessmen who have foreign contacts sometimes will talk to intelligence agencies and provide information to them. And the CIA has a unit that goes around and talks to people who are well-connected and asks them questions,” Barr told the House Oversight Committee in an August deposition. “So my supposition, when I saw things about him being connected to U.S. intelligence, maybe, like many other businessmen, he talks to them, but this is not, in my opinion, based on what I saw, I didn’t think it was an intelligence operation, and I never received any information that led me to believe that.” The former attorney general said that he doesn’t believe that the pedophile was formally “working for” the agency, according to a transcript made public Tuesday. The CIA did not immediately offer comment for this story. Barr started his career working for six years at the CIA in the 1970s and served two stints as attorney general, first from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, a former CIA director, and then under President Trump in 2019 and 2020. The former attorney general, who broke with Trump after the 2020 election, said he only had two unremarkable conversations about Epstein with the president during his first term. Barr attempted to swat down conspiracy theories during his deposition, including about his own family, saying that the connection between his father, former Dalton School headmaster Donald Barr , and former Dalton schoolteacher Epstein was “not pertinent at all.” Epstein was indicted on federal charges for sex trafficking minors in July 2019 when Barr led the Justice Department. He died one month later in what authorities say was a prison suicide . Barr testified that he is convinced Epstein was not murdered and cited the fact that he had one prior suicide attempt in custody. He said that he was unaware of a missing minute of security camera footage near the cell, which current Attorney General Pam Bondi has blamed on antiquated technology. Epstein’s possible connection to spy agencies roared back into public focus with Bondi’s July memo saying that Epstein “harmed over one thousand” girls and young women — but that there was no evidence to charge anyone besides accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence . That memo controversially said that “no further disclosure” about the case “would be appropriate or warranted” — sparking the House Oversight Committee inquest for more documentation on Epstein’s associations. Both Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have said they are unaware of whether Epstein worked with an intelligence agency, but neither ruled it out when questioned by reporters. Former Miami US Attorney Alex Acosta allegedly explained a lenient 2008 plea deal for Epstein by saying, “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone,” prompting years of speculation about whether Epstein helped US or foreign spy agencies gain leverage on powerful men. There’s also significant speculation about Epstein’s links to Israel’s Mossad due to the fact that Maxwell’s father, Robert, was a reputed asset of the Israeli spy agency. Epstein was also a close associate of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak with at least 36 documented meetings between 2013 and 2017.

• • • Homeland Security admits ICE agent lied. Token sacrifice coming up. Dropped Case Homeland security charged an innocent man with assault. The prosecutor requested dismissal with prejudice, meaning it cannot bring the charges up again. Homeland Security admits two ICE agents lied. They are now in serious trouble. It’s your token sacrifice to show improvement. ‼️‼️ BREAKING: TRUMP DOJ MOVES TO DISMISS CHARGES IN MINNESOTA “SHOVEL ATTACK” THAT LED ICE TO SHOOT MAN. Turns out, ICE made it up. Here’s the dismissal and how @FoxNews originally reported the story. pic.twitter.com/afSnbCoDy0 — Maine (@TheMaineWonk) February 13, 2026 Rand Paul Hammers Homeland Security in Congressional Testimony Noem Fires Helicopter Pilot for Forgetting Her Blanket What a clown show. They fired the pilot over a damn blanket… then rehired them because no one else could actually fly the plane. That’s not leadership. That’s middle-school group project energy with federal badges. Incompetent doesn’t even cover it. This is government by… https://t.co/l250okLjxA — P a u l ◉ (@SkylineReport) February 13, 2026 But the DOW, the DOW OMG the level of sociopathy from this Administration is mind-blowing. Who CARES about elite child molesters?? The top 10% who own over 90% of stocks are killing it (and coincidentally tend to be the same people in the Epstein files molesting kids.) https://t.co/vxVEtsvVHJ — Rudy Havenstein, Senior Markets Commentator. (@RudyHavenstein) February 11, 2026 Credible Reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. We have received numerous credible reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. We are demanding an independent investigation and public hearings by the House Committee… pic.twitter.com/7PLn3GOz0I — Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos (@Ramos4Texas) February 10, 2026 Correct Thought of the Day Illegal immigrants don’t risk getting caught and deported just to cast a single vote. And whose name do they vote under? If you think they are voting you’re a fucking idiot. — Tim Hannan (@TimHannan) February 12, 2026 Hello Goldman Sachs NEWS: Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler has RESIGNED after newly released emails exposed a years-long personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — including advising him on handling sex crime accusations, media scrutiny, and accusers. pic.twitter.com/vYIjSILdpS — MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) February 13, 2026 Damning Quote of the Day BREAKING: Congressman @RepRaskin just torched @PamBondi for illegally covering up the Epstein files to protect the perpetrators while exposing the victims. It’s time to impeach Pam Bondi! pic.twitter.com/BX1hJHWwkA — Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 11, 2026 “Even with over 100,000 employees you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference, and jaded cruelty.” That comment was for redacting names of the guilty but failing to redact names of many victims. Purposeful Delays The DOJ is giving Members of Congress just four computers in a satellite office to read the unredacted Epstein File of more than 3 million documents. Working 40 hours a week on nothing else but this, it would take more than seven years for the 217 Members who signed the House… pic.twitter.com/kL59lbOEWJ — Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) February 9, 2026 Steven Pinker, Alan Dershowitz, Larry Summers I disagree Ben. Harvard should put an * by their name permanently preserving their ties to Epstein forever. Stripping titles is hardly sufficient. — Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) February 13, 2026 Billions for a Pardon, the New High Price Question: When Binance founder Zhao pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws and was sent to prison, Binance injected billions into Trump’s family business and Zhao received a pardon. Is that a conflict of interest? Bessent: I’m unfamiliar with any of that. pic.twitter.com/PvvBehCXM9 — unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 9, 2026 Hello Silicon Valley NYT story on Epstein & Silicon Valley has paragraphs on Elon, Peter Thiel and even photo of JCal who is a total NPC. But Reid Hoffman barely gets mentioned despite having the deepest Epstein relationship and having lied about it. This is the protection that hundreds of millions… https://t.co/RSHT5JnKcZ — David Sacks (@DavidSacks) February 7, 2026 More Lutnick Lies Howard Lutnick made up an entire ridiculous story on Fox News about being repelled by Epstein. Something about a dinner and massage table. And yet, he had a business and an operating agreement with Epstein the entire time. https://t.co/MxoPkHcuEQ — John Jackson (@hissgoescobra) February 7, 2026 Perhaps the Stupidest Lie That moment when Kash Patel,the director of the FBI, said: “I’ve never heard of Stew Peters” Meanwhile Kash Patel made eight on-air appearances on Stew Peters’ podcast. pic.twitter.com/lv4glGwh5S — conspiracybot (@conspiracyb0t) February 13, 2026 That moment when Kash Patel,the director of the FBI, said: “I’ve never heard of Stew Peters” Meanwhile Kash Patel made eight on-air appearances on Stew Peters’ podcast. Did You Learn This in Law School? 👁️👁️ pic.twitter.com/NFOnqmFy5I — 💙 Dr. MemeNstein votes 💙 BLUE 🇺🇸🦅 (@Coste1Costello) February 12, 2026 A Bit About Trump Recently released Epstein files reveal Trump bragged about “banging” his former 28 year old assistant, Madeleine Westerhout. He would skip going to Mar-a-Lago with Melania for holidays to stay back at the White House to have sex with Westerhout. That is an impeachable offense. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eUSUWqu2vi — Annie (@AnnieForTruth) February 11, 2026 Retaliation for Observing Two women, in their own driveway, had assault rifles pointed at them. ICE agents broke their car window with a rifle stock and dragged them out. No warrant. No crime. Just retaliation for observing. pic.twitter.com/tkoXHZ85gm — missmellie 🌊 (@IMmissmellie) February 8, 2026 MAGA pic.twitter.com/OkxRLfEg22 — ADAM (@AdameMedia) February 7, 2026 Trump 0-43 BREAKING: Josh Shapiro DEFIANTLY rejects Trump’s threat to take over elections in Pennsylvania. Shapiro reminds Trump that he was defeated in court FORTY-THREE times when he tried to overturn the 2020 election and won’t succeed if he tries again. pic.twitter.com/ka9HGYyUZ0 — Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) (@MAGALieTracker) February 8, 2026 Select Your Spiritual Advisor Carefully Donald Trump’s “spiritual leader,” Robert Morris, gets a mere six months for raping a 12-year-old girl. The punishment for destroying a girl’s life is less than some drug charges. pic.twitter.com/6QadCyqGzg — Ounka (@OunkaOnX) February 7, 2026 Don’t Forget Your Turn Signal ICE set to deport U.S. Army Veteran “at any moment”—detained 5 months for failure to use turn signal. “I shed my blood for this country,” he said on the phone. “You’re not from this country, but you serve. You’re willing to die for this country. That should matter,” his wife… pic.twitter.com/vP2SmZaThF — LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 (@LongTimeHistory) February 5, 2026 ICE set to deport U.S. Army Veteran “at any moment”—detained 5 months for failure to use turn signal. “I shed my blood for this country,” he said on the phone. “You’re not from this country, but you serve. You’re willing to die for this country. That should matter,” his wife Hard to Keep the Lies Straight Last week, Todd Blanche said Tulsi Gabbard just “happened to be in Atlanta.” This week, Tulsi told Congress that Trump sent her. Today, Trump says it was AG Bondi who sent her. They can’t keep their lies straight. pic.twitter.com/YxLifszKz5 — Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 5, 2026 Unredacted on Purpose? BREAKING: Multiple Epstein victims tell NBC News that Pam Bondi intentionally un-redacted their names and other victims’ names as a way to threaten them into silence! “I think we all realize now that [the DOJ] really wanted to silence us, and [they] thought that [they] could… pic.twitter.com/c6zeiFFAvG — Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 12, 2026 Comment of the Day Sean Doolittle nails it. Tell Congress to defund ICE here: https://t.co/cyoOlUYM8x #ResistTrump pic.twitter.com/TwZydx6NM8 — Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) February 3, 2026 Just Imagine if You Had to Follow the Constitution Mike Johnson speaks out against the use of judicial warrants in immigration cases: “Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant” pic.twitter.com/NNct8ffWbv — FactPost (@factpostnews) February 3, 2026 A Change In Tone? I will concede there is a legitimate change in tone if and when Trump announces 1) No illegal searches 2) No racist profiling 3) Prosecution of ICE Murders 4) A change in plan to only look for those with criminal records 5) Three months from now points 1, 2,and 4 are still working Top Administration Priorities The three top administration priorities are protection of pedophiles, deportations at all costs, and an illegal crackdown on anyone who disagree with Trump (on anything). Support for Trump has cratered. It’s no wonder. The public did not vote for the Gestapo, although racists and economic illiterates did. Related Posts February 8, 2026: Nine Creeps Who Remained Friends with Epstein After His Conviction Noam Chomsky, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon commiserated with Epstein about his legal troubles and bad press. ‘Ignore It.’ February 12, 2026: Senator Thune Calls for Full Release of Epstein Files, Bondi Humiliates Herself Bondi had a very bad day in Congressional testimony on Epstein. February 12, 2026: Operation Metro Surge Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota Ends, Why? Color me skeptical of the reasons given. Not What People Voted For Let’s start with the obvious lie. People did not vote for Gestapo goons to wreak havoc. Polls undoubtedly show that. Dropped Case Homeland security charged an innocent man with assault. The prosecutor requested dismissal with prejudice, meaning it cannot bring the charges up again. Homeland Security admits two ICE agents lied. They are now in serious trouble. It’s your token sacrifice to show improvement. ‼️‼️ BREAKING: TRUMP DOJ MOVES TO DISMISS CHARGES IN MINNESOTA “SHOVEL ATTACK” THAT LED ICE TO SHOOT MAN. Turns out, ICE made it up. Here’s the dismissal and how @FoxNews originally reported the story. pic.twitter.com/afSnbCoDy0 Rand Paul Hammers Homeland Security in Congressional Testimony Noem Fires Helicopter Pilot for Forgetting Her Blanket What a clown show. They fired the pilot over a damn blanket… then rehired them because no one else could actually fly the plane. That’s not leadership. That’s middle-school group project energy with federal badges. Incompetent doesn’t even cover it. This is government by… https://t.co/l250okLjxA But the DOW, the DOW OMG the level of sociopathy from this Administration is mind-blowing. Who CARES about elite child molesters?? The top 10% who own over 90% of stocks are killing it (and coincidentally tend to be the same people in the Epstein files molesting kids.) https://t.co/vxVEtsvVHJ Credible Reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. We have received numerous credible reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. We are demanding an independent investigation and public hearings by the House Committee… pic.twitter.com/7PLn3GOz0I Correct Thought of the Day Illegal immigrants don’t risk getting caught and deported just to cast a single vote. And whose name do they vote under? If you think they are voting you’re a fucking idiot. Hello Goldman Sachs NEWS: Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler has RESIGNED after newly released emails exposed a years-long personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — including advising him on handling sex crime accusations, media scrutiny, and accusers. pic.twitter.com/vYIjSILdpS Damning Quote of the Day BREAKING: Congressman @RepRaskin just torched @PamBondi for illegally covering up the Epstein files to protect the perpetrators while exposing the victims. It’s time to impeach Pam Bondi! pic.twitter.com/BX1hJHWwkA “Even with over 100,000 employees you acted with some mixture of staggering incompetence, cold indifference, and jaded cruelty.” That comment was for redacting names of the guilty but failing to redact names of many victims. Purposeful Delays The DOJ is giving Members of Congress just four computers in a satellite office to read the unredacted Epstein File of more than 3 million documents. Working 40 hours a week on nothing else but this, it would take more than seven years for the 217 Members who signed the House… pic.twitter.com/kL59lbOEWJ Steven Pinker, Alan Dershowitz, Larry Summers I disagree Ben. Harvard should put an * by their name permanently preserving their ties to Epstein forever. Stripping titles is hardly sufficient. Billions for a Pardon, the New High Price Question: When Binance founder Zhao pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws and was sent to prison, Binance injected billions into Trump’s family business and Zhao received a pardon. Is that a conflict of interest? Bessent: I’m unfamiliar with any of that. pic.twitter.com/PvvBehCXM9 Hello Silicon Valley NYT story on Epstein & Silicon Valley has paragraphs on Elon, Peter Thiel and even photo of JCal who is a total NPC. But Reid Hoffman barely gets mentioned despite having the deepest Epstein relationship and having lied about it. This is the protection that hundreds of millions… https://t.co/RSHT5JnKcZ More Lutnick Lies Howard Lutnick made up an entire ridiculous story on Fox News about being repelled by Epstein. Something about a dinner and massage table. And yet, he had a business and an operating agreement with Epstein the entire time. https://t.co/MxoPkHcuEQ Perhaps the Stupidest Lie That moment when Kash Patel,the director of the FBI, said: “I’ve never heard of Stew Peters” Meanwhile Kash Patel made eight on-air appearances on Stew Peters’ podcast. pic.twitter.com/lv4glGwh5S That moment when Kash Patel,the director of the FBI, said: “I’ve never heard of Stew Peters” Meanwhile Kash Patel made eight on-air appearances on Stew Peters’ podcast. Did You Learn This in Law School? 👁️👁️ pic.twitter.com/NFOnqmFy5I A Bit About Trump Recently released Epstein files reveal Trump bragged about “banging” his former 28 year old assistant, Madeleine Westerhout. He would skip going to Mar-a-Lago with Melania for holidays to stay back at the White House to have sex with Westerhout. That is an impeachable offense. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eUSUWqu2vi Retaliation for Observing Two women, in their own driveway, had assault rifles pointed at them. ICE agents broke their car window with a rifle stock and dragged them out. No warrant. No crime. Just retaliation for observing. pic.twitter.com/tkoXHZ85gm MAGA pic.twitter.com/OkxRLfEg22 Trump 0-43 BREAKING: Josh Shapiro DEFIANTLY rejects Trump’s threat to take over elections in Pennsylvania. Shapiro reminds Trump that he was defeated in court FORTY-THREE times when he tried to overturn the 2020 election and won’t succeed if he tries again. pic.twitter.com/ka9HGYyUZ0 Select Your Spiritual Advisor Carefully Donald Trump’s “spiritual leader,” Robert Morris, gets a mere six months for raping a 12-year-old girl. The punishment for destroying a girl’s life is less than some drug charges. pic.twitter.com/6QadCyqGzg Don’t Forget Your Turn Signal ICE set to deport U.S. Army Veteran “at any moment”—detained 5 months for failure to use turn signal. “I shed my blood for this country,” he said on the phone. “You’re not from this country, but you serve. You’re willing to die for this country. That should matter,” his wife… pic.twitter.com/vP2SmZaThF ICE set to deport U.S. Army Veteran “at any moment”—detained 5 months for failure to use turn signal. “I shed my blood for this country,” he said on the phone. “You’re not from this country, but you serve. You’re willing to die for this country. That should matter,” his wife Hard to Keep the Lies Straight Last week, Todd Blanche said Tulsi Gabbard just “happened to be in Atlanta.” This week, Tulsi told Congress that Trump sent her. Today, Trump says it was AG Bondi who sent her. They can’t keep their lies straight. pic.twitter.com/YxLifszKz5 Unredacted on Purpose? BREAKING: Multiple Epstein victims tell NBC News that Pam Bondi intentionally un-redacted their names and other victims’ names as a way to threaten them into silence! “I think we all realize now that [the DOJ] really wanted to silence us, and [they] thought that [they] could… pic.twitter.com/c6zeiFFAvG Comment of the Day Sean Doolittle nails it. Tell Congress to defund ICE here: https://t.co/cyoOlUYM8x #ResistTrump pic.twitter.com/TwZydx6NM8 Just Imagine if You Had to Follow the Constitution Mike Johnson speaks out against the use of judicial warrants in immigration cases: “Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant” pic.twitter.com/NNct8ffWbv A Change In Tone? I will concede there is a legitimate change in tone if and when Trump announces 1) No illegal searches 2) No racist profiling 3) Prosecution of ICE Murders 4) A change in plan to only look for those with criminal records 5) Three months from now points 1, 2,and 4 are still working Top Administration Priorities The three top administration priorities are protection of pedophiles, deportations at all costs, and an illegal crackdown on anyone who disagree with Trump (on anything). Support for Trump has cratered. It’s no wonder. The public did not vote for the Gestapo, although racists and economic illiterates did. Related Posts February 8, 2026: Nine Creeps Who Remained Friends with Epstein After His Conviction Noam Chomsky, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon commiserated with Epstein about his legal troubles and bad press. ‘Ignore It.’ February 12, 2026: Senator Thune Calls for Full Release of Epstein Files, Bondi Humiliates Herself Bondi had a very bad day in Congressional testimony on Epstein. February 12, 2026: Operation Metro Surge Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota Ends, Why? Color me skeptical of the reasons given. Not What People Voted For Let’s start with the obvious lie. People did not vote for Gestapo goons to wreak havoc. Polls undoubtedly show that. Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts. Subscribers get an email alert of each post as they happen. Read the ones you like and you can unsubscribe at any time. This post originated on MishTalk.Com Thanks for Tuning In! Mish Mike Shedlock Some stuff here I didn’t know. Good. “… to look only for those with criminal records” The only thing the US government wants is a certified translation (which the translator himself certifies and has any notary verify the signature), and they never inspect the source document. That’s what they asked from me and everyone else. That’s part of my work as a translator too. The DHS never contacts foreign governments to check for authenticity. Plus, foreign records are issued with different standards. You can get caught DUI in most European countries (let alone African countries) and they’ll let you go with a fine or a misdemeanor offense which was never finalized by slow-moving courts, and never recorded in your criminal record (Greek and Italian criminal record summaries, which the DHS wants, only contain final court judgments of felonies). That is of course assuming that the immigrant carries his real identity papers, if at all. The DHS never checks with foreign governments if the papers are real. And then, if we assume everything is fine, now that AI and other automations have eradicated entry-level jobs, what are you going to do with all those people? Having them compete with minimum salary workers? Having them take minimum salary jobs which used to be an income cushion for knowledge workers who lost their jobs? The Trump authoritarian apologists are out in large numbers today. I think Mish struck a nerve and MAGA folks no longer like what they see when they look in the mirror. Oh, really Mish? “4. A change in plan to look only for those with criminal records.” For kicks, why don’t you try to defend something as stupid as that position? Faults I can see: Usually my criticism of your site, which I’ve been reading with respect for years, is that too many of the people offering comments are noisy asses. On this issue I think you’re worthy of your readers. Brilliant At the end many people will think that Obama, FBI and CIA did the right thing when tying Trump’s hands behind his back in his first term using fake Russiagate story so that he couldn’t do much damage. Trump II has some good ideas but the way he works and treats public is beyond all red lines and that will backfire one day. Epstein’s death … my guess … … Three people went up the stair case to strangle and murder Epstein … two went up the stair case at the same time and one, holding the excessive orange linen and the two unused orange nooses found in the cell, was on the outside of the stair case creating the orange blur seen on the one working camera at 1039 PM. Two of the three overpowered Epstein holding him face down and holding down both of his wrists with resulting contusions to both wrists and an abrasion to one forearm, while one put a knee into his shoulder causing a shoulder deep muscle hemorrhage and forcefully garroted him with a rope/cord across the midneck with a postmortum deep groove in that anterior midneck area and contusion on the back of his neck (rather than ligature grooves in the neck immediately under the mandible as is seen in suicidal hanging)and causing petechial hemorrhages of the faces, lids, and conjunctiva, and bilateral fractures of the thyroid bone and unilateral fracture of the hyoid bone as seen in homicidal strangulations … After the murder, the three turned the body to its back to confirm the kill. The three then left the cell, taking the garrote device(no blood or tissue was found on the unused nooses or the copious orange cloth material in the cell), and stayed close to the inner wall of the stairwell out of the single camera’s view and/or during the missing camera footage. The guards’ story is that they were asleep … The post-mortum lividity was on the posterior surfaces of the body, the dependent portion of the body as the murders left the body face-up … (rather than the lower legs as it should have been if Epstein was actually found hanging from the bed … ) No specific details were provided in the autopsy on the stomach contents which could have provided an approximation of actual time of death … SIMPLE WHAT HAPPENED. Trump ordered Barr to have him killed. pederast orders a pederast to kill a pederast who had the goods on trump…….. btw, i have a friend who was in the same lockup as Epstein for 5 of the ten years he “served” in prison. i love the term served, like they are waitresses…….. it’s the worst shithole for the dudes they want to punish. el chapo and mujahadeen…….. only guantanamo is worse. my buddy was not violent. just an extremely wealthy smuggler who owned a bank in cyprus…….he did it the old fashioned way. using actual teams of mules to walk over the southern border onto his ranch in AZ with thousands of pounds of weed for decades. his ranch he bought was literally on the border. he’s been out for a long time and doing weed in the legal business. a great guy, as is his lawyer………we go to dinner a few times per year……….. Epstein Files say too much. Imagine how much Jeffrey Epstein would have sung Collapse is here now and navigating or surviving it will be difficuly This administration is starting to go sideways and its unwinding over the next couple of years is going to be very disorderly and dangerous. the vast majority are not prepared and a full fair mindedness requires me to admit neither am I. Take care. The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors’ Toolkit by Dmitry Orlov is a 2013 book that outlines a framework for understanding societal collapse, proposing five stages: financial, commercial, political, social, and cultural. Orlov argues that by understanding these stages and taking appropriate actions, individuals and communities can navigate the breakdown of systems, avoid the worst outcomes, and build resilient post-collapse societies, drawing on examples from post-Soviet Russia and other resilient communities. Key Concepts Thanks for the recommendation, it sounds good. I will have to check it out. the experience i have had with viewing 2 collapses in my lifetime, checks out. Here’s one that just broke….fascists just can’t help themselves. “President Donald Trump said Friday there will be voter ID requirements for the midterm elections “whether approved by Congress or not,” vowing to issue an executive order if legislation fails.” https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-issue-executive-order-voter-id-legislation-fails/story ? id=130157607 States run elections not the Federal government and certainly not dictator Trump. HA HA HA. love to see it. one more nail in the coffin of this crumbling evil empire. last one who gives a damn about anything coming out of DC, turn out the lights. That won’t stop the majority of MAGAts from supporting Trump in his campaign for non-democratic elections. Apparently no one taught Patel the lie qualifier “As I recall” or something similar. Congress is a cesspool filled with leakers so 4 computer terminal sufficient for unredacted files going to be accidentally leaked. Madeleine Westerhout aka “My Beauty”. 2 women driveway recorded by neighbors video clip out of context as it appeared two people arrested and escorted away into custody perhaps for deliberately choosing to fail to provide ID or before returning home from harassing ICE agents elsewhere. Video lacks context. It does not show ICE agents going house to house just a specific house. The couple recording avows it was only for honking horn. Time and again drumming up public outrage more information over time not a snapshot show vehicles & or occupants have been harassing & impeding ICE agents for hours. Godfrey Wade is not an immigrant. He had over half a century to acquire citizenship and chose not to. No mention refused citizenship. Flew under the radar until swept up during driving violation. Ga uses real ID so no drivers license or outstanding warrant? Here’s a piece for your next social compendium Mish! [lol] Even if you are someone who feels that you are fully within your legal rights, once the government drags you into the legal system, effectively requiring you to spend money hiring a lawyer, wastes many hours of your time, possibly causing you to get fired from work (whether you are innocent or not), maybe initiates a divorce, etc., etc., the cost you incur may be a lot higher than you originally anticipated. Point being, anyone considering actions such as doxxing ICE agents or actively impeding their activities while believing that they are safely hidden behind physical masks or internet anonymity, might want to reconsider. Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said. The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said. By Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac By Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac Feb. 13, 2026 Feb. 13, 2026 The Department of Homeland Security is expanding its efforts to identify Americans who oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement by sending tech companies legal requests for the names, email addresses, telephone numbers and other identifying data behind social media accounts that track or criticize the agency. The Department of Homeland Security is expanding its efforts to identify Americans who oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement by sending tech companies legal requests for the names, email addresses, telephone numbers and other identifying data behind social media accounts that track or criticize the agency. In recent months, Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have received hundreds of administrative subpoenas from the Department of Homeland Security, according to four government officials and tech employees privy to the requests. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. In recent months, Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have received hundreds of administrative subpoenas from the Department of Homeland Security, according to four government officials and tech employees privy to the requests. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Google, Meta and Reddit complied with some of the requests, the government officials said. In the subpoenas, the department asked the companies for identifying details of accounts that do not have a real person’s name attached and that have criticized ICE or pointed to the locations of ICE agents. The New York Times saw two subpoenas that were sent to Meta over the last six months. Google, Meta and Reddit complied with some of the requests, the government officials said. In the subpoenas, the department asked the companies for identifying details of accounts that do not have a real person’s name attached and that have criticized ICE or pointed to the locations of ICE agents. The New York Times saw two subpoenas that were sent to Meta over the last six months. The tech companies, which can choose whether or not to provide the information, have said they review government requests before complying. Some of the companies notified the people whom the government had requested data on and gave them 10 to 14 days to fight the subpoena in court. The tech companies, which can choose whether or not to provide the information, have said they review government requests before complying. Some of the companies notified the people whom the government had requested data on and gave them 10 to 14 days to fight the subpoena in court. … … https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/technology/dhs-anti-ice-social-media.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/technology/dhs-anti-ice-social-media.html “social media accounts that track or criticize the agency” So much for free speech. This is just the beginning of the crackdown on dissent. ‘They’ sense pitchforks will be coming out soon and they are working to thwart any challenges to their corrupt hold on power. A story as old as time, or at least back to when Lincoln imprisoned newspaper publishers. Oh yeah, totally the same thing going on here, totally relevant /s I think what you are saying is, “THE PROCESS IS THE PUNISHMENT.” I would agree. Been through that process myself. And unlike most Americans, I had the funds to hire a lawyer to defend myself. In the end it nominally “only” cost me $4300 (which was a significant chunk of change to me at the time). The bigger cost was to my and my family’s peace. When someone sues you, especially for bogus reasons, they are stealing your peace. Thanks for a meaningful reply. The media does not cover the back end of what happens when someone has to deal with the legal system (and then possibly jail), even if proven innocent. Were there more publication of the gory details of what people go through in the whole process, I submit that this might be more of a deterrent for people doing crimes or even just pushing the envelope, thinking nothing much will happen. Hopefully we can now start planning our impeachment parties to coincide with Thanksgiving. Going to be a wild one Elon. Hilarious cartoon of Bondi scolding the Epstein victims for not appreciating Trump for the record stock market. The best excuse MAGA came up with to defend Bondi is that the ‘Democrats didn’t go after Epstein abusers when Biden was in office’. So that makes Bondi’s inaction perfectly excusable. Problem solved. The MAGA snowflakes will do anything to remain in their safe spaces and avoid the discomfort of cognitive dissonance. As a follower of current events I have noticed an overload of news lately that goes in all different directions as if to bewilder and overwhelm the senses. If you’re noticing the same, it’s not your imagination. Yet the biggest news story lurking on the horizon is war with Iran. That’s when all this whirlwind of news is going to evaporate and everyone’s focus is going to be on the reality of war. It’s the perfect distraction for everything going on right now. I don’t think Anything will happen in Iran. They just wanted to scare them into behaving, and it worked, it appears. Iran doesn’t want to get demolished, and we don’t want to upend the Peace wins we have received in that region of late. All stays status quo, as it stands today imo. Yeah and when something DOES happen first you will be confused and then you will start parroting whatever bullshit you hear on Fox news. You’re like a robot in your predictability. What could possibly be gained by War with Iran? It’s not necessary, war is a Net Negative Always so nothing would be achieved, but pissing off a whole lot of Families, who would be the losers along the way. Let’s not forget all the effort to squelch that idea, unless absolutely necessary, which this is not, Cuba is not, Greenland is not, which is also why we are not involved in wars in those places either. We have been actively pursuing Peace wherever and whenever possible. Not that it’s working all the time, like Ukraine for example, but we are trying nonetheless… “What could possibly be gained by War with Iran?” Trump would be able to pay back his debt to Israeli donors, starting with the $100 million Miriam Adelson contributed to his campaign.Trump would be able to deflect news stories about the Epstein files.Trump would be able to deflect news stories about ICE murders, abuse, torture, lying under oath, etc.Trump would be able to pay back his debt to the military industrial complex, and maybe prevent them from coming after him.Trump would be able to rid the world of more brown people, like the bombs he sent to Gaza have done.Trump would be able to show the world how tough he is, and remind them that he is really powerful and the world should bow down before him.Trump would continue his case for the Nobel Peace Prize; he would claim the Iranians were preparing to kill billions of people with WMD, and that he saved the world. The better question is: why wouldn’t Trump want to go to war with Iran? “We have been actively pursuing Peace wherever and whenever possible” You should do a standup comedy routine! Yes, Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. TDS morons disagree, using as a convenient excuse the hundreds of Trump bombings in the last year of Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, Syria, Iraq, as well as international waters, and the hundreds of bombs Trump delivered to Ukraine and Israel which were also used to kill thousands of people. Donald Trump, Prince of Peace I heard Iran has oil. Have you checked our list of nations we have had wars with against the list of top ten proven oil reserve nations? Question: When Binance founder Zhao pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws and was sent to prison, Binance injected billions into Trump’s family business and Zhao received a pardon. Is that a conflict of interest? It’s what is now known as a “deal”. The “Art of the Deal”. Fart of the meal is more accurate Geraldo Lunas Campos Has been convicted of: -Criminal possession of a weapon on June 8, 1998. -Petit larceny on May 5, 1999. -Unlawful possession of a weapon during a robbery on March 22, 2002. -Sexual contact with a child under 11 on Jan. 17, 2003. -Petit larceny on Oct. 14, 2005. -Petit larceny on May 25, 2006. -Reckless driving on June 8, 2006. -Possession of a controlled substance on Feb. 26, 2007. -Driving while intoxicated on Oct. 26, 2007. -Sale of a controlled substance on Feb. 17, 2009. Per ICE.gov They’re not sending their best. Well, if ICE.gov says it, you can take that to the bank and use it as collateral for loans to buy Trump Crypto Coins I hate to break it to you Mish, but there is serious voter fraud in blue states. First they set it up to automatically register you to vote through getting a driver’s license. Then they allow illegals to get licensed. So an illegal is pretending to be anyone. Because they don’t have to. How many of them voted? About ZERO But yes I seriously disagree with auto registration and in fact it should be illegal I think autoregistration is great in principle – the more people that vote the better. However, that should be accompanies with freely available ID. Saves everyone hassle, fraud suspicions are not needed anymore and participation among valid voters will go up. What’s not to like? You can ask Rs if they would agree to Voter ID _when_ they government has supplied or confirmed IDs of 99.5% of possible voters. They won’t agree. The honest question should be: “How Many people illegal OR Legal we’re voted for” IQ like room temperature here I keep my house chilly in the wintertime, too That is a bunch of BS. DMV systems require you to either answer yes to being a citizen or check the documents used when obtaining the license. Indeed, some states even issue *different* licenses for non-citizens. You are correct. As a Canadian living in the US on a work VISA my Florida drivers license says ‘Temporary’ on it to indicate that fact. Another victim of Fox News It’s more about the census, leading to congressional seats and freebies. There are more undocumented in TX & FL than just about anywhere else but they are not going after them. Shows real motives. How does someone like Epstein get THAT connected? By offering up young girls to rich men. You’re not following the script CJW! These girls are supposed to be referred to as “survivors”, just as all first responder’s are “heroes” and before speaking to any military veteran, one is supposed to genuflect and say “thank you for your service”. Whew. Were these girls unpaid, not fed adequately, not housed comfortably, chained in dark, dank basements, unable to leave any mistreatment they claimed to have suffered?  If not, then they are not ”survivors” of anything! They made a choice that worked within their particular circumstances. Were some taken advantage of? Psychologically manipulated? Probably. But this happens in all life contexts to many people of all ages all the time. Point of fact, these girls/women learned useful life skills in how to handle men, what men want and learned how to be better at pleasuring men. Some probably also made future business connections and some may have gotten financial information that they or their families could invest in. Given the prior pre-Epstein life skills and education of this cohort, looking back, they may have made a very good trade! Expect the internet will do more research on the other survivors from Bondi’s hearing. Marina Lacerda recruits for Epstein for years. https://abcnews.com/US/epstein-files-central-witness-epstein-case-speaks-publicly/story?id=125196336 https://www.newsweek.com/epstein-survivors-react-to-pam-bondi-hearing-dehumanized-11508640 One of the survivors Marina Lacerda, 37, was identified in Epstein’s 2019 indictment as “Minor-Victim 1” and provided key information that helped prosecutors put the sex offender behind bars. According to the indictment, Lacerda first met Epstein when she was 14 years old in 2002 when she was recruited to come to his palatial New York home to provide a massage to Epstein — an interaction that ultimately led to years of sexual abuse. A friend first introduced her to the financier, framing it as an opportunity to make money to support her family. Lacerda said Epstein eventually paid her thousands of dollars, and she believed being associated with the financier would open doors for her as an immigrant from Brazil. She is also a sex trafficker: But Lacerda said Epstein’s interest in her faded as she grew older, and she began recruiting other young women for him. Wow, I have never heard anyone make such a strident defense of organized sex trafficking and pedophilia. The gaslighting is stunning—basically suggesting the victims should be forever grateful for the privilege of having being raped by such important and generous men. You clearly have reading comprehension problems. Did you graduate from high school? Good grief, what an offensive post – many of these Epstein-survivors were children at the time of their abuse, in case you’ve forgotten; and the fact that they all feel lasting pain from their abuse is indicative of their mistreatment & being taken advantage of by powerful individuals – why is that so hard for you to empathise with? Come out of the Stone Age mate! In Afghanistan and other Islamic countries, girls are married off at 10 years of age for family gain and to relive the family of an extra mouth to feed. In other countries girls as young as 13-14 are married off to perform sexual and home keeping services for the men they are [sold]/married to. Have you complained about any of this? What is truly offensive is how naïve and idiotic your post, and by extension you, are. Ah, whataboutery – what a surprise. But raw truth, which you can’t respond to. ? Good conversation The New York Times [Mockingbird media] covering for Reid Hoffman concerning his multiplicity of Epstein connections is par for the course. Dishonestly serving the ruling class is their prime function. Typed into Search ———–Signs of a failing Empire ? Search Assist Signs of a Failing Empire often include widening Wealth Inequality, Political Corruption, Declining Civic Participation, and Environmental Degradation. Additionally, Overexpansion of Territory and Breakdown of Trade Networks can also indicate Instability and Decline. Answer seems to sum up America now— And it showing on our screens each day. Thomas Massie says that he is not suicidal. How did Trump and MAGA bring us to this point? All roads lead to ‘Rome’. meanwhile: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He will occasionally send a public letter that essentially says “hey, I can’t tell you what’s happening because it’s classified, but something really bad is going on and you should all be paying attention.” Another letter was sent out eight days ago… https://www.cato.org/blog/senator-wyden-sends-ominous-mysterious-letter-cia-director Trump will use Georgia by making up some nonsense that there was “fraud” and to prevent it from happening it again he needs to nationalize the elections or whatever dimwitted nonsense this group of idiots can attempt to feign. No one will believe it because Tulsi was there and there was absolutely no need for her to be there other than to contaminate the “evidence” somehow. The fact that repubs are losing elections in deep red states with huge point swings is already evidence enough that Americans don’t want repubs in power anymore. Any outcome other than what we’ve already seen in local elections will be indication of real fraud on the part of repubs. Ultimately, it won’t matter who is in charge, all that will be left is a hollowed out country as the brain drain continues and the only thing left behind are geezers on social programs and people too dumb to leave. Won’t matter to me either way, I’ll be out. There will be civil war. Hopefully it’s brief. That story about the non-lethal shooting in Minneapolis was bunk to begin with. The bullet hole in the front door was reported the next day, but was overlooked by news headlines. This account was published that night (Jan 14) “…husband was being chased for about half an hour, and they were trying to hit him. He came home and when we closed the door, they shot him. They were far away from us.” There was a funny meme on reddit about that “Dow 50,000!” it showed a series of disasters like the Titanic sinking but Bimbo yelling, “But the at Dow 50,000!” then another one of Jews in a concentration camp but Bimbo yelling, “But the Dow at 50,000!” on and on with every major catastrophe in the world the past 100+ years. No matter your problem, the fix is “Dow at 50,000!” 2-star Mishelin award granted! ‘Dow at 50,000’ is bread and circuses at it’s finest. “Are you not entertained!” -Gladiator Crises Everywhere, but the Markets Don’t Seem to Mind Stocks have prospered while the world has plunged into disorder, an economist says. “Keep calm and carry on” may be the best investors can do. Stocks have prospered while the world has plunged into disorder, an economist says. “Keep calm and carry on” may be the best investors can do. By Jeff Sommer – Jeff Sommer writes Strategies, a weekly column on markets, finance and the economy. By Jeff Sommer – Jeff Sommer writes Strategies, a weekly column on markets, finance and the economy. Feb. 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET Feb. 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET The world sometimes seems to be lurching into a state of permanent crisis, but no matter. Despite occasional setbacks, the stock market is booming. The world sometimes seems to be lurching into a state of permanent crisis, but no matter. Despite occasional setbacks, the stock market is booming. This dissonance between real-world distress and glorious financial wealth is a permanent feature of the markets, not a bug. Markets have prospered through civil unrest, pandemic, glaring racial inequality, recession, severe unemployment, tattered alliances, tariff conflicts and outright war. To set off a boom, all that’s needed are enough people believing they can make money. This dissonance between real-world distress and glorious financial wealth is a permanent feature of the markets, not a bug. Markets have prospered through civil unrest, pandemic, glaring racial inequality, recession, severe unemployment, tattered alliances, tariff conflicts and outright war. To set off a boom, all that’s needed are enough people believing they can make money. Plenty of people believe that now. The Dow rose above 50,000 this month, and Wall Street is bullish. Ignoring world crises is a smart strategy for investors — until, at some point, the markets themselves fall into crisis. Plenty of people believe that now. The Dow rose above 50,000 this month, and Wall Street is bullish. Ignoring world crises is a smart strategy for investors — until, at some point, the markets themselves fall into crisis. … … https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/business/markets-crisis-trump.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/business/markets-crisis-trump.html The shovel incident. Made news rallied the base. What actually happened made 7th page. Fox prob wont report it. Ballots in atlanta. Report mass voter fraud. Addresses vacant lots and such. Yeah prob a few homeless having to use it as an address. The actual news wont see the light of day. More propaganda about massive voter fraud. And yeah voter fraud only happens in areas that vote against me. Where do you idiots come from? Yeah, OK. Just fascinating. Uh, 7mil/12mil/13mil guestimated illegals in under 4yrs. Meanwhile, China making industrial hay (over 1mil chinese kids now liv in China who have US citizenship on account of our stupid ‘Born in the USA’ act). and ICE is expected to politely arrest some, what?, 7mil/12mil/13mil illegals scattered throughout the good ole USofA???? What is going on w/the thinking of our citizens? We have here Pharma PBMs or PMBs, whatever, earning (get this) 50,000,000 bucks PER EMPLOYEE of each of the 3 PBMs owned by CVS, Walgreens and the third outfit left after all these M&A’s leading to efficiency?? My God, corruption in the US I now believe far outdoes that of Honduras!!! Another propaganda repeating idiot. Yeah it was a mistake to let so many asylum seekers into the U.S. But calling them illegals is a lie. They are documented and have to follow the legal process for asylum. Correct. This is called “keeping your word”. Non-pigs do it all the time. thanks for the idiot call. Oh, and I looked up the number of illegals/unauthorized/undocumented what-evers…now 14,000,000 by all counts!! I guess they’s all, by your account, documented/authorized/legals/thankfullasylumseekers…so, no problemo, right???? My insincere thanks for the correction. I might also note that the 4,000 asylum seekers picked up by the vicious ICE cops in Minehaha included 76% with criminal records. How in hell does ICE know? Sheesh, Jackula, I guess they are all documented!! The Epstein case is a test whether US society can still live up to the values preached from every podium every day across the country. So far, US society has failed the test miserably. Those feckless, freeloading Europeans are actually showing us for once how such a case needs to be handled. The United States abrogated its values when it forced the southern states back into the Union. Since then it has been an empire. Unlike most countries in our soft modern world, it is not dominated by the values of its priesthood (teachers, journalists, people who live by deceit) but by the values of its soldiers (men who live by force and the threat of force). Those are the only two options, because honest people don’t get involved in politics: they get corrupted if they do. Rascist much? More like when JFK was assassinated I was twelve years old when that happened. Like a lot of people, I can remember what I was doing when I heard about it. I think the fact that a lot of things abou

Many people are sick of hearing about Jeffrey Epstein, the late sicko financier pedophile, but his ghost has roiled Washington, DC, in recent weeks. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement that there was no “victim list” and that Epstein died by suicide left many lawmakers unsatisfied, as they had expected more details of what really went on. Now the saga has come to the House of Representatives, where Democrats want to hold a vote to force the DOJ to release the Epstein investigation files. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wants to let the administration continue their work unfettered by such distractions for the time being, and he’s saying it’s time to go home : Speaker Mike Johnson said he would shut the House down early for its summer recess to head off Democratic demands for votes on calling for the release of files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender... In order to avoid what he called “political games,” Mr. Johnson said the House would adjourn until September after votes scheduled for Wednesday night. The announcement came just after the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime partner of Mr. Epstein, for a deposition. With floor paralyzed over the Epstein case, House GOP leaders have canceled Thursday vote. Last vote before August recess is tomorrow.m afternoon. The House won’t vote again until Sept. 2 READ MORE: Pam Bondi’s Deputy AG Announces He Will Meet With Jeffrey Epstein Madam Ghislaine Maxwell Pam Bondi Takes Steps to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Testimony President Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from the controversy and has called the drama a Democrat-created "hoax." On Tuesday, taking questions from reporters at the White House, he said he was fine with the DOJ meeting with Epstein’s convicted accomplice, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell: I don’t know anything about it. I think that it… sounds appropriate to do. I didn’t know they were going to do it. I don’t really follow it too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt. 🚨BREAKING: President Trump says it's appropriate for Ghislaine Maxwell to talk with the DOJ. GOOD. The only acceptable outcome is RADICAL TRANSPARENCY! pic.twitter.com/glKCuUgqZN He continued, saying that the focus should really be on the latest revelations by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who found that former President Obama, along with his top intelligence chiefs, conspired in 2016 to take down a sitting president – Trump – with a false Russiagate scandal: “They caught President Obama absolutely cold,” Trump said, referring to the director of national intelligence’s report last week on the 2016 election... “Obama’s been caught directly,″ Trump said. “He’s guilty. This was treason.” READ RELATED: The Sound of Silence: Comey, Brennan, Obama Mum on Tulsi Gabbard's Criminal Referral to the DOJ Accountability? DNI Gabbard Says Whistleblowers Are Now 'Coming Out of the Woodwork' on Russiagate Like a bad virus, Epstein just will not go away, and the story continues to suck up oxygen. Over five years after his death, he’s still, unfortunately, in the headlines. Editor’s Note: Every single day, here at RedState, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve. Help us continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership. Bob Hoge —pronounced Hoge like rogue—is a RedState front page contributor and Editor, proud father of four, and long-suffering Bears fan (except for the greatest team ever to exist, the '85 Monsters of the Midway). Come join the party on X @Bob_Hoge_CA .

President Donald Trump ‘s revenge tour for “Russiagate” is in full swing. Determined to change the conversation to anything but the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that has engulfed it, Team Trump has reopened the controversies surrounding the president’s 2016 election. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused former senior members of the Obama administration of nothing less than treason over their misconduct regarding the investigation of alleged Russian ties to the 2016 Trump campaign. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the misconduct of these officials was so egregious that he decided to refer them to the Department of Justice for prosecution. Former CIA Director John Brennan is under particular scrutiny. It’s obvious that if top-ranking former national security officials are indicted by the DOJ for crimes related to what Team Trump has termed the “Russia hoax,” it will be a game-changing event. While that prospect fills the MAGA faithful with glee, others are less enthusiastic about the criminalizing of interagency intelligence disagreements about sources and methods. That’s a hazardous precedent to set, no matter how unethically Brennan, former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey may have acted. Although former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden oversaw the dangerous politicization of intelligence to serve their partisan ends, for instance, regarding the origins of COVID-19 and the so-called Havana Syndrome , Trump’s remedy may prove more dangerous than the disease. Time and energy are finite, nowhere more so than in our nation’s capital, and Gabbard’s entire agenda seems to be getting payback for alleged intelligence community crimes committed nearly a decade ago. While senior Trump administration officials have made noise about correcting the intelligence record regarding COVID-19 origins and the Havana Syndrome, all of Gabbard’s energy and that of her top staff seems to be devoted to avenging Russiagate. Our spy agencies have many problems, and 2016 is just one of them. Moreover, what happened to the broad intelligence community reform agenda that pro-Trump intelligence officials — there are more of them than the White House seems to realize — believe the administration promised the American public? Gabbard and her retinue, most of whom have little intelligence community experience , seem not to understand that the defects of our intelligence agencies are at least as much about bureaucracy as personalities. There’s no point in punishing or even prosecuting top Obama-Biden spy bureaucrats if the broken system that created and promoted them remains intact. Take the topic of counterintelligence, which, as this column has explained at length , is the most compromised component of the intelligence community. It’s organized wrong, gives too much power to police officers at the expense of counterspies, and its recent track record is abysmal. See the FBI’s 2016 Operation Crossfire Hurricane, which was supposed to discover Russian links to the Trump campaign but instead got mired in foolish methods and partisan politics. That’s exactly the sort of deformed intelligence activity, operationally inept plus hazardous to civil liberties, that must never happen again. Sadly, there’s nothing in Gabbard’s reform plan that recommends anything different. Indeed, the only substantive GOP intelligence reform plan we’ve seen was from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), and it goes in the wrong direction , granting the FBI even more counterintelligence power and authority despite its awful record in 2016. Instead, the FBI needs to have the national security mission taken away from it, with the national counterintelligence mission given to a new, stand-alone domestic intelligence agency without law enforcement powers. Only that will prevent another Russiagate. Congress isn’t on the case. A major hearing on counterintelligence reform by the House Intelligence Committee was scheduled for last week but canceled because House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent the House home for the summer in panic over the Epstein files. Extensive staff planning for that hearing was cut short, and nobody knows when it might be rescheduled — September at the earliest. Regardless, the clock is ticking, and our enemies are spying on us relentlessly, as Congress plays partisan politics. Team Trump’s inattention to significant counterintelligence matters is baffling at times. That the FBI needs root and branch reform after its 2016 election cataclysm is beyond question. Unfortunately, Trump’s chosen director, Kash Patel, seems not to know how to implement necessary changes. He and his deputy, Dan Bongino, have seen their credibility among MAGA devotees plummet over the Epstein files imbroglio. As tenacious right-wing podcasters, Patel and Bongino castigated the deep state and its alleged corruption, including over the sordid Epstein affair. Now that they’re in charge of the FBI, they seem powerless and aimless. Last weekend, Bongino posted a cryptic message to X, reiterating his commitment, alongside Patel, to “stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations.” He added a puzzling rejoinder: “What I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.” Nobody’s sure what ominous truths Bongino was referring to. But his and Patel’s commitment to seriously reforming the FBI appears questionable. For example, consider that perhaps the biggest scandal in FBI history, that of disgraced top FBI agent Charles McGonigal, is right in front of them, yet Patel and Bongino remain silent about it. The McGonigal case , involving a top FBI counterintelligence official who went rogue for cash from more than one country, including Russia, raises very troubling questions about FBI management and values. Moreover, McGonigal, as head of counterintelligence at the FBI’s New York office in 2016, was deeply involved in Operation Crossfire Hurricane. Was McGonigal involved in collecting false information that was used to smear Trump and his campaign? McGonigal wound up on the payroll of top Kremlin oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a figure who was accused of meddling with our 2016 election. You’d think that the question of how a senior bureau counterintelligence official got mixed up in all this would be of interest to FBI leadership. ISRAEL HAS ONLY BAD OPTIONS IN GAZA McGonigal pleaded guilty in 2023 for illegally working for Deripaska, who is under U.S. sanctions. He received a four-year prison sentence and was subsequently sentenced to 28 additional months for taking money from Albanian officials for illegal lobbying and allegedly much worse . The full extent of McGonigal’s betrayal remains hidden from public view, and nobody in Trump’s FBI seems interested in explaining why. If the White House is serious about unraveling Russiagate, start looking at McGonigal and his circle. Or at least get Gabbard to start looking at institutional reform rather than fixating on personalities. John R. Schindler served with the National Security Agency as a senior intelligence analyst and counterintelligence officer.

Culture > Media Bias The government, media, and other Democrats have all earned the public’s lack of trust. Jack Hellner | July 21, 2025 It is extremely rich, and a grand demonstration of a complete lack of self-awareness when the WaPo, which has colluded with the government continuously to spread lies to the American people, lectures the government about the dangers of misleading the public. In this opinion piece , the lead examples are the JFK files and of course, Epstein, because the media needs to divert attention from other things. Conspiracy theories take root when government misleads From the JFK assassination to the Epstein scandal, government authorities have lost their credibility. Here is a small sample of where the WaPo, and other media outlets, to intentionally mislead (lie) to the public as they interfere in every election: 1.  Before and after the 2016 election, as the media and government bureaucrats were actively campaigning for Hillary, they started peddling the lie that Trump was colluding with Russia to win the election. There was no evidence of this, but the media didn’t care. There were endless investigations based on these lies to destroy Trump. In recent polls, 50% of Democrats still believe these lies. Indoctrination works. The WaPo and NYT even won Pulitzers based on these lies. When Trump truthfully said that Russian collusion was a hoax and that the Obama administration illegally spied on him and his team, the media falsely called that a lie. Now, Tulsi Gabbard is releasing many documents that show how the cabal of Obama, Clapper, Comey, Brennan, Susan Rice, and others concocted the Russian collusion story out of thin air. So how do WaPo and others report the new development? They don’t, because the truth doesn’t matter. 2. In 2009, Obama and others continually lied, with the help of the compliant media, that people would be able to keep their doctor, keep their plan, and premiums would go down substantially. Yet the prices have skyrocketed, because of Obamacare, for fifteen years. The media and other Democrats continue the lie that Obamacare has made health insurance more affordable. 3. Dr Fauci. Continually lied that the dictatorial edicts of six-foot social distancing, Plexiglas, and keeping schools and businesses closed were based on science when in fact, they were just concocted out of thin air. The media and others spread these lies and silenced people who disagreed. It is immeasurable how much damage this junk science has caused to children and others. When Trump and others wanted to investigate the Wuhan lab as the source of the virus, Fauci, the media, and others concocted the lie that it was a disproven conspiracy. 4. As the cartels got rich, innocent people were murdered, terrorists and gang members flooded across the border, and 300,000 children were “lost,” Merrick Garland, the White House, and special interest groups targeted parents who complained at school board meetings . They were compared to domestic terrorists. Throughout the Biden and Obama years, the media peddled the lie that the Justice Department was independent and no one was above the law. 5. The FBI and intelligence agencies knew about the Biden family corruption and knew the laptop was real, yet they blocked the public from seeing it. Blinken organized 51 former intelligence officials to call it Russian disinformation, and the complicit media kept the public from seeing the truth in the 2010 election. 6. Bob Hur listed all the crimes that Biden potentially committed, but said he was above the law because he was too incompetent. The cabinet, media, and other Democrats called that a lie. They falsely said that Biden was sharp as a tack, and also falsely said that Hur exonerated him. 7. The media has buried the hearings on Biden family corruption and is burying the truth about the dangers of the autopen. They clearly don’t care that people other than Biden were running the White House as they pretend they care about integrity. 8. One of the biggest and most damaging lies that the public is endlessly told by the media, government, and other Democrats is that it is settled science that humans and our use of natural resources is causing climate change. They say this even though there is zero scientific data that shows a direct link between the number of humans, number of cars, amount of oil we use, amount of coal we use, or amount of natural gas we use and temperatures, storms, sea levels, and floods. They also don’t care that previous dire predictions have been 100% wrong. They silence anyone who tells the truth that the climate has always changed cyclically and naturally. 9. The White House, Justice Department, the media, and other Democrats also sought to destroy border patrol members with lies that they whipped Haitians. There is no end of the people that the media and other Democrats seek to destroy with lies to push their agenda. It could be white Catholic boys for wearing MAGA hats, or white Duke Lacrosse players after black woman cried rape, or fraternity boys that were falsely accuse of rape in a Rolling Stone article, or a white cop falsely accused in Ferguson, Missouri with the fake “hands up don’t shoot” story, or when the WaPo ran a non-verified story to destroy Judge Kavanaugh. The media whines whenever inspector generals, state department officials, intelligence officials, CDC staff, Justice department officials, and others are fired. They say how valuable they are. Here are a couple of jokes: NPR and PBS are balanced, and Colbert speaks truth to power. They are all essentially Democrat campaign workers. PBS and NPR should also lose their tax-exempt status because they campaign every day for one party. As for Epstein, I would also like to see more evidence, but the media and other Democrats didn’t care about Epstein during Obama’s and Biden’s twelve years in office, and they don’t care now. All they care about is getting the scalp of Trump, a goal they’ve had for ten years, no matter how much they have to lie and “mislead.” The NYT and WSJ recent stories about Trump and Epstein show how little the media cares about verification. Think of how much more successful Trump could be if he didn’t have to deal with all the people attacking him and his policies every day. Image: Dion Hinchcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Flickr , unaltered. Now more than ever, the ability to speak our minds is crucial to the republic we cherish. If what you see on American Thinker resonates with you, please consider supporting our work with a donation of as much or as little as you can give. Every dollar contributed helps us pay our staff and keep our ideas heard and our voices strong. Thank you.

D espite Democrats’ hopes, the Epstein files saga won’t separate Trump from his base. Trump’s supporters have stuck with him through far worse over the last 10 years. Not only have they “stuck,” they have increased in number and intensity. Only Democrats’ delusions — and desperate need — lead them to believe Trump’s supporters won’t “stick” now. The Jeffrey Epstein files are perfect headline fodder: salacious scandal involving famous men and underage girls. Epstein’s suspicious suicide in jail prevented all the dirty laundry from getting washed in public. How much more dirty laundry exists is beside the point: The public wants to see more and wants it so badly they’re convinced it exists. Further, Attorney General Pam Bondi raised expectations. In such a case as Epstein’s, raised expectations only leads to public disappointment… and to Democrat opportunity. But while there can’t be a definitive verdict on files we haven’t yet seen, there can be one on Trump and his base. They will stay with Trump. Trump was, is, and will forever be a divisive political figure. Yet this fact only elevates his political accomplishments. In 2016, Trump won the Republican nomination in a tightly contested field. In 2020, Trump was the incumbent and there was no contest. In 2024 again, there was no contest. Trump is the only candidate to win three consecutive major party presidential nominations since FDR did so in 1944. In his three presidential campaigns — the only three campaigns for elective office he has ever run — he has won two. After the first, Trump increased his popular vote and his percentage of the popular vote each time. Even FDR did not do that. What Trump overcame in accomplishing these feats elevates them even further. In his first presidential run, he was dismissed and disparaged by opponents and the establishment media. He was also outspent 2–1. He still won . During his first term, he had notable setbacks: He didn’t repeal and replace Obamacare; Republicans lost the House in 2018; Trump’s administration was dogged by countless House investigations over its last two years; and Trump was impeached twice. If Tulsi Gabbard’s charges are true that the Obama administration knowingly targeted him with a false Russia collusion hoax, this only added to Trump’s headwinds. In 2020, he campaigned during a global pandemic, national lockdowns, an economy crushed between both, and nationwide civil unrest. Again, he was outspent . Still, Trump nearly won and even in defeat increased his popular votes and popular vote percentage rose. In 2024, Trump overcame having lost in 2020; he was the first major party candidate to be nominated after a loss since Nixon in 1968, and the first to be renominated directly following his loss since Adlai Stevenson in 1956 (Democrats’ second-time sacrificial lamb against Eisenhower). Trump overcame Democrats’ lawfare intended to disqualify or cripple him. They did neither. He again received overwhelmingly negative coverage from the establishment media and was overwhelmingly outspent . He was called a “ fascist ” and a “ threat to democracy .” He was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania. Still, Trump beat two opponents — the sitting president and sitting vice president, another presidential first. Trump not only increased his popular vote total and percentage; he won his biggest presidential victory yet. Over 10 years, Trump has forged an incredible and undeniable record. He has also forged an enduring link with his base. The Epstein files simply do not measure up to what Trump has repeatedly faced. First, Trump asked for the grand jury testimony to be released . The request’s denial doesn’t diminish the risk that it could have been granted — a huge risk to take if there was something to hide. Second, Epstein’s attorney, Alan Dershowitz says there’s no client list. Dershowitz had every incentive to use the material for Epstein’s benefit if there was something there. He didn’t. Third, the DOJ is interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell. Imprisoned and with Epstein dead, if she has any information, she has every reason to divulge it. Fourth and most important, the Biden administration had access to everything for four years. This administration went to every length to hide Biden’s incapacity, and his campaign did everything to discredit revelations about Hunter Biden’s laptop. The Biden administration attacked Trump relentlessly and had an establishment media that ran with even the barest hint of evidence. Yet the Biden administration, when it had full control over them, didn’t use the Epstein files against Trump. Understandably, Democrats seizing on the Epstein files and the establishment media is eagerly fanning the flames. They are because they need a distraction —  something, anything — to stop Trump’s momentum. Overwhelmed, they are leaderless and rudderless. Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Jeffries are overmatched by the moment. Zohran Mamdani ’s radical run in NYC and Omar Fateh’s equally extremist one in Minneapolis threaten to marginalize the party even more and widen further already yawning intraparty fissures. As Democrats struggle to reconstruct, they want Trump to self-destruct. It happened once before, when Nixon rescued them from their self-inflicted, extremist abyss half a century ago. However, this isn’t then; Trump isn’t Nixon; and Democrats are more extreme McGovern ever was. J.T. Young is the author of the recent book , Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left from RealClear Publishing and has over three decades’ experience working in Congress, the Department of Treasury, the Office of Management, and Budget, and representing a Fortune 20 company. READ MORE: The Meaning Behind ICE Agents’ Masks Forget the Autopen. The Question Is Forgery. On Wednesday of last week, Hakeem Temu Obama Jeffries, the... Read More During a press conference held shortly after an armed gunman... Read More It is now 15 months since President Trump began his... Read More If the title of this column seems to exaggerate the... Read More On Wednesday, the Supreme Court handed down a decision on... Read More Pittsburgh, PA — It was hard to say what was... Read More

The Washington establishment’s dirty secrets are finally coming out, and Democrats have been desperate to change the subject. For weeks, they’ve been dismissing the declassified intelligence that DNI Tulsi Gabbard has been releasing and claiming it’s a bogus distraction from the Epstein story. In reality, it’s the other way around; Democrats are trying to distract the public from Russia hoax revelations, and there’s a big reason why. Americans who’ve been paying attention know the truth about the so-called “Russiagate” collusion hoax, and more importantly, they know who’s truly responsible. A stunning 73% of voters who followed the unfolding news on the Trump-Russia collusion investigation “very closely” told Rasmussen that it’s at least somewhat likely that Obama administration officials “committed serious crimes” to create and perpetuate a manufactured narrative aimed at undermining Donald Trump. Any objective look at the data shows more than half of all voters — 54% — see through the charade, believing that these officials likely crossed the line from political maneuvering into criminal conspiracy. The damning numbers come on the heels of a bombshell report from Gabbard, who concluded that Obama’s national security team actively manipulated and invented intelligence for one purpose: to pin a fabricated Russian plot on Trump, discredit his presidency, and ultimately sabotage an administration not beholden to the Beltway’s marching orders. This wasn’t a political disagreement; it was a systematic attempt to subvert American democracy by weaponizing intelligence agencies against a sitting president. That’s not just “dirty politics.” That’s criminal. Yet the poll makes it painfully clear that the current climate of selective outrage and media gaslighting hasn’t blinded the American people, or at least not those who take the time to follow the facts. Sixty-five percent of the most attentive voters said it’s “very likely” that Obama officials committed “serious crimes.” Even without the non-stop, wall-to-wall coverage from legacy media outlets devoted to the Russia hoax in its heyday, Americans are connecting the dots: The so-called defenders of the Constitution turned government power into a political cudgel. Recommended: Bombshell Memos Show DHS and FBI Had HUGE Concerns About Tim Walz Last Year Breaking it down politically, the gap is both predictable and damning. An overwhelming 83% of Republicans believe serious crimes were committed, and for good reason. After years of hearing without evidence that Donald Trump was a Russian asset, only to see the story collapse under its own weight, conservatives recognize a witch hunt when they see one. Democrats, perhaps unwilling to admit their party’s standard-bearers masterminded one of the greatest political scandals in living memory, trail far behind, with just 32% acknowledging serious crimes likely occurred. But here’s the kicker: 41% of Republicans have been following the investigation “very closely” compared to just 25% of Democrats, a gap that probably accounts for this enormous difference. Knowledge is power, and willful ignorance comes at a cost. But this isn’t just a partisan question. A glaring 47% of independent voters also think it’s likely that Obama officials twisted and manufactured intelligence to keep the Trump-Russia hoax alive. The days when we could dismiss this as partisan mudslinging are long gone. The evidence has gone mainstream, the center is catching on, and Democrats can pretend the story is a distraction. On the core question of accountability, the American people have spoken. Supermajorities in all three groups say it is “critical” that anyone who commits such crimes faces real justice: not a slap on the wrist, not a stern letter, but actual consequences. That includes 59% of Democrats, an extraordinary 86% of Republicans, and a robust 62% of unaffiliated voters. Americans remember what made this country exceptional: No one, especially the most powerful, is above the law. Yeah, this is a huge problem for the Democrats. “He’s a great columnist. I think he’s terrific.” - Mark Levin Matt Margolis is a conservative commentator and columnist. His work has been cited on Fox News and national conservative talk radio, including The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Mark Levin Show, and The Dan Bongino Show. Matt is the author of several books and has appeared on Newsmax, OANN, Real America’s Voice News, Salem News Channel, and even CNN. You can also subscribe to his newsletter for free ! He doesn't read the comments section. You can send news tips, praise, hate mail, and media inquiries to [email protected] .

Meet the new fight, same as the old fight. When the Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee released a few emails from Jeffrey Epstein ’s correspondence referencing President Donald Trump in November, they resumed a conversation that has not only proven particularly irksome to him personally, but they believe it threatens the viability of his second administration — and his legacy. In one email addressed to his infamous accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell , Epstein declared that the “dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.” In another one, to the glorified gossip columnist Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote: “[VICTIM] mara lago. [REDACTED]. trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever. . of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” And over the course of another exchange with Wolff, the former suggested that interest in the relationship between Trump and Epstein could prove useful to the latter. “I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff advised. “If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.” Subsequently, House Republicans struck back by releasing 20,000 pages of documents pertaining to the Epstein case — and by revealing that the redacted victim that Trump had “spent hours” with was none other than the late Virginia Giuffre, who said she didn’t “think Donald Trump participated in anything” in a sworn deposition. That fat stack of paperwork included plenty of embarrassing dirt on the Left’s upper crust. Among the members of the dishonor roll were Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), who was texting Epstein for advice on how to question former Trump henchman Michael Cohen; Larry Summers, the former Clinton and Obama administration official who regrettably sought counsel from Epstein on how to seduce and cheat on his wife with a younger woman; former New York Times reporter Landon Thomas Jr., who was revealed to have tipped Epstein off about another journalist working on a book about him; and Kathryn Ruemmler, the White House counsel for Obama who once described herself as the world famous pedophile’s lawyer. But it also included still more references to Trump. “There’s an opportunity to come forward this week and talk about Trump in such a way that could garner you great sympathy and help finish him. Interested?” Wolff wrote to Epstein on the eve of the 2016 presidential election. “I know how dirty donald is,” Epstein told Ruemmler in 2018, his phrasing seemingly designed in a lab to induce headaches for Trump later. In truth, though, this latest series of developments has been less news — fresh, pertinent information coming to light — than it has been yet another outbreak of the same conflict that’s dominated American politics every day since Trump descended his golden escalator to enter the arena more than a decade ago: the fight over his character. It has long been known that Trump and Epstein were once friends. A 2002 New York magazine profile of the latter infamously quoted Trump as declaring that he’d “known Jeff for fifteen years” and asserting that he was a “terrific guy.” “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life,” added the future president. For the uninitiated, that’s called foreshadowing. It’s also long been known that Trump and Epstein had a falling out. According to a 2019 Washington Post deep dive, their friendship ended after the pair faced off against each other in a 2004 bidding war for a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump tells his own version of events, in which he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for “taking people” — young women, he confirmed after being asked — “from the spa.” What’s most notable about these known facts about the Trump-Epstein relationship is not only that they were known prior to this latest multinews cycle uproar over it, but that none of what has been revealed in recent weeks contradicts, or even clarifies, what was already known. And for both the Left and the Right, that’s the rub of it. Democrats badly want to believe that the release of Epstein’s correspondence is a necessary step on the road toward Trump’s final defeat in the form of a resignation letter or conviction in the Senate, that at long last, their tireless efforts to take down their archnemesis — indeed, to their mind the chief antagonist of the millennium — will pay off. They’ve been teased by the oh-so-tantalizing prospect before. There were his campaign trail spats with a federal judge of Hispanic descent, a Gold Star family, and forerunner John McCain. There was Access Hollywood and Charlottesville, Virginia; Helsinki and the 2019 impeachment. There was COVID-19, his electoral defeat in 2020, the destructive tantrum he threw after it, and yet another impeachment. Four criminal indictments, one conviction, and an initially successful civil lawsuit that seemed poised to break his beloved company. Still, he stands. And still, Democrats labor under the misapprehension that one day, they will vanquish him in some gratifying final confrontation. This most desperate desire is a function of their own lofty self-conception as much as it is their low opinion of Trump. It is every professional Democrat’s ironclad belief that they are soldiers in the army of the right side of history, noble warriors whose mission is not only righteous, but the only thing standing between America and Nazi-esque fascism. Every hero needs their moments of triumph, and Democrats haven’t had one that fulfilled them since Barack Obama won his first term as president 17 years ago. Still, the relationship between Trump and Epstein continues to vex both the former and his followers and will continue to do so for as long as the drip, drip, drip of stories about the pair continues to trickle. And make no mistake, the trickle will continue now that the president has been compelled to sign a bill ordering the Justice Department to release every unclassified document pertaining to the Epstein case that it has. Trump’s friendship with Epstein during his former life may not be the nail in the president’s coffin the way Democrats still imagined it might, but it is a sobering reminder of just who it is that Republicans have gleefully handed the executive branch over to twice now. Conservatives who once waxed poetic about the sanctity of American institutions look the other way as Trump violates and co-opts them for his own personal, petty ends. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been enlisted to sell the public on a whole host of far-fetched claims about Trump’s enemies, including a supposedly horse tranquilizer-addled Hillary Clinton and possibly “treasonous” Obama. At the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi has been dutifully carrying out the orders Trump gave to her in a message meant for her eyes only that he accidentally posted on Truth Social in mid-September. “Nothing is being done,” Trump complained. “What about [former FBI Director James] Comey, [Sen.] Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, [New York Attorney General Letitia James]??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.” Before Thanksgiving, “really good lawyer” Lindsey Halligan secured indictments against both Comey and James on questionable grounds — only to see them both thrown out after a judge ruled that Halligan was improperly appointed to her post. Meanwhile, the DOJ has launched an investigation into Schiff for mortgage fraud, as well as a review of its own pardon attorney, Ed Martin, and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte over how they’ve tried to make Trump’s revenge dreams come true. And from his perch at the Pentagon, War Secretary Pete Hegseth is threatening to court-martial Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy captain, over an admittedly ill-considered video he issued alongside other veterans of the military and intelligence community warning their successors not to follow illegal orders. But don’t think for a second that Trump would leave all of the dirty work to his lieutenants. In a shocking series of posts reacting to the video featuring Kelly and five more of his Democratic colleagues in Congress, Trump suggested that “each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” before eventually working himself up to declare that they were guilty of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Such is his character, the same, relentlessly self-serving ethos that has been readily apparent for the entirety of his political career — and for many years before that, including those during which he counted Epstein as a close friend. Republicans have either just denied this truth entirely or accepted it as a condition of the countless policy victories he has delivered them. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ANTI-ISRAEL MOVEMENT’S SLOGANS The latest twists and turns in the Epstein saga are a bipartisan frustration, then. For Republicans, they’re a reminder of the man they’ve empowered and the sins they’ll accept. For Democrats, they’re a reminder of the alternatives people will turn to so as not to empower them. And for both, Trump, a decade on, remains a source of tremendous cognitive dissonance. A figure of singular significance who, for all of his flaws and all of his accomplishments, will neither be remembered as the savior one side wants him to be, nor the cartoonish villain whose unflattering epitaph the other side yearns to write. Isaac Schorr is an editor at Mediaite.

Politics > Deep State We are living through an era of professional gaslighting so refined it could qualify for a Ph.D. in psychological warfare. Rick McDowell | August 4, 2025 We are living through an era of professional gaslighting so refined it could qualify for a Ph.D. in psychological warfare. The latest example? After years of establishment indifference, we are now being told -- loudly, breathlessly -- that Jeffrey Epstein’s legacy of elite depravity is the national scandal of the hour. Apparently, six years after his death, this is now urgent. That Donald Trump crossed paths with Epstein is supposed to be more damning than the years Epstein was welcomed by the Clinton inner circle, the Gates orbit, and the upper crust of academia, finance, and intelligence. Let me offer a parable. There is a mouse in the room. Its name is Epstein. The media is pointing at it, stomping its feet, shrieking: “Look at this dangerous mouse!” Just behind the mouse stomps an elephant -- huge, festering, impossible to ignore if you simply look . This is the face of the biggest federal scandal since the Kennedy assassination. It is the defining image of the Deep State: a shadow bureaucracy led by Brennan, Clapper, Comey, and others, manipulating “the presentation” -- not to be confused with facts. Tulsi Gabbard, now Director of National Intelligence, has implicated former President Obama directly, and the evidence supports her. The elephant is real. It is the coordination of the Deep State, shaping narratives that, for reasons unspoken, are embraced wholesale by legacy media. Today, the media fixates on the firing of a Deep State Labor Department official. They dig obsessively for any mud to fling at Trump. Why? “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is no longer a sufficient explanation. This is about protecting the machine. But why? Compare Hillary Clinton’s destruction of her private server and the hammering to bits of subpoenaed phones. The media shrugged. Why? Aren’t they supposed to report the news? Same with the Hunter laptop from hell, the Biden family’s foreign business schemes, the jaw-dropping wealth accumulation of congressional lifers -- none of it hits the radar. This is the elephant and the machine. The mouse is a distraction. The elephant is the system. The machine is the shield. It is no longer “conspiracy” to say the Deep State exists -- it is observation. It is measurable. The federal government has failed multiple audits involving trillions in unaccounted-for dollars. Nobody is fired. Nobody is prosecuted. Agencies like the Pentagon, HUD, and State are black holes of spending. Contractors feast, middlemen thrive, and entire careers are built not on results, but on keeping the machine humming for insiders. And Americans? We yawn. We scroll. We buy the next outrage. We are no longer governed. We are processed. This isn’t a government of the people. It’s a machine for the distribution of favors, immunity, and wealth -- among the protected class. That is why Epstein didn’t matter until now. That’s why Hillary can BleachBit servers, lie to Congress, and rake in $100K per speech. That’s why Biden’s documented lies and his family's shady foreign deals provoke less interest than a Trump typo. But heaven forbid Trump fill out a form improperly. We’ve become numb to scale. Numb to volume. A $500 hammer here, a $2 trillion boondoggle there. The Pentagon misplaces $6.2 trillion? Shrug. Hunter Biden makes millions in Ukraine while his dad shapes policy? Shrug. Bureaucrats retire with six-figure pensions after decades of managing failure as “public servants?” Shrug again. And now, like a bad B-movie reboot, the Epstein plotline is dragged back into the spotlight -- as the headline event. Somehow, the Deep State's vast corruption is treated as a distraction from Epstein. It’s almost admirable, in a clinical-psychopath kind of way. Let’s not play dumb. The system isn't just corrupt, it is self-aware. It protects its members, demonizes threats, and launders its failures through distraction. And like all declining empires, it cloaks its rot in the language of justice and democracy. The same DoJ that ignores arson, looting, and political violence in blue cities suddenly finds religion when a Republican sneezes in the wrong direction. The same agencies that fumbled 9/11, Iraq WMDs, Russiagate, and the Hunter laptop now ask for your trust -- again. Here is the truth: Epstein was a grotesque man with grotesque friends. But the reason his story is being reactivated now is not justice. It’s cover. It’s projection. It’s the oldest trick in the political playbook: accuse your enemies of the crimes you are terrified might be traced back to you. Be careful what you wish for. Because if the Epstein list ever truly breaks open -- if the full extent of who flew where, and why, and who knew what ever comes to light -- then the same people hurling accusations today might find themselves holding the dynamite with the fuse already lit. It is getting harder to hide that elephant behind the mouse. Rick McDowell is a writer of political philosophy, American history, and essays on the mind. His other thoughts can be found at https://americanperspective.today . Image: Public Domain Now more than ever, the ability to speak our minds is crucial to the republic we cherish. If what you see on American Thinker resonates with you, please consider supporting our work with a donation of as much or as little as you can give. Every dollar contributed helps us pay our staff and keep our ideas heard and our voices strong. Thank you.

In your hometown, there’s probably a restaurant you never visit. Maybe you don’t like the food. Or maybe the service sucks. But even though it’s right around the corner, you never go there. Then, when it goes out of business, you get a little excited: Maybe it’ll be replaced by something you’ll actually like! Oh, boy! That’s how I feel about Stephen Colbert’s firing. Sure, it’s a bummer for his staff. The “Late Show” isn’t just Colbert; there are 100+ people on retainer, on salary, or performing part-time work for CBS. I feel bad for anyone who’s lost his or her job: It’s tough on families; financial hardships are a frequent harbinger of breakups. So I don’t wanna be the kind of guy who tap dances on someone else’s grave. But on the other hand, Stephen Colbert made it very, very clear that his “Late Show” program wasn’t for me OR you. The purpose of his show was to ridicule conservatives, get “atta boy” head-pats from leftwing influencers… and every now and then, if the opportunity permits, maybe throw in an occasional joke. CBS claims its decision was purely financial. Apparently, the “Late Show” was losing between $40 to $50 million annually , which seems excessive. I’m sure there’s an economically viable way to air the talk-show format; outside of salaries, the network’s hard-cost — a studio, a couch, a few cameras, and a budget to fly-in guests — is minimal. The overhead for something like “Survivor” is exponentially greater. The difference is, when advertisers buy ad time on “Survivor,” they reach far more people than dyed-in-the-wool liberals. Colbert’s content and snideness precludes conservatives from watching, thus limiting an advertiser’s reach. And with Colbert making crazy money — $150 million over 10 years! — continuing his program was cost-prohibitive. Either way, the problem with network talk-shows isn’t just financial; it’s also an old, tired, outdated format. Besides, if you really wanted to learn more about a big-name guest, why would you watch a yutz like Colbert, Kimmel, or Fallon do five minutes of scripted questions (followed by an ad break) and then move on to someone else, when you could open up YouTube and watch that guest yak with Joe Rogan (or whomever) for three solid hours? The interviews aren’t good enough to make it a good interview show; the humor isn’t good enough to make it a good humor show. Other than nostalgia and/or institutional momentum, there’s not really a reason for its existence. Ah well. Onward and upward for the week that was in political PR: PRedictions: Barring any jaw-dropping revelations, this was the week where the Trump administration FINALLY put the Epstein scandal behind ‘em. That’s not to say that they’re completely unscathed. There will be fallout and there will be repercussions, most likely manifesting in lower GOP turnout during the midterms. And we’re not totally out of the wilderness yet: There is still an opportunity for a MAGA influencer with a big microphone to gin up anti-Trump sentiment. (Fortunately, that’s not likely to happen: For guys such as Tucker Carlson, it’s still smarter to be perceived as Trump’s ally than adversary, which should stave off a conservative rebellion.) But until a few days ago, the trend lines were just devastating to Trump. I don’t know if conservatives truly appreciated how damaging those trend lines would’ve been if they had continued unabated. And that’s why I still think Trump’s smartest PR tactic would’ve been to have addressed Epstein head-on with a national speech. As we discussed on Thursday : It’s the mystery and all the “whodunnit” questions that gives the Epstein saga such long legs. Trump should reset the narrative as only he can, and do the one thing only he has the power to do: At long last, make the Epstein story… boring. In crisis communications, you can’t beat something with nothing. You’ve gotta supplant the old story with a new narrative that’s more compelling, more credible, and more engaging. A national address could’ve reset the narrative and thrown a wet blanket on the conspiracy crowd, positioning Trump as the one man in government who actually told the truth about Epstein — even if the truth was less interesting and/or shocking than the sensationalist claims of the Tin Hat Brigade. But when MAGA was floundering, in came the mainstream media to our rescue. By overplaying their hand with ridiculous, over-the-top accusations (namely from the Wall Street Journal and People Magazine ), they gave conservatives a common enemy, reminding us once again that it’s NOT us versus us; it’s us versus them. And now ? That’s the PR danger in overplaying your hand: It ultimately boomerangs on the messenger. You end up building sympathy for the person you’re attacking. The PR danger in underplaying your hand is very different: Without enough oxygen, your story could wither and die on the vine. But honestly? That wasn’t an issue with the Epstein story. It was truckin’ along just fine without any extra juice. But the media couldn’t resist. They got greedy and overplayed their hand. And now they’ve lost the story. Conservatives owe the mainstream media a tremendous debt of gratitude. They weren’t trying to help us, of course: The truth is, they hate Trump so damn much, they just couldn’t resist manufacturing bogus “news stories” to dogpile on the president. The temptation was too great. So there we were, on the verge of a ruinous, destructive MAGA-on-MAGA civil war, and those mensches in the media tossed us a floatation device. Thanks, guys! PRojections: Questions regarding Steve Bannon’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein are just beginning. Unlike Trump, who stopped socializing with Epstein 20 years ago, Bannon was close to Epstein all the way through to his (untimely?) demise. Epstein’s brother claims that Bannon was coaching Epstein for media appearances, namely “60 Minutes.” Per author Michael Wolff : Bannon told the financier to look into the camera and "not to share his racist theories on how Black people learn," according to Wolff. " You're engaging, you're not threatening, you're natural, you're friendly, you don't look at all creepy, you're a sympathetic figure ," Bannon told Epstein at the time, according to Wolff. [emphasis added] The Wrap reported that Bannon has confirmed he recorded 15+ hours of one-on-one footage of Epstein … but never released the footage. And his explanation doesn’t add up: Bannon told the Times, however, he “never media-trained anyone,” and was instead working on an unannounced documentary to demonstrate how Epstein’s “perversions and depravity toward young women were part of a life that was systematically supported, encouraged and rewarded by a global establishment that dined off his money and his influence.” Question: Why would an undercover Mossad/CIA/whatever agent, knee-deep in an international blackmail scheme, agree to share all his evil “secrets” to Steve Bannon in a documentary film? Does that make ANY sense? And if we’re going to assume the absolute worst of everyone else’s motives in Epstein’s orbit, why would we give Bannon a pass? Steve Bannon is a very wealthy man, too. He also has high-level government relationships. Furthermore, if Bannon was filming a documentary… why wasn’t it ever released? Seems to me that the “Last Will and Testament of Jeffrey Epstein” would generate considerable audience interest. Netflix, Prime, The Daily Wire — one of ‘em would surely throw big money at Bannon for the exclusive. So why no follow-through? Bannon has plenty of enemies within MAGA. If he’s going to weaponize conspiracy theories, he should prep himself for the blowback. (Or, perhaps, simply release the tapes.) PRaise: Of all the people in Trump’s cabinet, many conservatives were most suspicious of Tulsi Gabbard. She was, after all, an ex-Democratic congresswoman and ex-Democratic presidential contender; her MAGA credentials were still shiny and new. Then, when she seemed at odds with Trump’s Iran policy ( remember her weirdly shrill nuclear warning? ), many conservatives side-eyed our director of national intelligence. But if Gabbard has what she claims, she might go down in history as America’s most important intelligence director: This week, she called for ex-President Barack Obama (and other Democrats) to be criminally prosecuted for a “treasonous conspiracy” regarding the Russia Hoax. 🧵 Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump , subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op Here’s Jesse Watters explaining the scandal: 🚨BREAKING: DNI GABBARD declassifies docs showing Obama ‘MANUFACTURED’ the RUSSIA HOAX to SABOTAGE the Trump presidency🚨 pic.twitter.com/4k9cR97w5F If Gabbard can deliver the goods, the political consequences will make the Epstein uproar look utterly inconsequential. Keep your eye on this. PRedators: I don’t know what REALLY happened with Jeffrey Epstein. Like you, I’ve heard the reports, read the stories, and listened to the gossip. Candidly, to me, some claims seem far more likely than others. But I’m not in a position to verify or deny any of it. So I’d like to offer an uncomfortable, ugly, unsettling thought: Maybe the Epstein crimes are even darker and bleaker than we’ve imagined, because just maybe… there was no blackmail at all. It’s gross to consider, but in a weird way, linking Epstein’s crimes to a blackmail ring makes it a little easier to accept, because it gives a sane and rational motive to these horrific abuses: Maybe he was an undercover agent on a secret mission, and that was his assignment. But what if that wasn’t true at all: What if Jeffrey Epstein — and his sick, evil, depraved “friends” — were doing it all for fun? What if it the “Epstein Express” had NOTHING to do with high-level espionage or state action, and their motive was nothing more than the repulsive thrill of trafficking and abusing underage girls? If this were a state-level espionage scam, there’d be recourse to stop it. Governments can pressure other governments. But what if the conspiracy theories are all completely false — and Epstein is just a rich, powerful guy who abused hundreds (or more) little girls for the fun of it? What then? I’m a daddy with two teenage kids. This story makes my skin crawl. Scott Pinsker is a Public Relations, Branding, and Crisis Communications Expert in Tampa Bay, Florida.  His novel, "The Second Coming: A Love Story," is available for purchase on Amazon.

Politics > Trump The Epstein and Seth Rich cases are the beginning of cleaning out the Deep State, including the rot in the FBI and DOJ, but there’s much more to do. Ron Wright | March 18, 2025 The American voters gave President Trump an unprecedented mandate to change the status quo of our federal government. One of Trump’s key campaign promises was to root out the corruption and the immense waste, fraud, and abuse of power in our government. President Trump nominated and secured the appointment of outstanding cabinet secretaries, i.e., Marco Rubio (DoS), Pam Bondi (AG), Tulsi Gabbard (DNI), Kristi Noem (DHS), and agency directors Kash Patel (FBI), John Radcliffe (CIA), and Elon Musk (DOGE). The FBI’s rat-holing of the Epstein documents and Seth Rich’s computer are just the tell-tale sign and tip of the iceberg of a massive ongoing RICO criminal conspiracy extending back to Benghazi . Image used with permission from Dumbass Photoshop . The Epstein and Rich cases give AG Bondi and FBI Patel a unique opportunity to wage war against the Deep State. AG Bondi and FBI Patel have the strong backing of the American People to restore the trust, integrity, impartiality, and the rule of law and the fundamental principle of equal justice for all in our federal criminal justice system, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies: Organized crime cannot exist without corrupt law enforcement. Our LE Sheepdogs went rogue, allowing the wolves to prey on the sheep (LTC Dave Grossman). The two main mandates for transparency in the Justice Department are the Epstein case and the Seth Rich case. The Epstein case Jeffrey Epstein was a high school math teacher who became a supposed Wall Street wizard with rumored substantial personal wealth. Epstein, it is alleged, was sex trafficking young women to business and political associates. His story is well known and is the subject of many articles in tabloids and the legacy media. Town and Country concisely summarizes Epstein’s life and legal woes. Epstein received a sweetheart deal in a federal sexual abuse case that was dropped down to a Florida state court in a plea deal in 2008. A party to the negotiations was the then-US Attorney, Alexander Acosta. Acosta later served as Labor Secretary in President Trump’s first term but later resigned because of the controversy about the plea deal that arose when Epstein was arrested again in 2019. Acosta brokered a lenient deal, according to him, because he had been ordered by higher government officials, who told him that Epstein was an individual of importance to the government. There are many, including me, who believe Epstein was or became an asset for one or more intel agencies by running a honey pot operation– one being the Israeli Mossad. Epstein died in custody while awaiting trial for the indictment in 2019. There are very unusual circumstances surrounding his death, which was labeled a suicide. For further information, see Epstein’s Wikipedia page . President Trump promised that he would declassify and release the Epstein files, and AG Bondi was following through on that order. The old guard at the FBI was trying to pull the wool over AG Bondi’s eyes and released minimal records . AG Bondi is sharp and wasn’t going to play that game. AG Bondi issued a direct order to the FBI to immediately release all Epstein documents to her. A truckload of documents arrived at the FBI headquarters in DC from the NY FBI Field Office. A source tipped AG Bondi that there were thousands of documents there. The FBI Asst. Director, James Dennehy , who oversaw the FBI NY Office, was forced to retire or face firing. Dennehy was given a hero’s send-off as he left the building. AG Bondi and her team are sorting through the materials and will release them in groups after they redact victim personal identification information, grand jury information, and national security information. The Seth Rich case This information is gleaned from my reporting and from Jack Cashill’s reporting at the American Thinker : Seth Rich, a DNC staffer, was murdered on July 10, 2016. The DC Metro Police attributed his death to a botched robbery. As I wrote, That’s tragic but straightforward. So, why is the FBI refusing to release the information from Rich’s laptop? Perhaps it’s because Rich is the key to understanding the Russian collusion narrative that the Democrats and Deep State used to such savage effect against Trump, up to and including the 2020 campaign, when operatives lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Anyone questioning the official narrative was immediately labeled a conspiracy theorist and canceled. Rich’s parents later sued FOX News for reporting this story. FOX “intentionally exploited their son’s death by promoting conspiracy theories about it.” Following the suit, legacy media reporting on the case soon ceased. In 2020, the case was eventually settled in the parents’ favor without going to trial. Attorney Ty Clevenger has followed this case and filed multiple FOIA suits against the FBI for failure to comply. FBI denied having Rich’s laptop but eventually admitted it did have it. Over several years, the FBI stonewalled releasing the information, including subverting a federal district court’s order twice, by claiming it was an ongoing investigation or for other spurious reasons. Read more of Clevenger’s dogged pursuit of the FBI at The Gateway Pundit . See my investigative reporting at the American Thinker . Just recently, the FBI once again refused to release Rich’s information . And again, one must ask why they are so adamant. Analysis Corruption permeates our government, whether among those in elective office or those who occupy the unelected administrative bureaucracy, the Deep State . It flows beyond that to and beyond what I call the Cabal . All this is due to the total lack of accountability . The federal law enforcement agencies have gone full Stasi in support. The preeminent priority must be to restore accountability to the people. AG Bondi and FBI Patel must regain the people’s trust in the integrity and impartiality of our criminal justice system and federal law enforcement agencies by holding accountable those who flagrantly violated the civil rights of citizens and crimes against the United States. The Marxist left will argue that Trump is seeking revenge, but they’ll have gotten it wrong: Trump is restoring the rule of law and prosecuting those who violate the law with due process. To solve this problem, I highly recommend that Trump’s administration continue to investigate and prosecute members of the Deep State and the Cabal as organized crime or criminal enterprises using the tools given to the administration under the Federal RICO Act . The investigation must follow the evidence, both foreign and domestic, wherever it leads. There is substantial probable cause to initiate an investigation based on coordinated criminal acts that extend as far back as Benghazi and subsequent actions to aid or abet the conspiracy or to conceal its existence. The investigations will extend to the Office of the President, Congress, DOJ, DoS, DHS, CIA, NSA, USSS, and other entities ( Here )( Here )( Here )( Here ) ( Here )( Here ) ( Here )( Here )( Here ). Recommendations If I were leading the investigation, I would be ruthless within the extent of the law regarding the crimes committed, especially considering the national security ramifications. Under the guise of classified information, the FBI and others withheld evidence to conceal the criminal acts of the conspiracy. I would sweat the lower tier over their knowledge about Seth Rich’s death, Benghazi , Clinton’s pay-to-play scheme, the reverse targeting of a sham counterterrorism investigation to spy on President Trump, lying on FISA warrant affidavits, Trump’s sham impeachment, election fraud and interference, FBI entrapment issues surrounding J6 to get President Trump, the raid on Mar-A-Lago , assassination attempts on President Trump, and more. As in the X Files , Trust No One ! Assume the FBI and other agencies are compromised. Use exclusively vetted retired agents as investigators who are experienced with organized crime, counterterrorism, and internal affairs, et al. Agency System digital files must be immediately locked from deletion or modification . Digital files should include text, email, call information, etc. Don’t overlook agency desktops, laptops, personal computers, and paper files (See Lt. General Flynn’s treasure map ). Use DOGE assets and/or certified ethical hackers with TS/SCI clearances to lock system files and perform computer forensics. Ron Wright is a retired detective, having served thirty-five years with Riverside PD, Calif. Ron earned a BA in political science from Cal State University, Fullerton, and a Master of Administration from the University of California, Riverside. X @RonTcop Now more than ever, the ability to speak our minds is crucial to the republic we cherish. If what you see on American Thinker resonates with you, please consider supporting our work with a donation of as much or as little as you can give. Every dollar contributed helps us pay our staff and keep our ideas heard and our voices strong. Thank you.

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. , called on President Donald Trump to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after he released 230,000 pages on her late father. The document release was a fulfillment of Trump’s executive order to declassify FBI reports on the assassination of King Jr., 57 years after the fact. However, the release came as the Trump administration continues to combat demands for further declassification on Epstein , the late convicted sex trafficker. King joined the chorus for transparency Monday on X. “Now, do the Epstein files,” she wrote, posting a photo of her father. Now, do the Epstein files. pic.twitter.com/rzlub3WucQ The King family has long disputed that James Earl Ray, who died in prison following his conviction of assassinating King Jr., is innocent of King Jr.’s murder. A Memphis jury in 1999 concluded in a civil suit that government entities conspired in the assassination. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT STILL WON’T REVEAL ABOUT JEFFREY EPSTEIN “I am, honestly, not prepared to revisit the gruesome details of this painful history. For me, there is no real value in it; there is only reliving the trauma,” King wrote in Vanity Fair on Monday. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DROPS THOUSANDS OF FBI DOCUMENTS ON MLK JR. ASSASSINATION Meanwhile, King’s cousin, Dr. Alveda King, celebrated the release online, writing Tuesday on X, “The American people are finally being given the truth.” Thanks to the leadership of @POTUS , along with @AGPamBondi and @DNIGabbard , the American people are finally being given the truth. https://t.co/GgFpuzlAQc On Monday, Alveda King met with National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and Attorney General Pam Bondi ahead of the release. Gabbard thanked the King family for collaborating “on this historic release.”