Amid Epstein Fallout, The Trump Administration Turns To Maga's Other Greatest Hits

WASHINGTON — Facing backlash from MAGA supporters about nan handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump and his management person released a flood of accusation connected aged grievances and issues celebrated pinch nan base.

Overnight, Trump utilized his Truth Social societal media level to attack Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., station a fake AI-generated video showing erstwhile President Barack Obama being arrested by nan FBI and stock AI-generated mugshots of a assortment of Democratic officials who person served arsenic Republican bogeymen complete nan years.

Trump besides weighed successful connected different MAGA favourite — nan names of sports teams — and threatened to effort to artifact a woody to build a caller shot stadium successful D.C. unless nan Washington Commanders changed their sanction backmost to nan Redskins. The squad dropped that sanction successful 2019, aft years of disapproval that it was racist.

The strength of nan Epstein speech has dampened since past week, aft nan Trump management had to contend pinch galore of its MAGA supporters who were furious that officials weren't releasing much accusation astir nan Epstein. On Friday, Trump sued nan Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch aft nan insubstantial published an article saying Trump sent a missive to Jeffrey Epstein successful 2003 that included a drafting of a naked woman.

By Monday, galore salient MAGA societal media accounts appeared to person moved connected from nan Epstein issue, focusing alternatively connected immoderate of nan different topics that nan Trump management has been pushing.

“Saying Trump posts random worldly to distract is for illustration saying nan sun rises to messiness pinch your slumber schedule,” a erstwhile Trump advisor said. “It’s conscionable what it does.”

On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revisited nan 2016 election, calling for respective Obama aides to look prosecution related to Russian interference successful that campaign.

“As is ever nan case, President Trump was correct astir nan Obama-Biden administration’s clear engagement successful nan top witch hunt successful American history and nan genesis of nan decade-long hoax saga that tore our federation isolated and undermined nan will of nan people,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said. “The President and his full management are committed to unearthing wrongdoing and holding immoderate individual accountable for this gross maltreatment of powerfulness and blatant conspiracy against President Trump and his supporters.”

The Justice Department and different agencies released files connected Monday that person agelong been nan taxable of conspiracies. But they weren't Epstein documents; they were documents connected Hillary Clinton and much than 230,000 pages related to nan assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been a peculiar target of nan MAGA base’s ire.

“The American group person waited astir sixty years to spot nan afloat scope of nan national government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” Gabbard, whose agency was besides progressive successful nan release, said successful a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that nary chromatic is near unturned successful our ngo to present complete transparency connected this pivotal and tragic arena successful our nation’s history.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, nan civilian authorities leader and MSNBC host, criticized nan merchandise of nan King documents, saying nan Trump management was simply trying to alteration nan subject.

“We request to beryllium crystal clear connected nan truth that Trump releasing nan MLK assassination files is not astir transparency aliases justice, it’s a hopeless effort to distract group from nan firestorm engulfing Trump complete nan Epstein files and nan nationalist unraveling of his credibility among nan MAGA base,” he said successful a connection Monday.

Early this month, nan Justice Department released a memo saying that a reappraisal had turned up nary “client list” of powerful men who allegedly participated successful Epstein’s activity trafficking schemes.

That conclusion came contempt nan truth that successful February, Bondi told Fox News that an Epstein customer database was “sitting connected my table correct now” waiting to beryllium reviewed and released.

NBC News precocious reported that Trump had go disappointment pinch Bondi’s handling of nan Epstein lawsuit and that he wanted her to return work for cleaning up nan mess.

On Monday, nan Justice Department besides announced it had sent a redacted study to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, astir nan FBI’s handling of files related to “former-FBI Director James Comey’s grounded investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information” during Clinton’s clip arsenic caput of state.

"I commend Chairman Grassley for his unwavering, years-long committedness to exposing nan truth and holding those who activity to conceal it accountable," Bondi said. "This Department of Justice is afloat committed to transparency and will proceed to support good-faith efforts successful Congress to guarantee accountability crossed nan national government.”

In a station connected X, Grassley wrote, "Pres Trump/Pam Bondi + Kash Patel and others yet sewage it done" and thanked them for their dedication to transparency.

The appendix to nan 2018 study from nan Justice Department’s inspector wide involves nan FBI’s handling of thumb thrust devices discovered successful nan people of nan Clinton email investigation.

“It's each a distraction, and they’ll merchandise thing if it buys them different time aliases 2 to not talk astir Epstein aliases to get nan angry mob to talk astir Epstein,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar of California told NBC News Monday.

Late past week, Bondi, on pinch Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, besides visited Alcatraz — which is now a tourer destination successful nan San Francisco Bay — to move guardant pinch nan administration's scheme to reopen nan tract arsenic a national prison. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., criticized it arsenic an effort to "distract" from nan Epstein contention and different news unfavorable to nan administration.

"Between nan Epstein files, betwixt economical indicators — prices going up — truthful successful classical Trump fashion, let's distract. Let's talk astir thing else. Alcatraz is not a superior proposal," Padilla said connected CNN past week. "The costs of bringing that up to minimum standards to service arsenic a detention installation — we've been proceeding from Republicans each twelvemonth long, they want to trim nan national budget. They're looking for cost-savings. This is conscionable different effort to distract from nan horrible news brought to you by nan Trump administration."

Trump besides has received immoderate across-the-aisle thief successful diverting attraction from nan Epstein saga erstwhile Hunter Biden, boy of erstwhile President Joe Biden and agelong a target of nan MAGA movement's scrutiny, made caller headlines.

In an question and reply connected YouTube’s “Channel 5 pinch Andrew Callaghan” that was released Monday, nan younger Biden suggested that nan sleeping pill Ambien was to blasted for his father's mediocre statement capacity against Trump past year. That statement led to Biden's determination to extremity his re-election run 1 twelvemonth agone Monday.

"No 1 is happier than Donald Trump," Sarah Longwell, nan anti-Trump commentator and laminitis of The Bulwark, wrote connected X, "that Hunter Biden has decided we should perceive from him astatine this moment."