鬼百合
Let It Burn!
White House Freaked Out Over a Question About Trump’s Ties to Epstein
THE PENNY DROPSA press inquiry made officials realize it may look like they were trying to protect the president from damning disclosures.
Top White House officials are feuding over the Jeffrey Epstein files, despite President Trump's demand that they — and the American public — move on, officials tell Axios.
- Trump quickly dismissed a reporter's question Tuesday about whether Attorney General Pam Bondi had told him he was in the sex trafficker's files. But last week, a similar media inquiry had sent the White House "into a tizzy" — and helped fuel mistrust between the Department of Justice and the FBI.
- That angered Trump's MAGA loyalists who — thanks in part to Trump and his aides — had been convinced the president would reveal all about Epstein and his alleged cabal of powerful pedophiles. Suddenly long-held conspiracy theories were fueled by new disappointment.
- Unreported until now: After the Bondi-Bongino blowout, a reporter asked whether Bondi had informed Trump that his name was in the Epstein files. Trump has long denied wrongdoing in the case and no evidence has emerged indicating otherwise, but he was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- The question alarmed White House and DOJ personnel about the appearance that the administration had shut down the release of more Epstein information to protect Trump from embarrassing disclosures. Speculation about that swept across some cable news channels.
- "It put people in a tizzy," a source familiar with the discussions told Axios.
President Donald Trump lashing out at some of his own
- "No, no. She's given us just a very quick briefing," Trump said at the White House, calling the Epstein files a non-story, old news and even "fake news."
- Trump quickly pivoted to his new and baseless conspiracy theory: Fake information was inserted into the files by Presidents Biden and Obama — along with former FBI director James Comey, whom he blames for what he calls "the Russia hoax."
- "Anything that's credible, let them have it," Trump said of releasing more Epstein information.
- Bondi has come under withering assault from the online right and conservative influencers for over-promising Epstein disclosures months ago, then vastly under-delivering on that pledge. Trump says he stands by Bondi and her decisions.
- Bondi said Tuesday when asked about calls for her resignation: "I'm going to be here for as long as the president wants me to be here."
- As for more disclosures, she said: "Today our memo speaks for itself, and we will get back to you about anything else."
- Administration officials and Trump advisers are pushing for three possible course corrections for more disclosures, as Axios first reported Monday.
- Bondi declined to elaborate on her relationship with Bongino, who as a private citizen helped promote Epstein conspiracy theories. The two clashed Wednesday in the White House hours after a NewsNation article, citing a source, said Bongino and FBI director Kash Patel had been held back from disclosing more information.
- Bongino and Patel denied the allegation. But a source said "Dan blew his stack" and stormed out after his shouting match with Bondi.
- "It didn't look like a coincidence at that point," an administration source said, adding that "there's no there there" when it comes to major Epstein files revelations.
- "We think this is going to burn out. But not yet."
- "Pissed off Trump is no fun for anyone," said an outside Trump adviser who's in frequent contact with administration officials. "The president wants to talk about his accomplishments. This isn't that."