Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
Donald Trump has attacked his own “past supporters”, accusing them of pushing “the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax”, as his administration’s handling of the files relating to the late paedophile financier continues to divide his Maga base.
“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker,” wrote Trump on Truth Social on Wednesday.
“They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,” he added. “I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
During his election campaign, Trump promised to release files related to Epstein’s death, which has been at the centre of a long-running conspiracy since the disgraced financier died by suicide in 2019.
In February, attorney-general Pam Bondi claimed that a list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.
But last week, the Department of Justice and the FBI published a two-page memo that said there was no “client list” and no “credible evidence” that Epstein “blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions”. It also stated he had died by suicide.
The findings flew in the face of myriad conspiracy theories that have circulated in the years since Epstein’s death, often at the hands of Trump’s closest allies, and caused an outcry among some of the president’s most loyal supporters that he is struggling to contain.
While Trump retains strong support among his Republican party base, according to recent polls, Maga influencers, members of Congress and conservative commentators have continued to question the DoJ’s handling of documents relating to Epstein’s death and his so-called “client list”.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a staunch ally of the president, on Tuesday called for “transparency” on the “very delicate subject”.
“We should put everything out there, and let the people decide,” Johnson told Maga podcaster Benny Johnson. “We need to put it out there . . . [Bondi] needs to come forward and explain it to everybody.”
The memo has also caused a rift between the attorney-general and the deputy director of the FBI, Dan Bongino — who has previously floated conspiracy theories about Epstein — according to reports.
Trump has publicly insisted that he has full confidence in both officials, as he seeks to put the intraparty infighting to rest.
A mid-July Economist/YouGov poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe the US government is covering up evidence about Epstein. Half of Americans are not satisfied with the amount of information the government has released about the case, according to a CNN poll released this week.
After an event on Tuesday in which he announced billions in investments for the state of Pennsylvania, Trump was asked again why his supporters care about Epstein and are upset by the handling of the probe into his death.
“I don’t understand why they would be so interested,” Trump said. “He’s dead for a long time.”
Read the full article here
