From Tom Jones | Poynter <[email protected]>
Subject Trump Admin Wants to Shut Down Epstein Talk. MAGA Isn’t Having It
Date July 9, 2025 11:30 AM
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** OPINION
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** Trump Admin Scrambles to Shut Down Epstein Talk — But MAGA Isn’t Having It
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Attorney General Pam Bondi, left, listens as President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This latest Jeffrey Epstein story isn’t going away — as much as the Trump administration wants it to disappear.

Just this week, the Department of Justice put out a memo saying there was no such thing as a “client list” for the convicted sex offender, and that their evidence supports the medical examiner’s claim that Epstein died by suicide.

In other words, if you're a conspiracy theorist when it comes to the Epstein story, the DOJ just said move along, there’s nothing to see here. And that, of course, is fueling only more conspiracy theories that the Trump administration is hiding something.

Oddly, pretty much all of those theories are coming from the right, which has been obsessed with the Epstein case for a long time.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on the DOJ memo and past remarks from Attorney General Pam Bondi that seemed to indicate that an Epstein file with embarrassing details and a possible client list were, in Bondi’s words, “sitting on my desk to be reviewed.”

So naturally, reporters brought up the topic again on Tuesday during Trump’s cabinet meeting. As one reporter started asking Bondi about Epstein, Trump interrupted and said ([link removed]) , “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy has been talked about for years. You’re asking … we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable!”

Yet, Bondi insisted on speaking about Epstein … for a moment and only for a moment.

Bondi said, “In February, I did an interview on Fox. And it’s been getting a lot of attention because I was asked a question about the client list. And my response was, ‘It’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed.’ Meaning the file — along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That’s what I meant by that.”

She then briefly addressed the question about a missing minute on the prison video from the night when Epstein died. After the above explanation, Bondi said, “And that’s it on Epstein!”

Mediaite’s Colby Hall wrote ([link removed]) , “Trump’s eager dismissal of Epstein conspiracy theories embraced by many in the MAGA mediasphere will likely raise eyebrows and spark outrage on the right, as his administration finds itself already under fire for insisting that Epstein did not have a ‘client list’ and that he did indeed kill himself.”

In his column for the National Review ([link removed]) , Jim Geraghty points out that in early February, conservative podcaster and radio host Dan Bongino told his listeners, “I’ve been covering it for a long time. The Jeffrey Epstein case — you do not know all the details of this thing, I promise. There are a lot of really obviously powerful people.”

He then mentioned, by name, the Clintons and a lawyer with ties to Barack Obama.

These days, Bongino is the deputy director of the FBI.

“Whoopsie!” Geraghty writes. “It turns out the list never existed, according to Bongino’s department now.”

The headline on the latest column from The xxxxxx’s Will Sommer: “MAGA World’s Mega Meltdown Over Latest Epstein Flop.” ([link removed])

Sommer wrote, “All of that has infuriated some of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, who are alternatively calling for Bondi to be fired, or accusing CIA Director John Ratcliffe of orchestrating a larger coverup, or wondering if the tentacles of the Deep State reach far deeper than they previously believed. But the Epstein memo fiasco also shows something bigger: the serious bind the administration finds itself in after promising to uncover evidence of conspiracy theories that, apparently, just don’t exist.”

Sommer would add, “With future Epstein developments unlikely for now, right-wing media figures are left to look for scapegoats. Bondi is at the top of the list. But so is Ratcliffe, with conservative commentator Mike Benz appearing on Benny Johnson’s show on Monday to suggest the CIA hasn’t been open enough about its own Epstein information.”

And for more, check out this fairly interesting video commentary from Chris Cillizza: “What happens when the leopards eat YOUR face?” ([link removed])

Also, there’s Jared Holt, MSNBC's senior researcher on hate and extremist movements in the U.S., with, "MAGA influencers are raging at Trump officials over the ‘Epstein Files’ dud." ([link removed]) Holt wrote, “Conspiracy theorists are prone to double down on their beliefs when confronted with answers that offend their imaginations. We expect most of the MAGA conspiracists to crawl back to Trump in time; they risk losing their access and audience if they are seen as betraying him.”

Oh … and you had to know that Elon Musk was going to offer his two cents. He tweeted Tuesday, “How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” ([link removed]) Speaking of which, veteran Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, who has done extensive reporting on Epstein, tweeted on Monday ([link removed]) : “On Epstein: as I've written too many times to count, there ARE massive amounts of FBI/DOJ files that have not been released, or those that are available are so heavily blacked out that they are unreadable. The FBI and DOJ can release these files (redacting the names of victims) so that the public knows what the FBI did — and didn't do — to investigate others involved in Epstein's sex trafficking operation. The ‘list’ is a red herring -- but that doesn't mean there aren't names contained in those FBI files. Dozens of women were interviewed after Epstein's
arrest in 2019, and a lot has happened over the past eight years since my series exposing the coverup was published in The Miami Herald.”

A NOTE FROM POYNTER


** A new editor's guide to leveling up
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Join Edit to Elevate, a four-week, craft-intensive course designed to meet the moment and help new editors move beyond the basics to focus on the mission, mindset and roadmap required to make them indispensable to their newsrooms.

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** Honoring a legend
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Jane Pauley has had an incredibly impressive career in broadcast journalism.

She was a longtime co-host of NBC’s “Today” show. She co-anchored NBC’s “Dateline.” She once hosted her self-titled daily show. And next year will mark 10 years that she’d held the position of host of “CBS News Sunday Morning.”

And for that remarkable career, Pauley will be honored with the 2025 Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism. Pauley will receive the medal at the Bowtie Ball, Poynter’s annual fundraising gala, on Nov. 15, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.

Poynter president Neil Brown said in a statement, “Jane Pauley has built a deep and meaningful relationship with the American viewing public, who have invited her into their homes as a trusted source of news and information for decades. She has shown us how journalism can change and improve lives, how rich, well-told stories can bring us closer together and how a broadcaster with honesty and integrity can make a lasting impact. We can think of no one better to honor at this special celebration as we mark Poynter’s 50-year legacy and mission of journalism excellence.”

Previous recipients of the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism include Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Lesley Stahl, Chris Wallace, Katie Couric, Lester Holt, Judy Woodruff, Tom Brokaw, and Bob Schieffer.

In addition to Pauley, this year’s Bowtie Ball also will recognize two others with the Distinguished Service to Journalism Awards. They are Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship and former executive editor of the Times, and G.B. “Garry” Trudeau, the Pulitzer-winning creator of the comic strip “Doonesbury.” And, as many of you know, Trudeau is also Pauley’s husband.

For more information, check out this story by my Poynter colleagues Adele Streissguth and Jennifer Orsi ([link removed]) .


** Speaking out
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Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” welcomed former “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft to his show Monday and used the opportunity to slam Paramount, the owners of CBS, for settling the lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump. Although they did not apologize, Paramount settled with Trump, who accused CBS News for editing a “60 Minutes” interview last October with Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in such a way to help Harris beat Trump. Legal experts believed Trump had no case, but Paramount settled because it’s in the process of being sold and needs approval from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission.

Oh, it should be mentioned that Paramount also owns Comedy Central.

Talking about the settlement before the impending sale, Stewart said, “I’m obviously not a lawyer, but I did watch ‘Goodfellas.’ That sounds illegal.”

Kroft told Stewart that “60 Minutes” did nothing wrong and yet Paramount “just paid the money.”

Stewart said, “So just flat-out protection money,” Stewart said.

“Yeah,” Kroft said, “it was a shakedown.”

Stewart would go on to say, “It doesn’t feel like scrutiny on news networks — it feels like fealty. They are being held to a standard that will never be satisfactory to Donald Trump. No one can ever kiss his ass enough.”

Kroft said the mood has not been good at “60 Minutes” since the settlement, telling Stewart, “I think there is a lot of fear over there. Fear of losing their jobs. Fear of losing their country. Fear of losing the First Amendment.”


** A new section
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The Atlantic announced Tuesday that it is launching a new National Security section ([link removed]) and newsletter ([link removed]) .

In a note to readers ([link removed]) , Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, wrote, “Since its founding in 1857, The Atlantic has excelled in covering matters of war, peace, and national defense. Nathaniel Hawthorne served as the magazine’s Civil War correspondent (Abraham Lincoln himself said that a favorable article in The Atlantic could save him ‘half a dozen battles’). The strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan advanced the idea of America as a global naval power in the pages of The Atlantic. We published the letters of General George S. Patton; the Cold War analysis of William “Wild Bill” Donovan, the founder of the CIA; and Frances FitzGerald’s historic reporting on Vietnam. Today, as the post–World War II international order constructed and maintained by the United States is under unprecedented pressure (from within and without), issues of national defense and America’s role in the world are among the most urgent we face.
Which is why The Atlantic is committed to rapidly and dramatically expanding the scope and scale of our coverage. Imagine an intersection at which American national security, defense spending, the rise of China, technological innovation, regional conflict, and the future of liberal democracy all meet; this is where you will find The Atlantic and our stellar team of reporters.”


** Media tidbits
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* The Wrap’s Sean Burch with “Bloomberg Hit by Newsroom Layoffs Amid Department-Wide Reorg.” ([link removed])
* Former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who has found much success with his own media newsletter, is launching a podcast/videocast called “Power Lines.” It will be based on the reporting and media analysis done by Darcy and his colleague Jon Passantino. The podcast will launch this Friday with new episodes coming up every Friday. Variety’s Brian Steinberg has the details ([link removed]) .
* I try to point out good journalism in this newsletter, and so I’m directing you to this really good work ([link removed]) — simple, effective and thorough — from CBS News about how travelers at some airports in the U.S. are no longer required to take off their shoes to get through security. Again, I cannot praise this short video enough for how it answered every question on this topic. Well done.
* Axios’ Brittany Gibson with “Musk's America Party has helpers — and challenges.” ([link removed])
* The Washington Post’s John Hudson and Hannah Natanson with “A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials.” ([link removed])
* The Hollywood Reporter’s Mike Barnes with “Ted Cordes, Longtime Broadcast Standards Executive at NBC, Dies at 87.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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More powerful work from the horrific floods in Texas. The Wall Street Journal’s Joshua Chaffin, Scott Calvert, Jim Carlton and Patience Haggin with “How a Flash Flood Turned Camp Mystic Into a Disaster Zone.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
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* Learn how to “lead your leaders” in this virtual intensive for journalism managers handling big responsibilities without direct reports. Apply today ([link removed]) .
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* Learn how to uncover public records and hard-to-find facts in The 5 Ws of Research ([link removed]) , an on-demand course taught by veteran journalist Caryn Baird — free for a limited time.
* Early-career editors: Line-edit under pressure, coach inexperienced reporters remotely and guide reporters to develop stories that elevate their beat coverage. Register now ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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