Walt Handelsman: Times Picayune
This weekend saw the development of an extraordinary rift in MAGA world.
The conflict began last Monday when the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo saying that it had conducted a thorough review of all the evidence the department had collected about convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, who died in his prison cell in 2019 awaiting trial on additional sex-trafficking charges. The memo said that the departmentâs âsystematic review revealed no incriminating âclient listââ and that there was âno credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.â It said the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which operates within the DOJ, had determined âthat no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.â
The memo also said FBI investigators had concluded that Epstein died by suicide, releasing footage from a camera from the unit in which Epstein was being held at the time of his death.
For years now, Trump and his loyalists have claimed Epstein was murdered to protect the rich and powerful men who were preying on children. This theory dovetailed with the QAnon conspiracy theory that Trump was combating a secret ring of cannibalistic child molesters who included Democratic politicians, government officials, film stars, and businessmen. MAGA influencers, including Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, pushed the Epstein theories, and MAGA followers believed them, hoping to bring down Democratic politicians like the Clintons.
Once in power, they vowed, they would release the client list and provide the truth about Epsteinâs death. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi told the Fox News Channel that the client list was âsitting on my desk right now.â Patel is now director of the FBIâin part because MAGA senators like Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) believed he would release more information on Epstein and child sex trafficking ringsâand Bongino is the FBIâs deputy director. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) called for Americans to vote for Trump in 2024 because âAmericans deserve to know why Epstein didnât kill himself.â
The announcement that the DOJ would not provide further information and that Epstein had died by suicide set off a firestorm among MAGA. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec wrote: âWe were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided.â
On Tuesday, when a reporter asked about Epstein during a press opportunity at a cabinet meeting, Trump responded: âAre you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guyâs been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable.â
Trumpâs attempt to turn attention away from the story only drew attention to it. While MAGA focused on the idea that the people on an Epstein client list would be Democrats, in fact the person most closely associated with Epstein in popular culture was Trump himself. The two men were photographed and filmed together a number of times. In 2002, according to New York magazine, Trump said: âIâve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guyâŚ. Heâs 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.â
On June 5, after a falling-out with Trump, billionaire Elon Musk posted on social media: âTime to drop the really big bomb: [Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!â He followed that post up with another saying: âMark this post for the future. The truth will come out.â He later deleted the posts and said they had gone too far.
After Trump tried to downplay the story last week, it gained momentum. MAGA influencers began to call for Bondi to be fired, and Bongino began to talk of resigning from the FBI over Bondiâs memo and handling of the issue.
Then, at 5:21 Saturday evening, Eastern Daylight Time, Trump posted a long, incoherent screed on social media. In it, he defended Attorney General Pam Bondiâwho is, of course, doing his bidding concerning the filesâand tried to bring MAGA together again, warning that âselfish peopleâ were trying to hurt his âPERFECT administrationâ by focusing on Epstein. In apparent contradiction to the story Bondi had told, he suggested the Epstein files existed, but then nonsensically said they were âwritten by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 âIntelligenceâ Agents, âTHE LAPTOP FROM HELL,â and more? They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called âfriendsâ are playing right into their hands. Why didnât these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didnât they use it? They havenât even given up on the John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. Files,â he wrote.
âNo matter how much success we have had, securing the Border, deporting Criminals, fixing the Economy, Energy Dominance, a Safer World where Iran will not have Nuclear Weapons, itâs never enough for some people. We are about to achieve more in 6 months than any other Administration has achieved in over 100 years, and we have so much more to do. We are saving our Country and, MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, which will continue to be our complete PRIORITY,â Trump wrote.
âThe Left is imploding! Kash Patel, and the FBI, must be focused on investigating Voter Fraud, Political Corruption, ActBlue, The Rigged and Stolen Election of 2020, and arresting Thugs and Criminals, instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein. LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOBâSHEâS GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024âThatâs what she is looking into as AG, and much more.
âOne year ago our Country was DEAD, now itâs the âHOTTESTâ Country anywhere in the World. Letâs keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about. Thank you for your attention to this matter!â
For the first time ever, Trump got ratioed on his own platform, meaning that there were more comments on his post than likes or shares, showing disapproval of his message. According to Jordan King of Newsweek, by 10:45 this morning (Eastern Time) it had more than 36,000 replies but only 11,000 reposts and 32,000 likes.
Trump sounds panicked, not only over the Epstein issue itself, but also because he cannot control the narrative his followers are embracing. After stoking the fire of his followersâ anger against what they seemed to see as powerful men getting away with crimes against children, he is now being burned by it. His reflex is to return to his greatest hits, accusing Democrats of writing the Epstein files and then, as he always, always, always does, snapping back to the Russia scandal and calling it a hoax.
Over the weekend, attendees at a conference held by the right-wing Turning Point USA booed the Trump administrationâs handling of the Epstein case. MAGA influencers kept up the drumbeat; Matt Walsh called the administrationâs about-face on releasing information âobvious bullsh*t.â Natalie Allison of the Washington Post reported that even the Fox News Channel warned this morning that â[t]here has to be some explanationâ and that questions about the way the administration is handling the Epstein files were âvery valid.â
Musk, who controls the X social media platform preferred by the right wing, is amplifying the story. After Trumpâs Saturday post, Musk wrote to his 222 million followers: âSeriously. He said âEpsteinâ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein. Just release the files as promised.â
Trump appears to be planning to regain control of the narrative by persecuting his political opponents.
But it is not clear that will silence MAGA voters who backed Trump in part because they thought he would lead the fight against an elite group of pedophiles controlling the country. As Trumpâs policies on the economy, immigration, tax cuts, firing of government employees, and gutting of disaster relief have soured Americans on his administration, loyalists stayed behind him. Now he has turned against their chief cause, giving them an off-ramp from a presidency that seems increasingly off the rails.
Mike Flynn, who served as Trumpâs first national security advisor until forced to resign for lying about his contact with Russian operatives, posted on social media: â[President Trump] please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away. If the administration doesnât address the massive number of unanswered questions about Epstein, especially the ABUSE OF CHILDREN BY ELITES (it is very clear that abuse occurred), then moving forward on so many other monumental challenges our nation is facing becomes much harder.â
Flynn concluded: âWe cannot allow pedophiles to get away. I donât personally care who they are or what elite or powerful position they hold. They must be exposed and held accountable!!!â