STOP ALL THE BOBBING AND WEAVING. RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES

Lots going on. Trump trying lots of hocus-pocus to convince us that anyone and everyone that doesn’t confirm anything and everything that comes out of his mouth as the gospel truth is out to get him. The man should get the Nobel prize for martyrdom. Anyway, that’s all SOP these days. We want to talk about Epstein. The WSJ reports that all this distraction by chaos comes as the Trump administration has faced intense bipartisan criticism over its refusal to provide more information about the FBI investigation into Epstein. Another aspect of the Epstein issue is also in the news today. We all know by now that Trump sued the WSJ’s parent company Dow Jones and owner Rupert Murdoch for $10B. But the lawsuit reads as if it were written primarily to rile up Trump’s base. The WSJ is standing firm on the accuracy of its reporting, and the defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit. Then Trump asked a federal judge in Miami to force Murdoch to answer questions under oath within 15 days. The request stressed Murdoch’s age and ill health as a reason for the request. "Murdoch is 94 years old, has suffered from multiple health issues throughout his life, is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares, and is presumed to live in New York, New York," all making him unlikely to be able to testify at a trial, the filing read. But Trump has now quietly backed away from demanding Murdoch’s deposition, and both sides put off discovery—the process of disclosing information and evidence to the other party—at least until after the motion to dismiss has been decided. We all look forward to discovery. But odds are this is all more performative BS that will result in the ultimate dismissing of everything to do with suing Murdoch. Because, you know…discovery. We know that Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche, now deputy AG at DOJ has met twice with Maxwell, who says she will “testify openly and honestly” before Congress about Epstein if she gets a pardon. Reporting says Republican senators are warning Trump and AG Bondi that they should consider very carefully whether it would be a good idea to grant Maxwell a pardon. Good idea? That that possibility is even a serious consideration tells us everything we need to know. CNN reported that two of Epstein’s victims have filed letters with the court expressing outrage at the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files, suggesting that the department was protecting wealthy men at the expense of the victims. Well duh. Of course they are. Trump’s inability to let the Epstein issue drop is keeping it very much alive. Evidenced by the latest attack on Charlamagne Tha God for saying that the administration’s poor handling of the Epstein issue created an opportunity for traditional Republicans to take their party back. What do you think about that? Not the worst idea. Standing up for justice for victims of sexual abuse and consequences for their abusers shouldn’t require too much courage. Or political consideration. Should it?