Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Questions about the Epstein files keep coming.

So do bits of information about President Trump's ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide while in prison nearly 6 years ago.

The White House is employing lots of strategies to try to distract and deflect in an effort to beat back the story. The president said fellow Republicans, people who voted for him, were being "duped" by Democrats, said he doesn't want their votes and called those continuing to demand the release of the files "weaklings."

Trump went on a social media posting spree Monday night, lashing out at familiar foes — former Presidents Obama and Biden as well as his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, while pointing back to the now-almost decade-old investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

He went after the media for coverage of last month's bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, and that came after blasting the 

 for reporting last week on a risque birthday letter

 to Epstein in 2003 that had Trump's name on it. Trump then sued the paper for $20 billion, contending that "

It looked like the blame-the-media strategy might work with his base after that, but his response has been more muted this week after the 

 that Trump was briefed by his attorney general in May that his name appears multiple times in the files. A spokesperson called it a continuation of "fake news," but Trump did not directly addressed the story. 

The administration's recent comments and actions — including releasing more documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. nearly 60 years ago and even wading into the years-old controversies around changed 

 — have done little to quell the controversy.

 has shown that neither Trump's base nor the public writ large is 

 with the amount of information released or how Trump's administration is 

, though Trump's approval with Republicans 

All of it represents an ironic turn for Trump. His political career was born out of the false birther conspiracy, and he has peddled lots of others for years, stoking a distrust in expertise and the government to help fuel his runs for office.

 the government — and dealing with a story in which conclusions were already drawn by many in his base that have roots in the QAnon movement that there is a 

 of high-profile people in government, who are also pedophiles.

In many ways, the Epstein files are a self-created perfect storm, and now it's blowing back.

The calls for releasing the files have impacted all three branches of government this week. Trump said that releasing the files won't likely quell the conspiracies, but even in that acknowledgment, he deflected, trying to blame Democrats.

"[N]othing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request," Trump said in a 

 last weekend that began with him calling for the release of grand jury testimony from the Epstein case. "It will always be more, more, more. MAGA!"

Where do things stand and what's the latest?

Justice Department interview of Ghislaine Maxwell: 

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal attorney of President Trump's, interviewed Ghislane Maxwell in prison on Thursday. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. What new information the DOJ is seeking or what it would learn — and what Maxwell could get out of it, if anything, is unclear.

Whether anyone can believe what Maxwell winds up sharing is another question. Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig 

 that if he were Maxwell's lawyer he'd advise her to share nothing and invoke the Fifth Amendment, which gives people the right to not self-incriminate.

"Even though she's already been tried and convicted and sentenced, she still could at least theoretically have other exposure to additional crimes," Honig said.

The government, encouraged by Trump, also sought to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case. A federal judge denied one of those requests. Two others are pending. 

In Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson had Congress 

 for its August recess rather than take a vote aiming to force the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.

House Oversight Committee seeks Maxwell interview, too:

 After a subcommittee vote in which Republicans joined Democrats to approve a subpoena to compel Maxwell to speak to the committee, committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, issued a subpoena for an interview to occur Aug. 11.

"While the Justice Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr. Epstein's cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government's enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr. Epstein," Comer wrote in a 

 to Maxwell released by the committee. "In particular, the Committee seeks your testimony to inform the consideration of potential legislative solutions to improve federal efforts to combat sex trafficking and reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements in sex-crime investigations."

Trump knew his name was in the files in May, according to the 

reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy briefed Trump two months ago, letting him know that his name appeared in the Epstein files.

NPR has not confirmed that reporting, and the appearance of Trump's name alone is not an indication of wrongdoing. He and Epstein were friends for years; they were seen on video partying together; and Trump was even on flight logs for Epstein's plane before a falling out over a property dispute.

Honig told Morning Edition that it was highly unusual for an attorney general in the modern era to tell a president the details of

an investigation it is conducting, particularly when it involves the president himself.

"Not at all," it's not normal for an attorney general to do so, Honig said. "And the question that this begs to me is, why? Why would the attorney general go and tip off the president — 'Hey, you're named in these criminal, closed criminal investigative files,' whatever 'named' may mean. That is highly abnormal, and if we look back at the history of attorneys general, through both parties, that would be seen as a breach of the attorney general's independence."

For Trump's part, a White House spokesperson said in a statement that Trump kicked Epstein "out of his club for being a creep," dismissed the story as a continuation of "fake news" and pivoted to talking about Russia's involvement in the 2016 election.

What does the Russia investigation have to do with this?

It's hard to believe, but the government's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was almost a decade ago now.

And yet, it's something Trump continues to point to when asked about Epstein.

On Wednesday, Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, from the White House Briefing Room podium, alleged a "yearslong coup and treasonous conspiracy" enacted by the Obama administration against Trump.

But there wasn't much new. In fact, the assessments she referenced largely affirm what's been known about Russian interference for years — while weaving a newly packaged web with that information.

The charged allegations led Obama's office to issue a rare response to the Trump administration.

"Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," the statement read. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."

It also noted that bipartisan Senate intelligence committee findings, a committee then-chaired by Marco Rubio, now Trump's secretary of state, "affirmed" the intelligence community's findings.

From 'phony stuff' to 'whatever's credible' to 'unverified hearsay,' a pattern emerges

 reported that Bondi and her deputy, who told the president his name was in the files multiple times, said they felt the files contained "unverified hearsay."

That might help explain how Trump has talked about this for more than a year.

"Yeah, whatever's credible, she can release," Trump said in the Oval Office on July 16 responding to a reporter's question about whether he wants Bondi to release the full files.

"If the — if a document is credible, if a document is there that is credible, she can release. I think it's — I think it's good," he said. 

Note him saying whatever is "credible." He's used the word "credible" on this story multiple times in the last 10 days.

"Well, I think in the case of Epstein, they've already looked at it and they are looking at it, and I think all they have to do is put out anything credible," Trump said in an 

 on the same day on Real America's Voice, a conservative media outlet. "But you know, that was run by the Biden administration for four years. I can imagine what they put into files."

The day before, Trump talked to reporters twice, once before departing the White House and once after returning on Air Force One. Again, multiple times, emphasized the credibility of what's in the files and deflected to try and shift the focus to Democrats and former FBI Director James Comey.

"[T]he credibility is very important," Trump said. "And you want credible evidence for something like that. And I think the attorney general's handled it very well."

He was also asked if Bondi briefed him about his name being in the files — and this was days before the 

"No, no," he said before adjusting his language, "She's given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen. And I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by the Biden inform–, you know, uh, we, and we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, with all of the different things that we had to go through. We've gone through years of it, but she's handled it very well and it's gonna be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release."

"Why they would be so interested in — he's dead for a long time," Trump said of Epstein. "He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is. I really don't. And the credible information's been given. Don't forget, we went through years of the Mueller witch hunt and all of the different things."

He continued: "I think well, really, only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.

But credible information, let 'em give it. Anything that's credible. I would say let them have it."

That tracks with what Trump said during the presidential campaign last year, despite the impression that many in his base were left with — that he would release the files.

 if he would release them, he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so [than MLK or JFK files], because you don't know — you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, 'cause there's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world."

Of course, releasing "credible" information is an important reason, for example, why grand jury testimonies remain sealed with few exceptions — to 

protect witnesses and the integrity of investigations

Despite all the controversies Trump has faced in his political career, this is one he hasn't been able to talk his way out of. That's particularly true because this is a story influential people in his base have pushed — and some of them are now in his administration directly responsible for handling this.

What the White House has tried to do hasn't satisfied many, including in his base — and could make for headaches for swing-district Republicans

 conducted July 10-13 found half of respondents were dissatisfied with how much information has been released, including 4 in 10 Republicans.

 in mid-July, connecting it specifically to Trump. In doing so, about half still said they disapproved of Trump's handling of the Epstein matter — 35% of Republicans were reserving judgment, saying they didn't know.

What's more, almost 6 in 10 respondents in the Ipsos polling said they believed the government is probably or definitely hiding information about his death, and 69% said they think it's hiding information about the alleged clients of the accused sex trafficker.

In both cases that included solid majorities of Republicans.

 published Sunday found that 9 in 10 think the government should release all of its information on Epstein, and Republicans are split on the Trump administration's handling of matters related to the case, though self-identified MAGA Republicans are more likely to say they are satisfied.

Republicans appear to be giving Trump a long leash — 89% of them approve of the job he's doing overall as president, despite his approval slipping to just 42% overall in the survey.

That could be because the Epstein case isn't the most important issue respondents considered in evaluating the job he's doing. Top of the list for saying an issue mattered "a lot" in their evaluation was immigration and deportation policies (61%), followed closely by inflation and prices and the tax-and-spending bill that recently passed Congress (both at 56%). About 36% said so of the Epstein case.

Republican members of Congress, though, continue to get questions about it. For example, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican from a swing district in Pennsylvania, addressed the administration's approach at a tele-town hall Wednesday night.

"They have not released as much as I would like to see to date," he said, per audio from public radio reporter Carmen Russell-Sluchansky of WHYY, who was on the call. "But hopefully they're going to be doing that, and if not, then Congress should potentially step in and compel them to do that because again, the American people deserve to have full transparency."

It's a reminder that Trump's not the only one who has to navigate this — and these are exactly the types of members of Congress who will be in races that will likely determine control of the House next year.

Politics and Government News

Homepage

Domenico Montanaro

Author

The usual deflection tactics — releasing unrelated information, blaming Democrats and the media — haven’t worked with this controversy.

How and why Trump has struggled in dealing with the Epstein files

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox