Donald Trump urges support for Pam Bondi on social media while MAGA supporters get queasy Email not displaying correctly?
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The Poynter Report With Senior Media Writer Tom Jones
 

OPINION

 

The Epstein controversy continues to divide the MAGA movement

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media last month, as President Trump looks on. (AP Photo/Manuel Ceneta)

Late Saturday afternoon, President Donald Trump put out a lengthy post on Truth Social that told some in the MAGA world to stop criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi and to essentially move on from the whole Jeffrey Epstein controversy.

Trump started by writing, “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

MAGA, stoked by Trump loyalists, has been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and demanded to know what authorities knew about every detail, including if there was a “client list” and raising questions about whether or not Epstein actually died by suicide.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider declassifying the Epstein files. JD Vance, the eventual vice president, called for the release of the “client list.” Before becoming FBI director, Kash Patel insisted that the Biden administration release the list. During an appearance on Fox News in February, Bondi said of the list, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.” (She has since said she meant the entire Epstein file case was on her desk.)

So last week, when the Department of Justice announced that there was no client list, that Epstein did die by suicide and that there was nothing else coming out regarding the Epstein case, many in the MAGA world were livid, and directed their anger at Bondi.

As well as defending Bondi in his post, Trump tried to point fingers at the Biden administration, once again falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him and then circled back to Bondi, writing, “LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT!”

But that’s not going to be the end of it.

During an appearance on Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” with Howard Kurtz, Sarah Bedford, an editor from the conservative Washington Examiner, said, “I think it’s obvious that this is a huge PR disaster for the Trump administration. There’s no way for them to spin their way out of this.”

Ironic that many inside the far-right and MAGA community spun one conspiracy theory after another, believing that many on the left would be exposed if the Epstein files became public. The latest developments have now turned into other conspiracy theories.

Bedford said, “I don’t think they could have scripted a better way to keep the conspiracy theories alive than the way they handled it. Promising that a lot of information was going to come — and then sort of backtracking without any real explanation. I think this is only going to add fuel to the conspiracies around Epstein.”

New York Times’ opinion columnist David French wrote, “Most Americans saw this news (if they saw it at all) and barely raised an eyebrow. The Epstein story was part of the past; he died in 2019. But it detonated like a bomb in the MAGA universe. Pro-Trump influencers with vast audiences couldn’t believe what they were reading.”

But there’s more, writes French: “This moment is significant for another reason: It allows us to peer into the future of MAGA and see its potential crackup. After Trump is gone, this movement could tear itself apart. Its very existence is premised on a series of fantastical assertions about America and American government. This means that MAGA influencers are constantly deceiving themselves, one another and the right-wing public. It’s an ecosystem that operates in a constant state of crisis and grievance, and MAGA supporters are so convinced that the worst possible stories are real that they’ll turn on anyone not named Donald Trump who dares to tell them the truth — or who deviates in the slightest bit from the stories they tell themselves.”

He adds, “Once Trump leaves office, there will be no one left to end the internal arguments and direct everyone to fall in line. If the Democrats have a problem of too many purity tests, Republicans will soon experience the consequences of putting together a coalition that may have too few. In red America, you can believe anything so long as you support Trump. Remove that man, and only the grievances remain, and many of MAGA’s grievances are against other Republicans.”

For more, check out The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany with “Conspiracy Theorists Are Turning on the President.”

   

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Interesting timing

Trump’s social media post backing Bondi came just a few days after a reported heated confrontation between Bondi and  FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, who has long pushed for the release of the Epstein files going back to his days as a radio/podcast host. Reports are that Bongino and Bondi clashed on Wednesday, but that argument wasn’t made public until Friday. Bongino reportedly didn’t report for work on Friday.

The New York Times’ Glenn Thrush and Shawn McCreesh reported, “Mr. Bongino, who has groused about his workload and spoken wistfully of his lucrative old gig as a podcaster, where he promoted conspiracy theories, has told friends he might ditch his job.”

NBC News reported that both Bongino and Patel “have been increasingly frustrated with Bondi over a variety of issues, not just the Epstein files.”

Credibility problem

And this headline is exactly why Fox News has a credibility problem. Mediaite’s Joe DePaolo with “Trump Runs to Safe Space Amid MAGA Firestorm Over Epstein — Sits for Softball Interview With Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump On Fox News.”

The key — and accurate — words: “safe space,” “softball interview,” “daughter-in-law” and “Fox News.”

The interview aired Saturday night on Lara Trump’s show. It was taped on July 7, the day after the announcement came from the Department of Justice that there was nothing else coming on the Epstein case.

As DePaolo wrote, “… the president was given free rein to crow about his accomplishments without any pushback from the host. At one point, Trump spent a staggering five minutes uninterrupted responding to a question about when people could see ‘the positive impact from the One Big, Beautiful bill in their lives.’ During his rambling response, the president veered away wildly from the original question and proceeded to attack Democrats as well as the media — and even brought up Elon Musk.”

DePaolo added, “Over the course of the 40 minute session, Lara Trump did not ask a question about Epstein — despite the anger from the base over the DOJ/FBI memo effectively ending the Epstein probe, which became public the day before the interview was taped. Instead, the interview wrapped with Lara Trump teeing up her father-in-law to frame his own legacy.”

A curious partnership

Well isn’t this interesting. The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Lauren Hirsch report that David Ellison, the chief executive of the media company Skydance, has had discussions about acquiring The Free Press. That’s the online publication co-founded by former New York Times’ op-ed writer and editor Bari Weiss. Meanwhile, Ellison’s Skydance is trying to finalize a deal to purchase Paramount, the parent company of CBS and CBS News.

Mullin and Hirsch wrote, “A deal between Skydance and The Free Press is far from certain. Ms. Weiss, a former opinion writer for The New York Times, has expressed a desire to run the site as a stand-alone company for the foreseeable future. Mr. Ellison’s attention has been focused on closing the deal with Paramount.”

The Free Press describes itself as being “built on the ideals that once were the bedrock of great journalism: honesty, doggedness, and fierce independence. We publish investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is—with the quality once expected from the legacy press, but the fearlessness of the new.”

The Times wrote, “The Free Press, which grew out of a newsletter she started called ‘Common Sense,’ has generated headlines with reporting and commentary that cut against traditional media narratives. Last year, it published a widely circulated essay from Uri Berliner, a former NPR senior editor, that accused the public radio organization of liberal bias. As of last August, The Free Press had more than 50 employees and offices on both coasts. It also hosts a series of live events, brokering debates about topics including immigration and crime. The site now has roughly 1.5 million free and paid subscribers and creates podcasts and video.”

How does all of this tie in with CBS News? Hard to say. As CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote, “Ellison has been tight-lipped about his vision for CBS, so his interest in The Free Press is a significant signal about his plans to invest in reporting and analysis.”

The Times wrote, “Among the many options being discussed include Ms. Weiss’s taking on an influential role in shaping the editorial sensibilities of CBS News, though she would likely not join in a managerial capacity, one of the people said.”

In his Status media newsletter last month, Oliver Darcy wrote, “Ellison … expressed strong interest in recruiting Weiss to work in some capacity with the network, according to people familiar with the matter. I'm told that Ellison appeared to leave a wide range of options on the table, signaling that he sees Weiss as a valuable addition while he considers how to put his stamp on the news division. While a management role is not said to be on the table, it would not be out of the range of possibilities that she could be named as an on-air contributor or even perhaps given a coveted correspondent position on ‘60 Minutes.’”

Pulling back the curtain at 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Workers install a sign reading “Alligator Alcatraz” at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, earlier this month in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Here’s an example of journalism making a real difference.

The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times obtained the list of the more than 700 people who have been detained or appear to be scheduled to be sent to the Florida-run immigration detention facility that is being called “Alligator Alcatraz.” And the news organizations are publishing the names.

Journalists Ana Ceballos, Ben Wieder, Claire Healy and Shirsho Dasgupta wrote, “The DeSantis administration has not made public a list of names of the immigrants held at the facility in heavy duty tents at an airstrip in the Florida Everglades. Individuals sent to the makeshift detention center do not show up in an online government database that allows the public to search for immigrant detainees’ whereabouts. Lawyers say they have had difficulty locating clients sent to the site, often learning that they are there when detainees call family members.”

They wrote, “The list — made public for the first time here — was shared with the Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the site. Neither disputed its accuracy.”

The list is not exhaustive and continues to change. 

In a separate story, they wrote, “Hundreds of immigrants with no criminal charges in the United States are being held at Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility state and federal officials have characterized as a place where ‘vicious’ and ‘deranged psychopaths’ are sent before they get deported, records obtained by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times show. Mixed among the detainees accused and convicted of crimes are more than 250 people who are listed as having only immigration violations but no criminal convictions or pending charges in the United States.”

The story goes on to say, “A third of the detainees have criminal convictions. Their charges range from attempted murder to illegal re-entry to traffic violations. Hundreds of others only have pending charges. The records do not disclose the nature of the alleged offenses, and reporters have not independently examined each individual’s case.”

The Herald also is asking readers for help with this link: “Do you know someone detained at Alligator Alcatraz? We’d like to hear from you.”

A legend to retire

Dan Balz, a well-respected Washington Post reporter, is retiring from full-time work at the end of the month. He has been with the Post since 1978, mostly covering national politics, the presidency and Congress.

CNN contributor David Axelrod, former advisor in the Barack Obama administration, tweeted, “For nearly half a century, @DanBalz of the @washingtonpost has set the standard for political journalism. He has brought uncommon humility, grace and insight to his reporting, which reflected a commitment  to listen deeply to the voices of Americans instead of simply rehashing the often clueless palaver of the echo chamber in DC. His retirement at the end of this month will not just be a loss to the Post but to the country. I've never respected a journalist more.”

The New York Times’ Peter Baker tweeted, “Just want to take a minute to mark a huge moment in DC. The legendary @danbalz is retiring from full-time work at the @washingtonpost after 47 remarkable years. I had the great privilege of sitting next to Dan in the Post newsroom and working with him for years. He is the last of a generation of gold-standard political reporters who inspired all of us who have followed. You will never find a smarter, wiser, fairer, more insightful, more generous, more thoroughly decent colleague. He is a follow-the-facts, knock-on-every-door reporter who manages to be open minded and tough minded at the same time. In a flash-and-bang era, Dan showed us day in and day out that there is no substitute for hard work and expertise. @mikeallen writes that Dan is ‘known for civility and rigor,’ which is absolutely right. Plus he's the nicest guy in the business. I've always wanted to be Dan Balz when I grow up, but the truth is there's only one and we will miss his byline in the paper.”

Aside from his work at the Post, Balz has written several books and is a regular on PBS’s “Washington Week.”

Media tidbits

  • PolitiFact’s Madison Czopek with “Why does Grok post false, offensive things on X? Here are 4 revealing incidents.”
  • Al Jazeera’s Nilesh Christopher and Valerio Pepe with “As millions adopt Grok to fact-check, misinformation abounds.”
  • Politico’s Lindsey Holden with “Judge rules Los Angeles police can't use nonlethal weapons against journalists.” (I think the term should be “less lethal,” but you’ll get the point of the Politico story.)
  • David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents and a political analyst for CNN, has died after a long illness. He was 83. Here’s more from CNN’s Brian Stelter and Jamie Gangel, as well as this piece from The Associated Press’ Patrick Whittle.
  • Awful Announcing’s Reice Shipley with “Jay Harris welcomed back to ESPN after successful prostate cancer surgery.”

Hot type

  • “CBS News Sunday Morning” and “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty profile retiree Barbara Rae-Venter, whose hobby of researching her family tree led to the capture of the Golden State Killer in “Cracking the code: Building the family tree of a serial killer.”
  • Politico’s Samuel Benson writes about the Republican Utah senator in “Mike Lee Can’t Stop Throwing Social Media Grenades. His Church Isn’t Happy.”
  • For The New York Times Magazine, Devin Gordon with “He Claims He’s the ‘Sports Betting King.’ What Are the Odds?”

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