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To say Republicans are fumbling the bag in the handling of this latest tranche of Epstein files is to do them a disservice. They’re going full Wile E. Coyote, stringing up the anvil that’ll come crashing down on them later.
Between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s obvious attempts to gaslight Americans about what’s clearly in the files, and Republicans’ poorly thought out attempts to weaponize subpoenas against their political opponents, they’re planting landmines that are all but guaranteed to blow up in their faces.
Here’s the lie, and the paper trail that proves it.
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Todd Blanche Says One Thing, The Records Say Another
In a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement about the alleged existence of Epstein’s co-conspirators. He took the “these are not the droids you’re looking for” approach.
Essentially, he’s saying that there are no co-conspirators.
But the files directly contradict that. For example, this email [ [link removed] ], from a likely co-conspirator.
Sure, for the practitioners of Olympic-level mental gymnastics, that one might arguably live in a “gray area.” But this next email is pure black and white.
It was released a few months back, in December, and is from a representative of the DOJ’s Violent Crimes Section, Crimes Against Children Human Trafficking Unit looking for an update on 10 co-conspirators.
Here we have in writing, an accounting of the 10 co-conspirators. And it’s not just speculative. DOJ believed there was enough evidence to treat them as possible defendants, not just background characters.
Federal investigators were confident enough to serve three of them with Grand Jury subpoenas, and to pursue the rest. And they put all of this in writing, that would easily be discoverable, or FOIA’d by the press, or reviewed by Congress. All of that is incontrovertible, concrete evidence that this investigation was absolutely about the existence of co-conspirators.
What makes this more than a legal contradiction is who we are learning these co-conspirators are. The people flagged in the files aren’t just fringe figures or disposable intermediaries. They are deeply embedded in the highest levels of tech, finance, and government, the same circles that shape policy, culture, and public trust. So this isn’t just a story about crimes being minimized or hidden identities. We’re getting a behind-the-scenes look at how powerful people behave when they think they’re untouchable.
So when Todd Blanche says co-conspirators don’t exist, he is asking you to ignore the evidence he’s just put on the table. This has become the administration’s go-to strategy. They expect that you won’t believe what you’re seeing with your own eyes. They did it in Minneapolis with the videos of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and they’re doing it again now.
Are you seeing the pattern here?
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Republicans are Playing One Dimensional Chess
When Republicans think about next steps, they literally only think about the next step. Today, it’s to subpoena the Clintons to testify before Congress to answer questions about their associations with Jeffrey Epstein. To be clear, this is deeply unorthodox. No former president has ever been compelled to testify before Congress.
But… there’s a silver lining here.
Because in compelling a former president to testify, the Republicans establish precedent for, well, compelling a former president to testify. Trump will one day be a former president. One who’s had associations with Jeffrey Epstein. And he won’t be shielded by the Office of Legal Counsel guidance saying that a sitting president cannot be indicted.
It is a crime to lie to congress and it is a crime to defy a subpoena. And as long as the next Democratic attorney general does not subscribe to the Merrick Garland approach to government, then Trump can be held accountable if he breaks either of those laws.
What Goes Around
Prominent Democrats have taken note of all of this. They’re pointing out that by hauling in the Clintons, James Comer sets the precedent that will come back around for the Trumps eventually.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz said that when it comes time for the Trumps to take the stand, they’ll have Comer to thank.
Rep. Jamie Raskin issued a similar warning, that if there is a former president who doesn’t render substantial good-faith compliance, they’re going to be in trouble under this precedent. “All bets are off.”
This is the Playbook Now
The lesson here is that we fight as hard -- if not harder -- than Republicans have fought in the past. The Democrats did not start this fight, but we should be willing to finish it. So, remember these moves right now, because this is the playbook, and we should have every intention of using it.
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