Breaking News:
House Democrats dropped a political bombshell, releasing emails they say came from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate that allegedly show Donald Trump was not just aware of the abuse taking place in Epstein’s orbit but “spent hours at my house” with one of the presumably-underage girls.
The documents — now the focus of fierce scrutiny and verification efforts — raise three searing questions: What did Trump know, and when did he know it; what did he do and who did he do it to/with; and is he preparing to start a war to distract us from his exposure?
The allegations are shocking, but the larger danger lies in what happens next. Every time the walls close in, this man reaches for spectacle — rage, chaos, or even war — to change the subject.
Already, Washington feels the rumble of an upcoming diversion.
Just this past Sunday, the president of Colombia publicly pointed to Trump and his military buildup off the coast of Venezuela and said, “A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy.”
With tension rising in the Caribbean and the Trump administration’s talk of “protecting democracy” against Venezuela, we have to ask the question that no one in corporate media wants to say out loud:
“Will Trump try to light another foreign fire to drown out the headlines at home?”
History warns us that autocrats in crisis reach for military might as a political life-raft.
That’s why this moment demands vigilance from every American who still believes in truth over theater, democracy over autocracy, and has been disgusted by previous presidents’ efforts to lie us into wars for purely political purposes like in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
If the evidence against Trump proves false, let it collapse under scrutiny. But if it’s real — if a morbidly rich and powerful man has once again used wealth and influence to shield unspeakable crimes — then no war, no distraction, no flag-waving speech should be allowed to bury it.
And if Trump does try to start a war with Venezuela to distract us from his crimes, we all must speak out loudly and unceasingly. Let your members of Congress know your thoughts (202-224-3121).
Justice and peace must come first, or democracy itself will be the next casualty.
Thom Hartmann is a NY Times bestselling author of 34 books in 17 languages & nation's #1 progressive radio host. Psychotherapist, international relief worker. Politics, history, spirituality, psychology, science, anthropology, pre-history, culture, and the natural world.
