I think that if it isn't, and the public lets him slide, that we are a country not much worth saving. But - it will be the undoing - for a couple reasons. The hardest calls for transparency are coming from within the house - the GOP faithful want that promised kept. and unlike their leaders, they don't seem to care where, or to whom, it leads. I think most Republicans, like Dems, are repulsed by the idea of old white men abusing young girls. And by the way, Megyn Kelly's comment about -15-y.o's not as bad as 8 y.o's --- why does this woman still have a job? At any age under the legal limit (16 in a few states, 18 most places) it's statutory rape.
and also I think it has now gotten too big to be squashed down. I can't see how this just fades away - even it trump attacks Venezuela - which he might do just as a distraction. the man is dangerous.
Final thought. I wonder about all the people in his circle trying to make all this go away - Vance, Miller, and especially Susie Wiles. Are they so morally bankrupt that they work to make all this sordidness go away? Guess so. Remember the good old days when staff resigned because they disagreed with the head honcho? I guess there really is no bottom any more.
Thanks Steven for yet another stimulating piece. Cutting to the chase … The salaciousness of “le affair Epstein” will bring Trump down in the end. I do not celebrate. I have profound sadness for the victims and I worry constantly about the effect all of this is having on the young.Those whose world knows nothing but Trump and Trumpism.
The egg is already cracked, and the obviousness with which the First Felon is frantically attempting to put it back together is clear even to the voluntarily dim. The ugliness looks like the East Wing. Congress must step in Now to prevent a distracting new war. Hearings are essential now. Even shadow hearings, by the minority party on the Capitol steps, if needed. Now is the time.
With the DOJ opening an investigation it would lead to Congress not being able to obtain files in an open investigation.
Despite that sleight of hand, Congress can subpoena Michael Wolff, etc. to obtain his alleged audio tapes of interviews of Jeffrey Epstein, his copies of their emails, etc.
Congress subpoenaing Bondi to testify about her prior statements to the media and to Congress may serve to foster distrust in the MAGA cult of any representations she may make going forward.
There are no good days left in that miserable bastard’s life and I will be here for all of them
Corporate Media bears a huge responsibility for everything that has happened in the past 10 years since Trump bragged that he could "grab women by the pussy"
Every revelation should have been enough
Every crime he's been convicted of should have been enough
Every LIE should have been enough
Just maybe after 10 years of dealing with this psychopath
Even their minimizing, enabling & ignoring his behaviors both past & present will cause his final downfall
You mention "imagination" on the part of Trump. His problem is the imagination of MAGAmericans. They're imagining what he could have been doing for hours with one of the victims - in Epstein's house, no less. That's when he loses them.
I hope it is finally enough. I haven't understood how any woman could have voted for the convicted felon after the bus tape and rape conviction, personally. Actually, even before that, as I lived in an area that got New York City news and saw what a cruel, depraved, and corrupt person he was decades ago.
I watched the Virginia Giuffre 60 Minutes Australia interview last night. It was horrifying and made me cry. The dehumanization of these children by Epstein and Maxwell and their 'clients' was absolutely heartbreaking. How anyone could watch it and then discount what happened to these girls is unbelievable. Don't these people have daughters? Of course, look what the felon has said about his own daughter, and his base has evidently been fine with that.
I recently read data about genetic testing in regards to ancestry and also crime-solving. The article said that it found that incest was a lot more widespread than was previously thought. Qasim Rashid recently wrote an article about the acceptability of children marriage in different societies, most notably in the United States. Both made my skin crawl.
Absolutely NO to your question of is this going to be the undoing of Trump. The Republicans in Congress are too intimidated by his threats to go against him as they have displayed with everything thus far. Of course Putin knows and has the goods on him that’s why he caves to him continuously. I don’t think the complete Epstein files will be released. Trump will slither out of this as he has done with everything since 2015. This is what he meant when he said he could stand in the middle of 5 th ave and shoot someone and nothing would happen to him. Teflon Don.
His health contains in its decline; the public continues to be vocal in its anger at raising prices and impacts on Medicaid and the affordable care act premiums, a looming unwarranted war combined with all things Epstein files that he will collapse. His sycophants can only boost him up, cover for him and his ill crafted policies for just so long. In my humble opinion.
Maybe the Republicans will get smart and realize that once he’s gone that threat disappears. Trump is a once-in-a-lifetime aberration in our country’s history and will serve as either a poster boy for what a President shouldn’t be or in a “Not Wanted” poster in a Post Office near you.
So far, from what I have read, it appears that Trump has bystander status. Of course, his eagerness to deflect and distract may mean something more insidious and dark. If the Epstein files take him down, it probably will take down Bill Clinton and a few other people as well, but given the redactions, who knows what will be learned?
He’s only included a few carefully selected Dems or Dem connected names & Chase Bank to be investigated. Chase already settled with many victims. So did another bank. At least 4 banks are believed to be involved.
This is a distraction just as the Comer investigation is a distraction gone awry.
DJT is finding out that he can break that bond with his voters. First he lost the ones his allied groups worked very hard to get to the polls. The disaffected, the intermittent or unregistered; the ones who were being harmed by the high cost of living. The ones who were never part of the maga core including most independents. Now it’s the maga base - the people who identify as maga which had grown to 39% in the past couple years. It shrank to 30% last month.
It looks like 2 things are in play. Voters are cynical and expect puffery from politicians. Some promises and actions are more important to voters than others. When voters are upset about one thing important to them it tends to color their view of the big picture. The bite at the cash register is a big part of their sour mood.
The Epstein Files reached crossed political affiliation at a time when there was a large anti-human trafficking movement. Trump embraced releasing the files. His appointees promised to release them & prosecute wrong doers. Bongino and others still out there fed it to their audiences and were left twisting in the wind when Bondi said there’s nothing there.
You don’t reverse what people think - and importantly - feel on a dime. Plus he offers nothing, no reason. Worse for him, his influencers, JD Vance, Massie & others know he is a lame duck. They are making their own plans for their future & what comes next.
I think it’s clear that, at the very least, he knew what was happening. Personally, I believe he’s guilty as sin of participating in this heinous crime himself. But will it be enough to take him down? One can only hope. And if it also takes down a bunch of high ranking Dems too? Well anyone who was involved deserves to be punished.
I think that if it isn't, and the public lets him slide, that we are a country not much worth saving. But - it will be the undoing - for a couple reasons. The hardest calls for transparency are coming from within the house - the GOP faithful want that promised kept. and unlike their leaders, they don't seem to care where, or to whom, it leads. I think most Republicans, like Dems, are repulsed by the idea of old white men abusing young girls. And by the way, Megyn Kelly's comment about -15-y.o's not as bad as 8 y.o's --- why does this woman still have a job? At any age under the legal limit (16 in a few states, 18 most places) it's statutory rape.
and also I think it has now gotten too big to be squashed down. I can't see how this just fades away - even it trump attacks Venezuela - which he might do just as a distraction. the man is dangerous.
Final thought. I wonder about all the people in his circle trying to make all this go away - Vance, Miller, and especially Susie Wiles. Are they so morally bankrupt that they work to make all this sordidness go away? Guess so. Remember the good old days when staff resigned because they disagreed with the head honcho? I guess there really is no bottom any more.
Agree. Folks are calling on SiriusXM to deplatform Megyn "it's ok to rape a 15 yr old" Kelly. Spread the word.
Thanks Steven for yet another stimulating piece. Cutting to the chase … The salaciousness of “le affair Epstein” will bring Trump down in the end. I do not celebrate. I have profound sadness for the victims and I worry constantly about the effect all of this is having on the young.Those whose world knows nothing but Trump and Trumpism.
Hi Ellen. I share your interest in the historical perspective. If you haven’t already, check out “The Long View” on Substack. All best. Don
The egg is already cracked, and the obviousness with which the First Felon is frantically attempting to put it back together is clear even to the voluntarily dim. The ugliness looks like the East Wing. Congress must step in Now to prevent a distracting new war. Hearings are essential now. Even shadow hearings, by the minority party on the Capitol steps, if needed. Now is the time.
I sincerely believe that this may be the story that breaks the spell trump has over his cult followers. I can’t wait till it all comes out!
I hope so! I want him in jail for life
The end can't come soon enough. In the meantime, Don might wag the dog. (Venezuela) Or a Shetland pony. Or an elephant. Whatever it takes.
Certainly hope so. It's about time.
With the DOJ opening an investigation it would lead to Congress not being able to obtain files in an open investigation.
Despite that sleight of hand, Congress can subpoena Michael Wolff, etc. to obtain his alleged audio tapes of interviews of Jeffrey Epstein, his copies of their emails, etc.
Congress subpoenaing Bondi to testify about her prior statements to the media and to Congress may serve to foster distrust in the MAGA cult of any representations she may make going forward.
Is karma finally meeting schadenfreude?
There are no good days left in that miserable bastard’s life and I will be here for all of them
Corporate Media bears a huge responsibility for everything that has happened in the past 10 years since Trump bragged that he could "grab women by the pussy"
Every revelation should have been enough
Every crime he's been convicted of should have been enough
Every LIE should have been enough
Just maybe after 10 years of dealing with this psychopath
Even their minimizing, enabling & ignoring his behaviors both past & present will cause his final downfall
Maybe?
You mention "imagination" on the part of Trump. His problem is the imagination of MAGAmericans. They're imagining what he could have been doing for hours with one of the victims - in Epstein's house, no less. That's when he loses them.
I hope it is finally enough. I haven't understood how any woman could have voted for the convicted felon after the bus tape and rape conviction, personally. Actually, even before that, as I lived in an area that got New York City news and saw what a cruel, depraved, and corrupt person he was decades ago.
I watched the Virginia Giuffre 60 Minutes Australia interview last night. It was horrifying and made me cry. The dehumanization of these children by Epstein and Maxwell and their 'clients' was absolutely heartbreaking. How anyone could watch it and then discount what happened to these girls is unbelievable. Don't these people have daughters? Of course, look what the felon has said about his own daughter, and his base has evidently been fine with that.
I recently read data about genetic testing in regards to ancestry and also crime-solving. The article said that it found that incest was a lot more widespread than was previously thought. Qasim Rashid recently wrote an article about the acceptability of children marriage in different societies, most notably in the United States. Both made my skin crawl.
Maybe we aren't worth saving.
Absolutely NO to your question of is this going to be the undoing of Trump. The Republicans in Congress are too intimidated by his threats to go against him as they have displayed with everything thus far. Of course Putin knows and has the goods on him that’s why he caves to him continuously. I don’t think the complete Epstein files will be released. Trump will slither out of this as he has done with everything since 2015. This is what he meant when he said he could stand in the middle of 5 th ave and shoot someone and nothing would happen to him. Teflon Don.
His health contains in its decline; the public continues to be vocal in its anger at raising prices and impacts on Medicaid and the affordable care act premiums, a looming unwarranted war combined with all things Epstein files that he will collapse. His sycophants can only boost him up, cover for him and his ill crafted policies for just so long. In my humble opinion.
Maybe the Republicans will get smart and realize that once he’s gone that threat disappears. Trump is a once-in-a-lifetime aberration in our country’s history and will serve as either a poster boy for what a President shouldn’t be or in a “Not Wanted” poster in a Post Office near you.
So far, from what I have read, it appears that Trump has bystander status. Of course, his eagerness to deflect and distract may mean something more insidious and dark. If the Epstein files take him down, it probably will take down Bill Clinton and a few other people as well, but given the redactions, who knows what will be learned?
He’s only included a few carefully selected Dems or Dem connected names & Chase Bank to be investigated. Chase already settled with many victims. So did another bank. At least 4 banks are believed to be involved.
This is a distraction just as the Comer investigation is a distraction gone awry.
DJT is finding out that he can break that bond with his voters. First he lost the ones his allied groups worked very hard to get to the polls. The disaffected, the intermittent or unregistered; the ones who were being harmed by the high cost of living. The ones who were never part of the maga core including most independents. Now it’s the maga base - the people who identify as maga which had grown to 39% in the past couple years. It shrank to 30% last month.
It looks like 2 things are in play. Voters are cynical and expect puffery from politicians. Some promises and actions are more important to voters than others. When voters are upset about one thing important to them it tends to color their view of the big picture. The bite at the cash register is a big part of their sour mood.
The Epstein Files reached crossed political affiliation at a time when there was a large anti-human trafficking movement. Trump embraced releasing the files. His appointees promised to release them & prosecute wrong doers. Bongino and others still out there fed it to their audiences and were left twisting in the wind when Bondi said there’s nothing there.
You don’t reverse what people think - and importantly - feel on a dime. Plus he offers nothing, no reason. Worse for him, his influencers, JD Vance, Massie & others know he is a lame duck. They are making their own plans for their future & what comes next.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/secret-gop-cabal-vance-thiel-174354830.html
I think it’s clear that, at the very least, he knew what was happening. Personally, I believe he’s guilty as sin of participating in this heinous crime himself. But will it be enough to take him down? One can only hope. And if it also takes down a bunch of high ranking Dems too? Well anyone who was involved deserves to be punished.
Trump and his Gaggle of Sycophant White Christian Nationalist Fascist Goons will have to face justice at some point.