Pam Bondi could release the Epstein files right now

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on releasing the Epstein files, a timeline that surprised me. I figured Speaker Mike Johnson would keep on finding excuses for further delays. Perhaps it’s a sign that he knows the gig is up. 

One thing to keep in mind as this whole process plays out: Attorney General Pam Bondi and Donald Trump don’t need congressional approval. If Trump really wanted the Epstein files released, as he’s claiming now, he could order Bondi to do it right now. To see Mr. Executive Order suddenly pretending that he doesn’t have the power is telling. 

Donald Trump does not want to release the Epstein files

So why is Trump suddenly posting that “Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide”? Well, the one thing we can say with absolute certainty is that it’s not because he actually wants the Justice Department to release the files. He’s spent months doing everything in his power to stop that from happening, and it’s no wonder. Just the emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate are bad enough, with quotes like Trump “knew about the girls” and that he’d “spent hours” with a victim at Epstein’s house. Whatever the FBI has clearly scares Trump.

The most popular theory right now is that Trump realizes this vote is coming, whether he likes it or not, and he’s trying to get ahead of the story at the last minute. That makes sense. It’s increasingly clear that Republicans see him as a lame duck. If they act without his permission, then he will look even weaker than he does already. He may feel he’s got no choice. 

Another possibility is that Republicans have a plan to keep the Epstein files secret, even while pretending to release them. After all, they’ve tried that before. Bondi released a binder she called the “Epstein files” in February, which was just the material in the public indictment of Epstein. Then Trump promised a full release within a couple of weeks — that was back in March. Then House Republicans did a document dump over the summer that was, yet again, a nothing-burger. They could be planning another fake-out. After all, the Senate could still kill this bill, or Trump could veto it. 

But there’s a third possibility, one that seems stupid to me but, sadly, might work …

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The great Epstein gaslighting has begun

It also could be that Trump, realizing that he can’t stop the release of the Epstein files, has decided that he can just spin whatever ugly stuff comes out. After all, this is a man who repeatedly lies about what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Even though we all saw it with our own eyes, the MAGA base has decided to believe that it was a “peaceful protest,” not the violent insurrection the rest of the world observed. 

Trump has been trying out some conspiracy theories, saying, “I can’t tell you what they put in since the election.” In other words, he’s seeding the idea that any bad stuff about him in there is fake. This is building on his strategy, as amplified by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, to yell the word “hoax” a lot and hope that creates permission for the base to ignore any damaging information. 

Then there’s what Megyn Kelly is doing — literally prepping her audience to minimize sexual abuse of minors. On a recent episode of her show, Kelly said that “there’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old” and objected to the term “pedophile” for men who rape teenagers. 

As Kelly is no doubt aware, Trump voters have already decided they’re fine with sexual assault, as long as the victim is an adult. That’s why they don’t care that a civil jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll. On the contrary, many hoot and holler their approval of that assault. If she can get her audience to agree that teenage girls are basically adults, that could serve as a last-ditch defense if the full Epstein files come out. 

I’m not saying any of this will work. But it seems that if Plan A of “cover it up” doesn’t work, they’re prepping Plan B: Convince the MAGA base not to care about it. After all, they’ve got an unbroken record of success with this strategy so far.

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What we're reading/watching this week

• “Operation Drumbeat,” John Ganz, Unpopular Front

• “The OF Model to Christian Influencer Pipeline,” Taylor Leigh, Antibot

• “The Sad and Dangerous Reality Behind ‘Her,’” Lauren Kunze, New York Times

• “Donald Trump’s America First movement is fracturing,” Sophia Tesfaye, Salon

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